new books

Two New Indie Authors

new books, New Indie Authors View all 2 comments

I want to share with you the works of two new indie authors who I think are really special. The first is Diana McDonough, who has written a funny, poignant, bittersweet novel entitled Stuck in the Onesies. The title comes from the child’s game of Jacks: if you get stuck in the first round–the onesies–you play catch-up for the rest of the game. That’s a metaphor for the lives of two women raising their families in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. It will  make you laugh and cry in equal doses.

The other book is Mine to Avenge, book one of a trilogy entitled In Such a World, by T.J. Hux. It is a novel of espionage and international terrorism, and follows the quest of former SEAL Matthew Pierson as he tries to redeem his life after discovering that he was deceived into killing an American citizen on his last mission. It’s a gritty, complex page-turner that may keep you up late. I was fortunate enough to get an advance reader copy of book two, due to be published soon, and it is even more thrilling than the first. I’m sure I’ll have to fasten my seat belt when the final installment arrives!

Both books are available in Kindle and paperback versions on Amazon. Click on the titles of each to read a free sample.

New Book Release

new books, Seal of Secrets View all 5 comments

The Kindle version of my new book is now available on Amazon for pre-order. Here’s the link: Seal of Secrets. It will be published on December 9, and the paperback version should be available around the same time.

I’m very happy with the cover. Local artist Margaret S. Tsang gave me permission to use her original watercolor “Yaquina Sunrise.” I recommend you check out her other works, some of which are hanging (and for sale) in the Artists’ Studio Association in Lincoln City.

Here’s the back cover blurb: “There is something strange about Jack Wallace, the man Chloe Denhurst has hired to do odd jobs around her house. He never talks about himself, never mentions a family or friends. She sees sorrow in his eyes, and something else, something sinister. When his past comes back to haunt him, Chloe’s own life and the life of her daughter are put in jeopardy. As the mystery deepens, Chloe gets pulled into a vortex of deception and murder.”

I confess that my goal in writing this mystery/suspense novel was to create the literary equivalent of a bag of potato chips. Just as you can’t eat only one chip, my hope is that you can’t read only one chapter. (“I know I have to make supper, have to finish this project, have to go to bed–but I have to read one more chapter first!”) One of the beta readers of the original manuscript wrote back to me, “This plot has more twists and turns than a corkscrew about to open a dusty bottle of a very fine wine!”

I can only hope you feel the same way.

First blog post

first blog, independent publishing, signing events, new books Leave a comment

I am happy to be writing my first blog on my new website, which may not yet have all the wrinkles ironed out of it. I have just received the second draft of my new novel Seal of Secrets back from my beta reader with many very insightful criticisms. Work on the third draft will start soon. I’m guessing I may be ready to publish within the next few months, depending on how busy the holidays get.

Meanwhile, I have two upcoming signing events that I’m looking forward to. The first will be at the Salem Public Library’s Authorama on Saturday November 12, from 1:00-4:00PM. It promises to be a lot of fun with about 40 independent authors in attendance. Please come and join us. The second will be at OryCon at the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront, the weekend of November 18-20. I will be there Saturday N0vember 19. This will be particularly exciting for me since it will be the launch weekend for this year’s short story anthology from the Northwest Independent Writers Association. The book is called Artifact and my newest short story, “The Paleographer,” will be published in it. If you’ve never been to a convention like this, you might want to take a look. It has nowhere near the scope of ComiCon in San Diego, but it can be a real hoot nonetheless. The costumes can be knockouts.

I will try to flex my blogging muscles over the next few weeks to talk about other indie authors, new books of interest, and even some movie reviews. Thanks to all of you for your support.