Caleb Pirtle | CW Hawes

2019 has been a very good year for me. The days have gone by quite swiftly, though, and at my age one hopes they might dally awhile. Alas, Father Time seems to be swift of foot these days. Nevertheless, swift passing or not, the days were good. I have no complaints.

My Good Days As A Writer

Wearing my writer hat, the highlight of the year was being named One of the Top 25 Mystery Writers You Need to be Reading by international bestselling authors Caleb and Linda Pirtle. Being mystery and thriller writers themselves, I’m honored to have made their list.

And the award was in addition to the fabulous reviews that came in all year for my books. The most recent being one for my new novel Death Makes A House Call.

I’ll be honest here: I don’t sell a lot of books. My earnings this year are looking to be less than $300. And there are some days I wonder if it’s worth it. However, it’s satisfying to know that there are people out there who appreciate my work. It does help me to keep going. I’m not writing into the dark. I’m writing for them.

My Good Days As A Reader

This year was a good one for reading. I discovered many new to me authors, both indie and traditionally published. Of course there were many old friends who I met in previous years. All told, I read fiction from 62 different writers.

For those who are into numbers, here’s the breakdown:

Novels/Novellas: 46

Short Story Collections: 4

Short Stories/Novelettes: 45

Non-Fiction: 9 (7 books, 1 essay, 1 True-Crime Story)

The genres my reading tended to focus on were horror and mysteries, but a little bit of everything showed up on the list — including romance. 🙂

Amongst those 62 writers were old favorites such as Ben Willoughby, RH Hale, Rex Stout, Richard Schwindt, Joe Congel, Andy Graham, and Matthew Cormack.

New to me authors included Brian Fatah Steele, H. Bedford-Jones, Lisette Brodey, Alexander Pain, John F Leonard, Terry Tyler, and KD McNiven.

I don’t particularly like making “Best of” lists. They’re highly subjective, and, for me, only reflect my opinion at the moment — which could very easily change next week.

Nevertheless, I do want to give a special shoutout for new-to-me authors Brian Fatah Steele and John F Leonard. They made a big impression on me with the power and imagination of their writing.

If cosmic horror is your thing, or just plain excellent writing, give these guys a try. Particularly Steele’s Your Arms Around Entropy and other stories, and Leonard’s Congeal.

My Good Days As A Person

2019 was good to me as a person. I’m still taking in air and sustenance. My health is reasonably good. At 67, every day I wake up breathing air instead of dirt is a very good one indeed!

Simple pleasures become a source of immense peace and comfort. Simple things such as a good meal, a cup of hot tea, a good book, a good laugh, playing with the cat, seeing the sunset, and gazing at the moon. These things can enrich your life to no end, and they cost little or nothing.

Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher, wrote that “Life is opinion.” In other words, life is what we think it is. And if we choose to think it’s good — it will be.

Good and bad are relative. And because good and bad are relative, they have no absolute meaning. Which in turn means, life simply is. The good and bad of life are in our minds.

Tomorrow begins the new year. May it be a good one for you — and if you think it is, it will be.

Comments are always welcome, and until next time — happy living!

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The older I get, the more I enjoy mysteries. Not thrillers. I actually don’t care much for them. I like the traditional whodunit, where the focus is on solving a murder, and the pacing is gentler.

The first novel I wrote was a mystery. The title? Festival of Death. Although the Festival of Death you can buy today on Amazon, is not at all the same book I wrote back in the late ‘80s. It’s amazing how a couple, three decades can change things.

In the last five years, I’ve written five novels, two novellas, three novelettes, and seven short stories in the Justinia Wright Private Investigator series; and there are an additional two novels in the works. I love every minute I spend with Tina and Harry. The series is also my all-time second highest seller.

Now it’s one thing to write something simply because you love doing it. But it’s a whole different ballgame when you get recognized for doing so — which recently happened to me.

International bestselling authors Caleb and Linda Pirtle are known for their promotion of indie authors. It’s a wonderful thing they are doing for their fellow writers.

Recently they named me as One of the Top 25 Mystery Writers You Need to be Reading.

I am thrilled and honored they chose me to be on their list.

Support from one’s peers is always awesome, and I feel very blessed that my fellow writers appreciate and enjoy my work.

Being an Independent Author/Publisher, means you’re it: you are the writer and you are the publisher and you are the marketer. You are responsible for everything: writing the book, editing the book, formatting the book, producing the ebook and print masters, and marketing the book.

All of which is a lot of work, and some days it is more work than I care to handle. I’d rather just be writing. And then along come people like the Pirtles, who have done all that you’ve done, and know how tough this writing business is. There is nothing like a little recognition and appreciation to put gas in your tank.

Here’s a link to Caleb and Linda Pirtle’s website: https://calebandlindapirtle.com/c-w-hawes-one-top-25-mystery-writers-need-reading/

Recognition is nice. It is a signpost to readers: hey, check this out! Because at the end of the day it all boils down to readers. And we writers want readers to know we exist. After all, they buy the books.

So all you readers who are reading this, buy and review the books of indie authors. They don’t have massive marketing budgets, but they do have you — and your support is crucial for their encouragement and success. Go ahead and make an author’s day.

To my fellow writers, I encourage you to buy and review the books of your peers. Such an act will not only make their day, but you might gain a friend in the process. And who doesn’t need friends? Remember, it’s who you know that counts.

I’m very thankful for the Pirtles and will continue to support my fellow writers. Good karma is, well, good!

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

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Tag: Caleb Pirtle

End of the Year 2019

In the Top 25