Last Day at 99¢

Today’s the last day Who Mourns Electra? is only 99¢.

Get Your Copy Today!

Tomorrow the price goes up to $4.99.

Harry wants a quiet life, shared with the love of his life, Rev. Ember Cole, running his coffee shop.

The Rev. Ember Cole wants to forget her past and do what she can to help usher in the Kingdom of Jesus.

Unfortunately, life and the town of Magnolia Bluff have other things in mind for our quiet and unassuming couple. Things like murder.

If you like puzzle mysteries that hearken back to a gentler era, touched with a bit of romance, you’ll love Who Mourns Elektra?. 

It’s available on Amazon at 99¢. But today is the last day.

Get Who Mourns Elektra? Today!

Because tomorrow it will be $4.99.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

 

 

CW Hawes is a playwright; award-winning poet; and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes 

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Who Mourns Elektra is Live!

Today’s the day! Who Mourns Electra? is live! And only 99¢.

Get Your Copy Today!

Harry wants a quiet life, shared with the love of his life, Rev. Ember Cole, running his coffee shop.

The Rev. Ember Cole wants to forget her past and do what she can to help usher in the Kingdom of Jesus.

Unfortunately, life and the town of Magnolia Bluff have other things in mind for our quiet and unassuming couple. Things like murder.

If you like puzzle mysteries that hearken back to a gentler era, touched with a bit of romance, you’ll love Who Mourns Elektra?. 

It’s available on Amazon at 99¢ for the next week only. Get your copy today!

Get Who Mourns Elektra? Today!

 

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

 

 

CW Hawes is a playwright; award-winning poet; and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes 

 

 

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Best Year Ever

Last year, 2023, was my best royalty year in the 9 years I’ve been an indie author/publisher.

And that was almost entirely due to proceeds from one book: Death Wears a Crimson Hat, which is the first book in the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles multi-author series.

Watch the Meet the Author vodcast to learn about the beginning of the series.

In October 2023, I released my second contribution to the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles. You can watch the Meet the Author vodcast to learn more about Ten Million Ways to Die. One reviewer thought the book was better than my inaugural book, Death Wears a Crimson Hat.

And on February 20th, Who Mourns Elektra?, my third book in the series will launch.

You can watch the Meet the Author vodcast to learn more about my newest book.

Where can you buy these books? Just tap or click the title and you’ll go to Amazon.

Death Wears a Crimson Hat

Ten Million Ways to Die

Who Mourns Elektra? (Link will go live when the book does)

And for the entire series (lots of great reading awaits), go to the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles series page on Amazon.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

CW Hawes is a playwright; award-winning poet; and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes 

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A New Year of Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles

Year 3 of the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles begins next month, February 2024, with the publication of 

 

Who Mourns Elektra?
By CW Hawes

The book features not only murder and mayhem, but also the troubles and joys of the ongoing relationship between mysterious coffee shop owner Harry Thurgood and the Reverend-with-a-past Ember Cole.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, January 17, at 7pm ET, on the Meet the Author podcast, catch the live reveal of the first 3 books for this year.

This will be a fun show as Linda Pirtle, RC & JP Carter, and myself talk about our upcoming books.

The show can be seen on the Meet the Authors YouTube channel. The time for the live show is 7pm ET.

Be there, or be square!

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

 

 

CW Hawes is a playwright; award-winning poet; and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes 

 

Justinia Wright Private Investigator Mysteries on Amazon!

Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles on Amazon!

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Nine Years and a Blog Tour

Nine years ago this month I published my first four books. And the subsequent adventure has been very interesting to say the least.

That I’m still writing and publishing is a testimony to perseverance and perhaps just doggone stubbornness. 

In the past 9 years I’ve witnessed many authors come and go. And some of them were super writers. Which makes me sad to think of all that talent going unused. But that is the way it goes, unfortunately.

I haven’t gotten rich. In fact, I’ve yet to rich $5000 in royalties from my books. Nevertheless, I’ve had a lot of fun. I’ve written stories that have provided entertainment for the folks who read them.

And when the dark days come, and they do, the days when you wonder is it worth it, I read a few of the reviews I’ve gathered over the years and tell myself — yes, it’s worth it. Telling the stories that collect in my head is worth the work to make them available to others to also enjoy.

We writers have a tendency to work alone and for indie authors, at least most of us, I don’t think that’s a good thing.

After 9 years, I think working with an active group of likeminded writers is the key to success. You probably won’t get rich, but you will have the support to keep on going and the advantage of working together to promote each other — and that is a definite key to success.

Lone Star Blog Tour

I am very fortunate to be one of the charter members of the Underground Authors.

The group was started by the late Caleb Pirtle III. His initial vision was to get together a group of writers who were actively writing and publishing to cross promote each other’s work.

Now, we not only promote each other’s books, but we also write a multi-author crime series: the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles.

Going on right now is a blog tour of the series hosted by Lone Star Literary Life. Here’s the link for you to check out the tour: https://www.lonestarliterary.com/content/magnolia-bluff-crime-chronicles-underground-authors

Going Forward

Next year, my intention is to launch a Kickstarter campaign, write the next Justinia Wright mystery, start a new series, and write some short stories.

Whether I do the above, or decide to do something else — I do know I’ll be writing.

Because as Harlan Ellison said, “Writers write.” It’s as simple as that. And I’m a writer.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

 

 

CW Hawes is a playwright; award-winning poet; and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes 

 

 

Justinia Wright Private Investigator Mysteries on Amazon!

Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles on Amazon!

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A Magnolia Bluff Deep Dive with CW Hawes and Richard Schwindt

Recently I sat down with my fellow Underground Author, Richard Schwindt, and talked about the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles series: its past and its future. We also talked about my writing.

I had a lot of fun in this interview. Richard asked some thought-provoking and probing questions. A few not easily answered.

Give the video a watch. You’ll learn about the creation of Magnolia Bluff and where it might be headed. You’ll also get to know me a bit better.

 

The Underground Authors’s short story anthology, Beyond the Sea, is on Amazon. Proceeds go to charity.

You can find my latest contribution to the series, Ten Million Ways to Die, on Amazon.

 

And the entire series is on Amazon.

 

Richard Schwindt’s books are also on Amazon.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

 

 

CW Hawes is a playwright; award-winning poet; and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes

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Second Chances is Coming!

In a week, book 17 in the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles goes live. Second Chances by Joe Congel.

Joe is new to the world of Magnolia Bluff, but he is not new to crime fiction. He writes a bang-up crime series of his own: The Razzman Mystery Crime Files.

I love private detective novels, and Joe’s Razzman series fires on all cylinders. Great characters. Large dollops of humor. Intriguing, suspense-filled storylines. And accomplished writing. It’s better than TV. What more can you ask for?

In Second Chances, Joe ventures into the world of the amateur sleuth. But we aren’t talking about a male version of Miss Marple. 

Brandon Turner is a former New York City cop who’s looking to get away from the big city and find a quiet, peaceful place to enjoy his early retirement.

Too bad he picked Magnolia Bluff.

Right now, Second Chances is on pre-order for just 99¢. The book goes live to your ereader on Monday, September 18.

I’ve read an extended snippet and I am champing at the bit to get my eyes on the entire book. This is going to be a good one. And I wouldn’t expect anything less from Joe Congel.

So get your name on the list today and clear your calendar, because when this one drops — you will be sucked into the world of Magnolia Bluff body and soul.

Second Chances. On Amazon.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

 

 

CW Hawes is a playwright; award-winning poet; and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes 

 

 

Justinia Wright Private Investigator Mysteries on Amazon!

Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles on Amazon!

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Review: The Killer Enigma

This month brings us Book 16 in the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles: The Killer Enigma by Breakfield and Burkey.

What do you do when people just won’t leave you alone? You get away from it all.

And that’s exactly what supermodel Jo and her husband JJ decide to do when the paparazzi just won’t leave them alone.

Magnolia Bluff, Texas is about as far away as one can get from those camera toting busybodies. And that’s exactly where Jo wants to go. 

She and JJ plan on revisiting old friends and getting in a whole lot of R & R at their favorite B & B. 

Well, that’s the plan. 

And we all know what happens to even the best-laid plans.

At Jo’s insistence, the vacation quickly morphs into a search for vacation property. And when an old ranch that needs some TLC turns up, it does so with a dead body. Of course it does.

But the body is not alone, there’s a half million bucks with it. 

And unfortunately for JJ and Jo, somebody wants that money — and will stop at nothing to get it.

Hopes. Dreams. And murder. Just another day in Magnolia Bluff. Let’s hope JJ and Jo get to finish their vacation. Alive.

The Killer Enigma drops on August 19th. But you can get it now for only 99¢ on Amazon.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

 

CW Hawes is a playwright; award-winning poet; and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes 

 

Justinia Wright Private Investigator Mysteries on Amazon!

Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles on Amazon!

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Death in the Absence of Rain

Readers of this blog know I think very highly of Caleb Pirtle’s ability to tell a thought–provoking and heart–moving story.

It doesn’t matter if the story is a historical narrative, a biography, a gripping thriller, or a puzzling mystery. Caleb delivers the goods as few writers can.

He is one of the most successful writers who is not a household name. (You can read about him in my previous post.)

This month he released his latest book: Death in the Absence of Rain. It is the 15th book in the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles series, and it is a winner.

There’s a dead man walking the streets of Magnolia Bluff. 

A blazing hot sun is drinking up all the water for miles around. The drought is causing Burnet Reservoir to dry up. 

And out of the receding waters rises a town drowned 50 years ago. A dead town with living secrets.

Then there’s a murder. Followed by a second murder.

Law enforcement is baffled. And so is Graham Huston, editor of the town newspaper. But Graham has an advantage law enforcement doesn’t. The dead man talks to him.

And Graham listens. But what is the dead man trying to tell him?

A trip out to the ghost town that’s rising back out of the lake reveals yet another murder. One that’s 50 years old.

Graham’s dogged pursuit of the truth brings an old, old secret to light. It also puts him on the receiving end of a shotgun blast late at night.

Caleb Pirtle tells us a suspense-filled tale and while doing so weaves in observations about life and death and living that only a person with a lot of years under his belt can give us. 

Death in the Absence of Rain is a mystery only Caleb Pirtle could write, and one you won’t easily forget.

It is still only 99¢ on Amazon. If you’re a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, you’ve already paid to read it. So go ahead!

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

 

 

CW Hawes is a playwright; award-winning poet; and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes 

 

Justinia Wright Private Investigator Mysteries on Amazon!

Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles on Amazon!

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The Sherlock Holmes Mystery Formula

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle did not invent the mystery genre. That honor goes to Edgar Allan Poe.

But Doyle did make the nascent genre extraordinarily popular. Once Sherlock Holmes caught on with the public, there were dozens of imitators all vying for attention.

The Sherlock Holmes Mystery Formula

The formula that Doyle created for his genius sleuth endures to this day. It’s the formula all traditional mysteries follow. With stylistic variations, of course.

Here’s Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes Mystery Formula:

      1. We meet the detective at home or in his office and learn that he is a genius.
      2. The client enters, tells the detective a tale of woe, and the detective decides to take the case.
      3. The detective hunts for clues to solve the murder (or other crime, if the story isn’t a murder mystery).
      4. The detective, having gathered enough clues finally knows who did it, and either catches the killer himself, or tells the police how the murder was done.

The significance of the Sherlock Holmes Mystery Formula is that the story’s focus is on the sleuth and the puzzle he is trying to solve.

Mysteries are Cerebral

At base, mysteries are cerebral, not visceral, reads.

Mysteries are a puzzle. The author is challenging the reader to see if he can figure out who did it before the detective’s great reveal at the end of the book.

By comparison, thrillers are visceral reads. They are packed with emotion. Their goal is to keep you on the edge of your seat, chewing on your nails.

Thrills and Spills

That doesn’t mean there can’t be thrills in a mystery, because there certainly are thrills. Often plenty of them. Car chases. Kidnappings. Shootouts. And lots more. They just aren’t the main course. The puzzle is.

My own Justinia Wright Private Investigator Mystery series follows, more or less, the Sherlock Holmes formula. 

If your reading diet is mainly thrillers, you might find the mystery pacing too leisurely, or sedate. At least initially.

But hang on to your hat, because by the middle of the book things are heating up and heating up fast.

Real People

My Justinia Wright series was patterned after Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin mysteries.

Like Wolfe and Goodwin, sister and brother Tina and Harry Wright are people. They have lives apart from being private investigators.

Chandler gives us little glimpses into the private life of Philip Marlowe. And I can see why the glimpses are brief. Marlowe’s personal life is rather boring. He does play chess, but it’s games out of a book.

Tina and Harry, on the other hand, have interesting lives — and I share their lives with you. They are, after all, real people. At least I think they are.

So the lives of my detectives get intertwined with the mystery to provide a seamless window into the world of Tina and Harry Wright, and the people and critters they care about.

Get in on the Fun

If you like books about people, if you like Wordle or other puzzles, then you’ll like the world of Tina and Harry Wright.

You can find all of the many cases in the Justinia Wright Private Investigator Mystery series on Amazon.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

 

CW Hawes is a playwright; award-winning poet; and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes 

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