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In my last newsletter, I talked about those books I enjoyed in my childhood. Those great kid stories that fueled my imagination, which was pretty gassed up to start with. When I got into my teen years I began writing poetry and song lyrics. It would be therapy for me, a way to deal with the riggers of growing up that we all went through. I didn’t have many friends, so I would express myself, unburding my troubles onto white college ruled paper via an ink pen. This was before personal computers, and I still have many of those hand written pages stored away in filing cabinets. Occasionally I will pull them out and read through them, trying to remember what moment in my life triggered the creation of the verse. I remember my teenage daughter a few years back pulling them out, wanting to read them, getting a deeper understanding of her father and how I struggled and faced those teenage years. The creative bug had bit her as well, and she soon began writing on Wattpad, a venue to explore her creative side, a proud father thrilled I’d passed on the artistic gene to her.

Besides writing poetry, I began finding writers of mystery and thrillers that I enjoyed. As a youngster, Ian Fleming grabbed my imagination with Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang. So in my later teen years I began reading his James Bond novels. The hard-nosed, cold and calculating Bond of his books, in many ways different than the suave and debonair man portrayed in the movies. Bond was a chain smoking, hard drinking, womanizer, who somehow got the job done despite his failings. I then found Robert Ludlum, and his Bourne trilogy. Jason Bourne a programmed killer, turning up wounded with no memory of who he was. His desperate struggle trying to understand what he had become before being shot, and why he had chosen the path of an assassin. From there I started reading the Techno-Thrillers by Tom Clancy, enjoying the every-man Jack Ryan and his fight against terrorism. I had immersed myself into those wonderful authors creations.

Reading these stories, and many others, gave me the inspirational itch, and I decided to create my own fictional worlds. In my early twenties I ventured into writing my own novel. After thinking about it, I decided on a retired CIA agent pulled back into the spy business reluctantly, dealing with a terrorist group named AIM. I wrote three novels in the series; The Nuclear Squeeze, With Lethal AIM and Dead End Pursuit. Being this was well before self-publishing, I submitted the first novel to several traditional publishers, but were rejected. Reading through those works now, I could see why, as the stories needed a lot of work. Like many writers I put aside ambitions for a while, focusing on other things. Revisiting my author aspirations with an idea about a down-on-his-luck private detective, I wrote a short story, The Case of the Missing Bubble Gum Card. Again I couldn’t get it published and shelved it and several other ideas for a decade or more. Pulling it out one day about 5 years ago, with my wife’s encouragement, I updated the story and decided on self-publishing it. From there was born the Jarvis Mann Detective series.

As I’m looking back on my writing journey, I will go over the ideas that brought to life my snarky PI. The short story mentioned above, dealt with Jarvis helping a high school student find a lost or stolen Ernie Banks rookie baseball card. A card quite valuable, both monetarily and sentimentally. With nothing better to do, Jarvis takes the case on a Sunday afternoon to track down what happened to it, learning a lesson from the young man in life and friendship along the way. It’s a simple case, that introduces Jarvis, showing his humor and smarts to deduce what happened. It’s 27 pages and can be read in a hour or so. And best of all, it is free via all major eBook retailers. For a taste of what Jarvis is like, click this link, select your ebook retailer of choice and download to your eReader. It is my gift to readers with the hope you will want to read more of the series.

It has been a month since the release of The Front Range Butcher and more reviews continue to come in:

I liked the plot(s) and the author laid it out pretty well, with plenty of action and intrigue, some sarcasm, humor, and sex – Stephen L. Brayton

This was a crazy ride. I really liked the characters, especially Jarvis Mann. He is tough, determined, has a smart mouth, which alienates a lot of people, and is very loyal to those he loves and his clients – Julia

Be sure to get your copy today, via Amazon. It’s available in eBook, paperback and also via the Kindle Unlimited subscription service. Once you start reading it, you won’t be able to put it down! If you’ve read it, email me, as I’d love to hear your thoughts on the latest chapter in the series. Readers feedback is what keeps my creative juices flowing.

Just this week I did a new blog interview, this one on the Better Beta Reads website managed by author Deb Rhodes. Be sure to check it out by clicking this link. If you have a blog or website who interviews authors, please contact me, as I’d be happy to answer any and all questions. I’m also available for podcast and radio interviews as well. Just send me an email and I’ll make the time to be on your show.

Thanks for subscribing to my newsletter and learning more about me and my books. Be sure to share with any other mystery/detective genre fans out there. I’m still offering Tracking A Shadow free for anyone signing up for the newsletter. I hope everyone has a great week. And until next time, keep your Kindle charged and your paperback pages turning.

R Weir

When I was younger, reading was a passion for me. Finding a book that drew me in, making me feel I was part of the story, was inspiring. Thinking back, I don’t remember the first book I read that I sunk my teeth into. But I do remember several that hooked me. The first that comes to mind is Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang. Even today I remember the life-like car that could sprout wings and fly, or with the flip of a lever become a hovercraft that could glide across water. And those delectable whistle sweets invented by the main character, Caractacus Pott. Many don’t remember that this children’s novel was written by Ian Fleming. Yes the author, creator of James Bond. The story was written for his son, and was his last work, not living long enough to see it published. It was a story that stuck with me for a long time.

Another book I recall enjoying, was Charlotte’s Web. I fondly remember the interactions between Wilbur the pig and Charlotte, the spider who befriends him, spinning messages in her webs for all to see in an attempt to save his life. A wonderful story and lessen for children about unconditional friendship, life, death and life reborn. A classic everyone should read, young and old.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain still lingers in my memory. Tom Sawyer the young boy growing up in Missouri along the Mississippi river, his lasting friendship with Huckleberry Finn, the whitewashing of the fence as punishment for skipping school, and the search for stolen buried treasure, created a great escapade for these two young men. Written in 1876, it’s a timeless classic, though somewhat dated with some terms that would not be culturally accepted today, but still a wonderful piece of work. Some events autobiographical, Twain’s humor, satire and social commentary in this work, and many of his others, still rank him as one of the greats in American literature.

These stories got me through my childhood, bringing life to a young man’s imagination, inspiring me to create my own work in my early teens. I’m happy to say much of that imagination hasn’t changed, though evolved, and lives on in my stories. I’m thrilled each time I see my daughter reading, stoking her thoughts and ideas. Hopefully you encourage your children to do the same, for reading keeps the mind active and fresh, and full of knowledge they need to make their own independent decisions as they live and grow.

Now that The Front Range Butcher has been released, more reviews keep coming in. If you haven’t picked up your copy today, be sure to on Amazon. If you are a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, it is available on that service as well. Those page reads add up at the end of each month, and make for a nice royalty check from Amazon. Here are a couple of snippet’s from some 5 star reviews:

This was an exciting book. I haven’t read any of PI Jarvis Mann’s books but after this one, I want to read the rest. Jarvis is one snarky dude, and extremely capable at his job. You wouldn’t want him as your enemy. He tackles two and three cases at a time all of them deadly. I enjoyed the way Mr. Weir developed the characters. They were believable and the bad guys were brought to life by his excellent descriptions – CDWB

This is the 7th and by far the best. Intriguing plot full of many twists and turns. The author explains every step and is simple logic to follow. A new character, Wolfe, reminded me Hawk on Spenser for Hire. Strong , cunning and lethal. If you like mysteries , and serial killer types, you owe it to yourself to give this a try. Our hero, Jarvis Mann, was at his best irritating just about everyone. Seemed to me he had the crap beat out of him in this book more so than others. Can’t wait for the next one – William H. Grant

I’ve done two radio interviews over the last couple of weeks, talking about the new book and how I go about creating my compelling characters in the series. Here are the links to both interviews, the first with Pam Stack with Author’s on the Air. The other being with James Lowe and Author Jae Byrd Wells on the Jiggy Jaguar Show. Both interviews were fun and I think you’ll enjoy listening in.

With the release of the new Jarvis Mann PI book, remember that this is the 7th in the series. Though all the books can be read as a standalone, is does help to read them in order as there are characters who flow throughout the series, as do some of the plot lines. All the books are available on Amazon, and the first three in the series are also available on all other major eBook retailers. All information can be found on my RWeir website as well. If you enjoyed any of the books you’ve read in the series, check out the rest, and see how Jarvis and the other characters have evolved.

A another quick reminder, if you’ve read any of my books, please leave a review, if you haven’t already. They can be long and detailed, or as simple as a few words summing up what you thought of it. Leaving reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo and any place the books are sold is most appreciated. And any personal thoughts you have on the books you’d like to share with me directly, please do so via email or even via my Facebook account. I generally will answer back within a few hours.

That is all for this newsletter. Thanks so much again for reading. And please share this with any other book fans who might be interested in Jarvis and his adventures. Have a wonderful rest of your week!

R Weir

Though I’m running a day late on this newsletter, I’m excited to announce The Front Range Butcher is now available on Amazon. If you pre-ordered the book, you should have it on your Kindle to read. Hopefully it has kept you glued to your eReader, not wanting to put it down until the final pages. If you have read it, be sure to let me know your thoughts on the story, and please leave a review, on Amazon and Goodreads. For indie authors every review is cherished and for me I love reading and quoting them not only in this newsletter, but also on Facebook and Twitter. It makes all the months of hard work worthwhile.

In The Front Range Butcher, Jarvis going up against a serial killer is the main story-line, but there are several other plot twists going on at the same time. One brings back one of my favorites characters, Rocky. He is a man who has provided Jarvis support on a couple of occasions, a large tough man with long blonde hair, a mysterious scar under his eye, likes to cook and an avid reader with his Kindle never far away. He is someone whose background we’ve not learned much about, but we’ll discover a few things about what makes him tick and how he got that scar. And maybe couple of teasers for the next book in the series. Rocky joins several other returning characters; April, Melissa, Barry, Bill, detective Mallard and many new personalities too numerous to mention. This book has a cornucopia of diverse personas to keep you entertained.

Reviews continue to come in and universally they’ve been fantastic. Here are snippets from a couple more of them:

The characters – good and bad- make this book a thrilling and suspenseful read. Each one makes an impression. I was on my edge of the seat the whole book but Mr. Weir has you holding your breath and your heart pounding about 95% into the book. I didn’t think things were going to end well – Xrayer

As always, the story is well-written and it brings you right into the seat next to Mann. His humor and cunning abilities to seek out the truth, are still there, but there is something more about this story. Filled with twists and danger, this reader had to reread pages to make sure I didn’t miss anything. I was just as intrigued with this story, and the case of The Front Range Butcher as Mann was when he was first hired to find this serial killer – Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews

More Instafreebie giveaways this week, this new one including my short story, The Case of the Missing Bubble Gum Card. There are 25 books in all to look at on the Cozy Mystery Reader Giveaway which ends March 29th. So hurry and check them out while you can.

I will be announcing the winner of the free $25 Amazon gift card in the next week. For those who pre-ordered The Front Range Butcher be sure to let me know so I can add you to the drawing. If you haven’t ordered. I’d love it if you’d check out the book and all the others in the series. If you enjoy paperbacks, it is also available through Amazon for $15.99. If you live in the Denver area and are interested in any of my books, reach out via email and I will be glad to work out delivering a copy to you and I’ll even sign them. Each book is $10 and if you buy multiples we can work out a discount.

Time to say goodbye and get back to work. With the new book now released, my newsletters will probably be every two weeks or so, going forward. If there is anything you’d like to know more about me and my books drop me a line. I like to speak to everyone about items they enjoy hearing about. Thanks so much again for reading my work. And have a great week!!

R Weir

With the release date (3/27) of The Front Range Butcher nearing, I’ve been spending time thinking about this book and how it evolved. From the simple plot of Jarvis going up against a serial killer, it morphed into so much more. There are actually several story-lines weaved into this book. Without giving away too much, there is the return of a ally Jarvis has worked with in past books, and several enemies, new and old, one especially who plays a key role, coming out of the shadows of the last short story, The Case of the Invisible Souls. And the complications of Jarvis’ love life tangled in with everything else going on around him. Literally his head is spinning dealing from it all. There are 400 pages of end to end drama, excitement and a dash of Jarvis’ biting wit. I’ve read through this book many times, during the writing, rewriting and editing, and I know I wasn’t bored. I hope the readers will feel the same way. The ebook is available on pre-order on Amazon for $4.99, on the Kindle Unlimited Subscription service, or in paperback for $15.99.

I have another snippet from an early ARC reviewer to share:

Jarvis’ biggest case involves a grisly serial killer who has re-emerged. The gruesomeness of the killings rivals any contemporary psychopath (i.e., Hannibal Lector, Dexter, Mathias—a la The Snowman by Jo Nesbo). The twists and red herrings are complicated and creative. Mr. Weir really got inside the head of his disturbed killer and that of his dysfunctional family. It’s a good thing Jarvis is flexible, and “roll with the punches” seems to be his life mantra. The Front Range Butcher is a Jarvis Mann mystery that has been taken up a notch!  – Julie at A Book Junkie’s Review

Speaking of the #1 Amazon Bestseller, The Case of the Invisible Souls, if you haven’t read it yet, be sure to check it out. At 50+ pages it’s a short read, but at only 99 cents it is a bargain, giving you a taste of Jarvis working undercover helping a homeless veteran. It is a heart warming holiday story, and gives you glimpses of a few characters that show up in The Front Range Butcher. Available on Amazon and also on Kindle Unlimited.

I spent a recent March Saturday at the Smoky Hill High School Spring Craft Fair, where I met quite a few people, saw some buyers from previous fairs and sold quite a few paperback books. It was a busy event and kept me hopping for 6 hours. Thankfully my wife was there helping me with the setup and bagging books. Thanks to everyone that came by my table and talked. I have quite a few events coming up in June and July, which you will see from the Coming Events listing in the lower right of this newsletter.

Thursday this week (3/22) at 1:15 Mountain time, I have a radio interview on the Jiggy Jaguar Show on KJAG Radio. I will talking with James Lowe about writing and my latest book. Drop by to listen through his site, via Iheart Radio or you can download his App on your phone or tablet to hear his show.

Another Instafreebie giveaway to promote. Thriller, Mystery & Suspense includes 59 eBooks, and all are free to download. This includes my novel Tracking A Shadow, the first novel in the Jarvis Mann PI series. If you enjoy the Instafreebie books, be sure to check it out!

That is all for now. My next email should be coming out next week on or about the release day of The Front Range Butcher. If you haven’t already pre-ordered and want to read this spine-tingling thriller, order by March 26th and you will be entered into a drawing for a $25 Amazon gift card. Money you can use to buy a whole lot of books!! I hope everyone has a wonderful first week of Spring. Take care….

R Weir

With the coming release of The Front Range Butcher I knew I wanted my protagonist, Jarvis Mann, to face something new and dangerous. In previous books he has been challenged by lying clients, loan sharks and gangsters, greedy corporations, Russian mobsters and Chinese government thugs. This time he is going face to face, matching wits with a suspected serial killer. A man who revels in playing mind games, getting into the heads of all around him. The suspect was smart, coy. egotistic and maniacal, thinking he was the smartest man in the room. Jarvis has always used his fists and guns, to catch the bad guys, though to some degree his smarts. But this time is up against a man who uses his brainpower and mind manipulation to physiologically wear down those who challenge him, knowing if he gets inside their head he can win the mental war. Jarvis and Simon, face off in several chapters, each of them trying to find an edge against the other, building tension in their confrontation. It is that one on one battle, that I feel gives the book it’s central focus and is the meat that makes The Front Range Butcher my best writing to date. I hope when you read it, you’ll feel the same.

On that note, I’ve received some early feedback from ARC reviewers on the book. Here are a couple of snippets from those reviews:

The mystery was masterfully written. There were several twists in the plot that added to the heart-pounding tension building up to the final reveal of the “Front Range Butcher’s” identity, and I really couldn’t put the book down during the last few chapters – Charity at On My Kindle

This is an excellent read! Maybe the best in the Jarvis Mann PI series, so far. It’s filled with twists and turns that keep you riveted to the pages and brings you to a conclusion that surprises yet satisfies. I highly recommend this book and look forward to the next book in the series. A 5 star read! – Teresa at Poised Penned Productions

What do you think? Sound like something you want to read. If so, if you pre–order on Amazon by March 26th, you will be entered into a drawing for a $25 Amazon gift card. Just email the proof of purchase to my author email address at: rweir720@gmail.com.

The paperback version of The Front Range Butcher is now available as well through Amazon. Get it for $15.99. If you enjoy a real book, all my full length novels are available as well through Amazon or you can buy them direct from me, where I will sign them. Just send me an email and we can work out the cost.

Speaking of paperbacks, I will be at Smoky Hill High School in Aurora Colorado on March 10th from 9AM-3PM meeting readers, selling and signing my books. If you live in the Denver Metro area be sure to stop by and say hi. I always loved talking with fans of Jarvis and potential new fans. I will be in the east gym along with a lot of other vendors. Admission and parking are free. Right now the weather looks great and I’m looking forward to a busy day.

More Instafreebie giveaways to check out below if you are looking for free Mystery/Crime/Thriller books from a variety of indie authors, including my first novel in the Jarvis Mann PI series, Tracking A Shadow. Check them out:

Crime & Mystery free book giveaway until March 30th. 56 different books to choose from.

Killer Crime free book giveaway until March 31st. 46 different books to choose from.

Thanks for reading my newsletter and stopping by my website. Share with all your bookworm friends. For those around the US on spring break, be sure to stay out of trouble, for Jarvis is tied up on his next case and won’t be available to bail you out!!

R Weir

Good day to everyone. Winter finally decided to arrive here in Colorado, a few months late, but in full force. It has been cold and snowy these last couple of weeks, and with March on the horizon, and it being the snowiest month for this area, I suspect more is on the way. Though I’m one of those who enjoys the four seasons, and the ever changing weather we have here in Colorado. On those cold, snowy days, it’s a good time to find a thrilling book to read or in my case work on my writing. The next book is coming along, with 65k worth of words written. Not sure how long this book will be, but I expect it will fall near the page count of The Front Range Butcher when it’s all said and done. Hopefully it will be another thrilling adventure for Jarvis.

I recently made some updates to the website. Adding a section for interviews I’ve done and for events I’ve attended selling my books, including a list of upcoming events scheduled for 2018. The interviews consist of audio/video where I’ve talked via web conferencing about me and my books. Those one on one interviews are always fun to do, and are often with fellow authors, discussing our books, marketing and the writing process. And then there are text interviews where a blogger will send me a list of questions I need to answer, some of which are pretty unique and fun to dive into. Though I’m an introvert by nature, I still enjoy those moments where I get to pound my chest about what it’s like to be an author. Check out those interviews here.

As for events, I did several in 2016 and 2017, including a couple of big events, Penned Con 2016 in St. Louis and Wild Deadwood Reads 2017 in Deadwood South Dakota. Both were a lot of fun, with a large number of readers stopping by and talking with me on what genres they enjoyed. I also did several craft fairs during the Xmas holidays in 2017, and got a lot of new readers. This year I will be doing a spring craft fair at Smoky High School here in Aurora Colorado on March 10th, which is free to attend. Then I will be returning to Deadwood on June 9th. The Wild Deadwood Reads event is even bigger this year and if you live in the area and want to meet lots of great authors, you can get your tickets for $10 here. These gatherings get me out from behind the desk where I can talk and interact with readers, in hopes they become fans. You can find the latest events I’m going to listed in the lower right hand area of the newsletter under Upcoming Events or on the website here. More RWeir website changes are coming that I will be announcing soon.

With the pending release on March 27th of, The Front Range Butcher, I was pleased on how the cover design came out, getting across what I wanted to convey on how the story is written and emotions readers would experience as they turned the pages. My cover artist is wonderful and takes what I imagine and makes it come to life. But my daughter Dakota likes to sketch and draw as well, and created her own cover from the basic premise of the story. Below you’ll see her hand drawn raw image and being a proud parent I wanted to share.

If you love free books, there are still more Instafreebie giveaways I’m involved with, and more great books from other authors. I know I’ve downloaded a few myself. Check them out, and support them if you find their books of interest.

Come for the Thrillers, Stay for the Action  101 free books to choose from.

Don’t forget if you pre-order, The Front Range Butcher, by March 26th, you are entered into a drawing for a $25 Amazon Gift Card. You can find out more on my website or Jarvis Mann PI Facebook page. I heard from one of my early reviewers of my latest novel, who told me “It was really good. It was the BEST one I have read yet. It was a bit darker because of the subject matter but I think that just made it better.” If you are interested in being an early reviewer, you can receive an early release ARC. Just fill out this Google Form for more information.

Thanks so much for reading my newsletter. Be sure to share with friends who are interested in me and my stories. Your word of mouth helps out indie authors. If they sign-up they can still get a eBook copy of my first novel, Tracking A Shadow, for free.  Until next time be sure to keep on reading to expand your mind and universe.

R Weir

Hello to everyone. I hope life is treating you well. A quick email today with a couple of promo items. With the release of, The Front Range Butcher, on March 27th, for those who pre-order by March 26th, you will be entered into a drawing for a $25 Amazon Gift Card. Go to Amazon to pre-order.

Here is the synopsis of The Front Range Butcher:

Twenty-two years ago, the slayings began, a new body nearly every month, front page news for all to read. Gruesome in nature, the victims nearly all female, the killer terrorizing the residents of Colorado’s biggest cities. Until one day the murders stopped leaving no clue, or closure. No one knew who he was, his motive for slaughtering them, and why the urge to kill suddenly ended.

Now, more than two decades later, the urge has resurfaced. Carved remains of loved ones left to be found, lives of families ruined, the slayings echoing an all too familiar case from a past once forgotten. Bold headlines return to the local papers, the police and FBI still just as helpless, even with today’s modern advancements. Has the killer resurfaced again? Why did they disappear for so long? How many more will brutally suffer the same horrendous fate?

Hired to find the serial killer, private detective Jarvis Mann digs deep, fighting FBI resistance, with life threatening danger lurking around every corner. His cunning leads to a man he must match wits with, a man the F.B.I can’t touch. Interrogating to get into his psyche in an all-out attempt to stop the insanity and bring him to justice. Cold and calculated, intelligent and coy, the man, wheelchair bound, holds the answers and the secrets. For he is the only one who could be the evil manifestation of: The Front Range Butcher.

Can Jarvis outwit such a mastermind, or has he met his match?

Are you looking for some cozy mysteries to baffle and confound you as you try and figure out whodunit. You can check out these 26 Cozy Mystery stories via Instafreebie until Feb 18th, including my short story, The Case of the Missing Bubble Gum Card. Be sure to check it out and fill up your ereaders with some good reading.

Thanks again for allowing me to invade your inbox. If you have any questions about me and my books don’t hesitate to email me. I hope everyone has a wonderful week. Cheers!!

R Weir

Hello to everyone. Hope you are all doing well. It continues to be mild here along the front range this winter. Very little snow and only one cold stretch. Spring is not far off, with March and April historically big snow months for us. So we still have time to get some much needed moisture. I know some parts of the country, especially back east, winter has been what winter is normally like. How has winter been in you neck of the woods?

I’ve been busy the last 10 days working on final edits to my latest book, The Front Range Butcher, after getting it back from my editors. They provided a wonderful amount of feedback, which I’ve incorporated and I think this is the best book in the Jarvis Mann PI series yet. I was excited reading through the story while editing, and I hope everyone who reads it will not put it down until the last of the 400 pages is finished. Release date will be March 27th, with pre-sales available now on Amazon. I will be providing more teasers and posting chapters of the book on my Jarvis Mann PI Facebook page and on the RWeir website in advance, to give everyone a taste of the story. The plot has Jarvis trying to track down a serial killer, while dealing with several other cases pulling him in multiple directions. He will be challenged on many fronts like never before.

We are doing a slow cover reveal for the new book on the Facebook page. Be sure to like the page to see the latest info and cover slowly being revealed. Here is a sneak peek:

The plot for the latest book came about with me wanting Jarvis to go face to face, matching wits with the suspected serial killer, and facing the emotional effects of getting into the psyche of this person. You will see the return of many characters from the other books in the series, and many new ones as well. And story-lines from the last two Jarvis books, Dead Man Code and The Case of the Invisible Souls, play a key role in the story. Though not necessary to have read those books, understanding the backstory is helpful. Much like life, everything Jarvis has done past and present, comes back around, both good and bad. As we all know it can be difficult to be completely free of the past mistakes we make, and he is no different.

There are still more Instafreebie giveaways I’m involved with, featuring my first novel, Tracking A Shadow, where Jarvis is looking for the stalker of his sexy female client. These giveaways feature other Mystery/Thriller/Suspense books, all for free. A great way to find new and exciting authors. Be sure to check them out via the links below.

Intriguing Murder Mysteries ends Feb 9th and features 28 free books

Thrillers, Mystery & Suspense ends Feb 12th and features 67 free books

If you don’t want to go through Instafreebie, anyone can signup for my newsletter, where I will provide you a free copy of Tracking A Shadow. Or you can purchase on your own through most eBook retailers for $2.99. And you can always get the short story that started it all, The Case of the Missing Bubble Gum Card, through most eBook retailers permanently for free. A great introduction to Jarvis Mann PI, as he helps a young man find a lost valuable Ernie Banks bubble gum card and learns an important lesson in the process.

As remember all of the novels, Tracking A Shadow, Twice As Fatal, Blood Brothers, Dead Man Code, and soon, The Front Range Butcher, are available in paperback as well. You can find those on Amazon. If you’d like to buy a signed copy direct from me, contact me via the email address on this newsletter and we can work out costs and getting one shipped to you.

Thanks again for reading the newsletter. Be sure to share with all your friends and family. If you have questions about me or Jarvis and his adventures, don’t hesitate to email me. I love hearing from all of you. Have a wonderful week and stay warm by curling up to a book with the one you love!!

R Weir

When talking with readers or doing interviews, I’m often asked how I plot out my books. Do I outline my story, or do I write it by the seat of my pants? The truth is I get a basic story idea and run with it from there. I do not plot out or outline the story before I write. I let the story take me in a direction as I write it. The general idea, with a beginning, middle and end, is there when I start, but it often changes significantly from what I imagined it would be in the beginning. Dead Man Code is a good example. I knew it would be a murder of a computer tech and would reveal secrets about the company he worked for. But that simple idea morphed into so much more, much of it evolving as I wrote it. No spoilers though, as you’ll have to read the book. I’m a believer in letting the story take me on a journey. At the beginning I’m thinking I will go right, and the next thing you know I’m headed left. It can be much like every day life, where you start a day thinking you’ll be doing one thing, then circumstances and obstacles will take you in a new direction. It can be quite exciting to me personally, on where the story hurtles to. Hopefully it’s the same feeling a reader gets when they dive into my books.

Though I don’t outline in advance, I do outline as I go along. I use Scrivener to manage the outline. The functions within the program I use are, Character Sketch, to keep track of character names, their place in the story and their physical characteristics. Then I use, Setting Sketch, to keep track of each chapter, with a brief summary on the cards on the digital pegboard of what happens and who is in that chapter. All of these can be organized in folders to better track the plot and refer back to.  My favorite feature of Scrivener is the Name Generator, which helps me come up with character names. It allows me to generate a list of unique names based on country of origin, male or female, first and last names starting with certain first letter, and so on. It is a wonderful program for outlining. Some authors I know use it for writing their story as well. But I still prefer Microsoft Word for this. And Word documents work well with Amazon, Createspace and Draft2Digital, so long as they are properly formatted. There are many books and instructions on websites out there on the proper way to format a file for eBooks and physical books. From the information I’ve gathered, I’ve designed a template that works every time. At least until they change their upload specs, which in the computer world is always a possibility.

I’m continuing to get lots of downloads of my free novel, Tracking A Shadow. This is coming off of several Instafreebie Group Giveaways I’m using right now, adding many new subscribers to this newsletter. If you’ve downloaded my book, or any of the other books in these giveaways, please leave a review for the author on the various review sites out there, after you are done reading. Amazon, Goodreads, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble and any other sites where the book is for sale. Reviews are the lifeblood of authors. I know when I’m looking at a book to purchase, reading reviews can often be a deciding factor. Even something as simple as “Great Book! I Really enjoyed it and will read more by this Author” will not only make the authors day when reading it, but lead to more sales for them, fueling them to write additional great stories to share.

Speaking of those giveaways, here are some of the current ones. Be sure to check them out. There are a lot of great books here free to read, and generally available in all formats used by any eReader out there.

PULSE POUNDING THRILLERS 40 free ebooks TIL FEB 3rd

INTRIGUING MURDER MYSTERIES 28 free ebooks TIL FEB 9th

FREE THRILLER & MYSTERY EBOOKS 7 free ebooks TIL JAN 26th

Thanks again for opening and reading my newsletter. Next month I will continue talking about my writing process, give some background on how Jarvis was born, and hopefully have news on my next Jarvis Mann PI book, The Front Range Butcher. Here is a little teaser from the book:

If you have questions be sure to reply to this email, as I love hearing from readers. And share this newsletter with anyone who is interested in my books. If they sign-up via my website I will give them a free eBook version of, Tracking A Shadow. Thanks again and be sure to share a book with a friend!

I hope everyone had an enjoyable New Year’s celebration and got to spend time with loved ones over these last few holiday weeks. As a family we spent our New Years Eve trying to keep our dog Emma calm, with all the fireworks being set off by many of our neighbors. She begins to pace back and forth, panting heavily with each boom outside, not being able to relax. She loves the outdoors, but wants nothing to do with it, when the fireworks are flying. Even though we planned on getting to bed early, we ended up staying up well past midnight, running Netflix shows with the volume turned up so she couldn’t hear the noise. People don’t consider animals when setting off fireworks, but they can be quite frightening to them.

At the three craft fairs I did during the holiday season, I got a chance to talk with lots people interested in my books. Those one-on-one moments are enjoyable, interacting with people who love to read. The most common question I get is: How do you come up with your ideas? To answer those questions, can be complicated. I often find that ideas spring out of little things. Moments in time when something may happen to you personally or you see happen when out and about. I’m an observer, making mental notes of all going on around me. The birth of an idea can happen almost anywhere. I often take a small idea, making it into a basic framework for a story. Or those small moments can be used as a point in time in my story, where a character will have a reaction to something he sees. It can be those little moments that makes a dull character more interesting; more human. I fill all my stories with those little tidbits, creating depth. Another common question is: How do I plot out my stories? I will discuss that in my next newsletter.

My book, Tracking A Shadow, is featured in another Instafreebie Pure Crime Group Giveaway, with 22 other Mystery/Thriller books, which are free until the end of January. Be sure to check this out. This is a great deal, opening you up to more wonderful authors in this genre.

I’m still waiting to get back the next book, The Front Range Butcher, from my editor, which likely won’t be ready to go until March. But I’ve been busy, working on the follow-up to Butcher, 42 thousand words already written on the tentatively titled, Mann in the Crossfire. This story continues a secondary story-line from Butcher, drawing Jarvis into the crossfire of warring factions, which will make for suspense and intrigue he has not been up against previously. Hopefully this will make for another exciting chapter in the Jarvis Mann PI series.

That is all for now. Be sure to share this newsletter with any friends who are interested in my type of work. Word of mouth is the best friend of indie authors. Those that sign-up for the newsletter can get a free copy of, Tracking A Shadow, either directly on my website or via one of the Instafreebie Giveaways that are currently running. If you have any questions be sure to reply back to this email or click the email link below to send me any questions. I always love hearing from readers and responding to any queries you have. Thanks to all, until next time…

R Weir