Indie Authors | CW Hawes

Reading Indie

I am surprised by the number of authors on Twitter who say they don’t have time to read, or who don’t read books by indie authors.

Don’t Have Time To Read

This one just boggles my mind. How can a writer say he or she doesn’t have time to read?

That’s like a painter saying he doesn’t have time to look at art.

Or a woodworker saying he doesn’t have time to look at other examples of woodworking.

Stephen King has noted that if one wants to be a writer, he needs to do two things:

1. 1. 1. Read a lot
    2. Write a lot

And Mr. King is not alone in his sentiment. Every writer who makes a living from writing says the same thing.

Reading the writing of other writers not only provides enjoyment for the reader — but it is a seminar on how others approach the art and craft of storytelling.

Writers need to be readers.

Don’t Read Indie

This too boggles my mind. How can an indie author not read the words of his or her fellows?

That’s like an eye doctor never talking with other eye doctors. How is that going to work? I would not want to go to that doctor.

It saddens me to see indie authors not list an indie book when they play those Twitter games of list your current favorite reads. Or an indie author when they’re tagged to list current favorite authors.

I read an average of four books a month, along with a bushel basket of short stories and novelettes. I also sneak in some nonfiction. And most of my reading is of indie authors.

Mind you, I don’t read bestsellers. I find bestsellers, for the most part, not the best books. I scour the bottom of the barrel and maybe the middle of the barrel. That is where I find the real talent. The writers who truly know how to tell a good story. And I find it a shame that those writers are the ones who deserve to be bestsellers and are not.

Indie April is over. But that doesn’t mean the adventure has to stop. Those indie authors are still there waiting to be discovered. Go out and discover them. Find those books that are not in the top 300,000 on Amazon’s paid list. That’s where you’ll find the good stuff.

Writers, if you are serious about your craft, read lots and write lots.

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

Share This!

Literary Fiction

Were Ernest Hemingway alive today, would he make it as an independent author/publisher? I don’t think so.

Why do I write that? Because literary fiction is a tough sell to the indie reader. Not that a reader of indie books won’t read literary fiction, because some do. I for one.

However, Lit Fic is not the main diet of the indie reader. Genre fiction is. And genre fiction written in serials.

When we look at Literary Fiction in comparison to genre fiction, we see the problem immediately: most Lit Fic is standalone, and how the heck do you categorize it to get a reader’s eyes on it?

With genre fiction, it’s easy. There are all manner of tags one can use. For mysteries there are: crime fiction, serial killer, detective fiction, police procedural, cozy, amateur sleuth, along with the general mystery and murder mystery.

But what category does a book like The Remains of the Day fall into? Or The Old Man and the Sea?

Amazon does put The Old Man and the Sea into the Sea Stories category, but is it really a sea story? It certainly isn’t what I think of when I think of the sea story category. I think of Patrick O’Brian, and the Horatio Hornblower books. I might think of Moby Dick, or a book by Joseph Conrad. But Moby Dick isn’t really about the sea or whales, and while many Conrad stories involve the sea, they aren’t actually sea stories either.

The Remains of the Day is in an even more difficult place. Classic British Fiction. Now that tells me a lot. And therein lies the problem with indies selling Lit Fic — what the heck do you call it?

Since the indie reader basically demands genres and serial fiction, I think therein lies the answer. And the indie writer of Literary Fiction has no better a model than Anthony Trollope.

Trollope invented the novel series with his Barchester Chronicles: six novels that take place in and around the cathedral town of Barchester.

The six novels loosely follow each other. Although they can be read as standalone books. What they share is a locale and a set of characters that show up in each of the books, but with each novel having a different main character.

Because Trollope touches on so many different aspects of mid-nineteenth century British society, we can fit these books into many categories.

The books are historical fiction and religious fiction. They could possibly be called Christian fiction, although they aren’t evangelical in nature. They are about small town life, church politics and specifically Anglican Church politics, middle-class life, and married life. There is a fair amount of romance, always a campaign for Parliament, so we could call them mildly political novels. They could also be called comedies of manners. And they are filled with humor.

Trollope, as if he had foreseen Twitter, made it easy of us to tweet his books. And therein lies the key to an indie author’s success in writing Literary Fiction: write a series of standalone novels that involve the same locale and a general set of characters.

The old format for the TV series works well here: a main trio of characters, a supporting cast of around nine, and a uniform locale; each week one character is the focal point of the episode. Gunsmoke ran for years on such a formula, as did every other series when I was growing up.

And Anthony Trollope gave us the formula over a century ago.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading (and writing)!

Share This!

#IndieApril

April on Twitter is #IndieApril month. All month long we celebrate independent authors/publishers — indies. It is a self-publishing extravaganza.

I regularly read self-published books. In fact, the majority of my reading is of self-published authors. In this day and age democracy reigns in the publishing world. The artificial gatekeepers of editors and agents and publishing house rules are dinosaurs on the evolutionary path to extinction.

Two thousand and many more years ago there were no agents, no editors, no publishers. If Sophocles wanted to write a play, he wrote one. The audience was the only arbiter. If Seneca, wanted to write a book on moral philosophy, he wrote one. Only the audience mattered.

When the printing press was invented, self-publishing — which was the only kind of publishing there was — could reach much larger audiences with the new printed books than it ever could with the old handwritten manuscripts of previous generations. A win for publishing democracy.

Today, with ebooks, there are no limits. Not selling enough on Amazon? BookFunnel can create a code for your ebook that allows you to give it away or sell it. The reader then redeems the code on the BookFunnel site and gets the book.

You can literally stand on a street corner and give away or sell your ebook to any number of takers. All you do is give them a card with your book code on it.

You’re on the bus or an airplane. The person next to you is interested in your book — you can make a sale right then and there.

I haven’t used BookFunnel’s new program yet (it’s not offered on my current plan), but I’ve been thinking of ways I could use it. Because it sure beats the heck out of hauling around cartons of paperbacks.

Democracy has returned to writers and readers in a way, Aeschylus, Plato, Seneca, Plotinus, and other ancients never dreamed of. And I, for one, love it.

Each #IndieApril I try to read several brand new authors. So far this month I’ve read two new to me authors: Caleb Pirtle III and Lex Allen.

Lonely Night To Die by Caleb Pirtle III is a collection of three noir thrillers. I prefer to see them as three episodes in the life of the Quiet Assassin, Roland Sand. Lonely Night To Die is a thrilling, suspenseful read by international bestselling and award winning author Caleb Pirtle III. Do add it to your reading list.

Lovably Dead is a collection of tales of terror by Lex Allen. Awesomely scary reads by a superb writer. If you love being scared to death, get Lovably Dead. Just make sure your life insurance is paid up.

I also like to revisit favorite authors during #IndieApril. So far I’ve revisited Ray Zacek and Andy Graham.

Cosecha by Ray Zacek is a novella of terror you won’t soon forget. A monster is prowling the US-Mexico border. A monster that only catches — never releases. If Zacek writes it, you need to buy it.

Andy Graham is a writer who is quite literary in his style. However, that doesn’t mean he won’t scare the bejesus out of you. Because he will. I’m currently reading A Crow’s Game. And, yes, all the lights are on. And I do mean all.

Indie writers are turning out fabulous books and stories. There are so many talented people out there that the gatekeepers would have denied an audience. And that ain’t right.

April isn’t over. I urge you to buy, read, and review a self-published book. Let me know in the comments if you need suggestions.

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

Share This!

The Piranha Pandemic

Matthew Cormack is one in a legion of virtually unknown writers who are producing excellent fiction. Much of it better than what the big corporate publishers are giving the public to read.

These independent author/publishers, indies for short, publish some doggone good stuff. Fiction that truly deserves a much wider audience. Fiction that is frequently far better than the best selling drivel being forced upon readers’s eyeballs.

Last week I introduced you to one such writer: Matthew Cormack. This week, I’d like to tell you a bit about two of his three books. Only two, because I haven’t read the third one yet.

The Piranha Pandemic Universe

Mr. Cormack has created a fictional universe that is incredibly believable. Starting with a mysterious and fast-acting virus that eventually wipes out most of humanity, Cormack then extrapolates what the world would be like for those who survived the pandemic — and, more importantly, how they would deal with being a survivor.

This form of the post-apocalyptic sub-genre is called a cozy catastrophe.

The term was coined by Brian Aldiss as a pejorative to describe the plot of Wyndham’s The Day of the Triffids.

In spite of Aldiss, the point of the cozy catastrophe is not a celebration of bourgeois values — it’s a celebration of hope in the indomitable human spirit.

Not dystopian in tone, the cozy catastrophe is utopian. Given the chance, we can indeed fix the mess we ourselves made of society and culture. At last, at long last, a broken world gets to be fixed.

The “fix”, of course, depends on the worldview of the writer of the story.

In my own cozy catastrophe, The Rocheport Saga, the protagonist, Bill Arthur, pursues his anarcho-capitalist libertarian dream. Very utopian indeed!

On the other hand, Matthew Cormack takes a much more realistic view of things: nothing will change, because people are people.

Don’t Dream It’s Over

The first novel set in the Piranha Pandemic universe is Don’t Dream It’s Over. It’s the story of Peter, who is not the most savory of protagonists. He’s pretty much like everyone we know: he has good points and bad points and sometimes the bad points do outnumber the good points. Although, through the course of the story, we see the dross slowly burned away to reveal a pretty doggone good guy. A good guy who’d been corrupted by modern society.

Peter decides to leave London, leave England. At first, his only goal is to reach the Mediterranean. However, as he meets other survivors along the way, and sees how they are coping or not coping with the aftermath of the plague, his own goal begins to change. And by the end of the book, Peter truly is the hero of the story.

Cormack is a cracker jack writer. He makes the epistolary novel form come alive. And he does this by giving us real people in very lifelike situations. That is Cormack’s gift: an eye for people. He’s a canny observer of life and puts those observations into his books.

Don’t Dream It’s Over is a long book: over 250,000 words. Long books aren’t my cup of tea. Yet once I started Don’t Dream, I was hooked. The story was compelling and the book didn’t lag as so many long novels do.

Perhaps what I enjoyed most about Don’t Dream was the realism. No dystopia or utopia here. Although there are dystopian and utopian groups encountered by Peter on his journey to find himself. Which is just another way of saying that we find here real people in real situations.

As one reviewer wrote: “…boy does this book stay with you long after you have finally put it down.” And it does.

Ganbaru

Ganbaru is the second book set in the Piranha Pandemic universe. The story revolves around a completely different set of characters then we encountered in Don’t Dream.

The setting is England. Rural England. And here we have utopia meets dystopia. A small group of survivors intent on making the world a better place, collide with a much larger group led by a real bad egg named Baz. The story line revolves around how the small group can become free from the large group, after Baz’s group takes them over.

I don’t want to spoil the story. You’ll have to read it on your own — and I definitely encourage you to do so.

Once again, Cormack gives us real people in realistic settings which results in a very believable story. A story so believable you tend to forget you’re reading a novel.

Ganbaru is a cozy catastrophe that is largely a thriller laced with a heaping helping of suspense. In my opinion, Cormack has taken the cozy catastrophe and made it a genre for today, yet keeping true to the sub-genre’s roots.

Here’s my review from Amazon:

Matthew Cormack’s Piranha Pandemic Universe is a scary place. The survivors are fighting nature, dwindling resources, and themselves.

Don’t Dream It’s Over is the first book set in this universe. The story is superbly told, for Mr Cormack is a superb storyteller.

Ganbaru gives us a look at a different part of the Piranha Pandemic Universe. A small group of survivors, who are principled persons, want to start rebuilding a better world, and have begun their project in an old abandoned priory.

As fate would have it, they meet a larger group that is pragmatically ruthless. The clash of civilizations, as it were, makes for exciting reading.

Ganbaru is a realistic post-apocalyptic tale. There are no zombies or aliens or monsters — unless we, ourselves, qualify as the monsters.

The story is told well and peopled with real-life characters in real-life situations who must make difficult decisions.

A fabulous story by a fabulous writer.

A fabulous writer indeed.

In these days of pandemic, I encourage you to read Matthew Cormack’s books. Because, at the end of the day, he’ll give you hope — and that’s exactly what we need.

Don’t Dream It’s Over is available from Amazon US and UK.

Ganbaru is available from Amazon US and UK.

The Piranha Pandemic: From Small Acorns… is available from Amazon US and UK.

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

Share This!

The Indie Movement

In December 2012 I bought my first book by an indie author. The book was The Emperor’s Edge by Lindsay Buroker. I was favorably impressed. So much so, I went on and bought the series.

From there, I discovered other indie authors who were very good writers. And somewhere in the reading of those authors, my choice of authors shifted from traditionally published to a majority being indie published.

The independent author/publisher movement confirmed all the stories I’d heard for decades — that the big corporate publishers rejected thousands of good manuscripts every year.

Why do they do that? Because big corporations are by nature conservative. Sure they had to take risks to get to be big. That’s when they’re innovative — when they’re small. But once a corporation is huge, they become much more concerned about the bottom line. And innovation takes a back seat to profits.

Random House/Penguin and their behemoth German owners, aren’t going to take the risks that small press publishers might (although even those can be quite conservative). There is always risk with business. More fail than succeed. So the successful eventually begin to conserve their gains. That’s just how it is.

The sole entrepreneur, however, has only himself to be concerned about.

If I self-publish a book and it doesn’t make money, that only affects me.

If Macmillan (now a German company) publishes a flop, they are out the advance to the author, the salaries of the acquisition editors, the copy editors, the advertising people, the office rent, the cover artist salaries, the warehouse space, etc, etc. And the shareholders don’t get their dividends — which puts the CEO’s job at risk. And that’s something that just isn’t tolerated.

If I publish a book that goes nowhere, I can leave it on Amazon, and Kobo, and Apple, and wherever else I choose, essentially forever. And let the royalties dribble in. Simon and Schuster (owned by ViacomCBS) can’t afford to do that.

Thus you see the big corporate boys declaring for many years now that vampires are dead. But on the indie scene, dozens upon dozens of those bloodsuckers can be found. And some are making their creators a lot of money.

The big boys don’t want to continue a fad because they don’t want to be left holding the bag when the fad fizzles out. Or can no longer make enough money to meet their bloated bottom lines when the fad tapers off.

What is significant is that James Patterson has now discovered money can be made at the indie price point and has convinced his publisher to take on his BookShots line. The blurb on Patterson’s website reads in part:

Life moves fast—books should too. Pulse-pounding reads under $5 and 150 pages or less. Impossible to put down.

This comes at a time when many indies are moving to longer books and higher prices — in an attempt to look like the big corporate publishers, and thereby make themselves look more legitimate. A bad move, in my opinion.

Patterson, though, realizes money can be made for him and his publisher at the indie price point. And with shorter books. This is truly a return to the ethos of the 1950s. And I think forecasts good things for indies who can, for the most part, turn out shorter works faster.

Back in the pulp magazine era, many of the magazines cost a dime. Today, depending on what standard you use, that dime would be equal to anywhere between $1.50 and $6. In the 1950s, paperback books could be bought for a quarter. Or $2.50 to $4 in today’s money. Essentially the price range of most indie books today.

I’ve said for quite awhile now, that the indie movement is essentially a return to the Pulp Fiction Era. To be successful, a writer has to turn out a good story in a popular genre that is exciting and generally fast-paced. The writer must also write lots and publish often. To be sure, as an indie, there are more factors involved than what faced the average pulp fictioneer, because today’s indie author is also a publisher. But the basic formula remains the same.

Today is a good day to be a writer. A self-published writer. An independent author/publisher. It’s also a good day to be a reader, because there are many excellent self-published books available to read.

Thars gold in them thar books! So get crackin’!

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading! (and writing!)

Share This!

In the Top 25

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!

Share This!

#WolfPackAuthors

Cooperatives have been around for quite awhile. They began in England in 1844 in an attempt to allow small producers of quality goods to compete with the large factories that increasingly churned out low-quality goods in advance.

I’ve been involved with food cooperatives since the 1980s. Initially, it was the search for fresh and affordable spices and herbs that drew me to the local food co-op. From there, my interest in sustainable agriculture and organic production mushroomed.

Cooperatives formed to solve common problems by the combined action of the members. They also empowered the members through shared ownership and democratic control. Something very much missing even in today’s business world. Everyone is equal in a cooperative.

With the rise of the independent author/publisher movement (indies), co-ops have begun to form as authors seek to tackle the difficult aspects of publishing and marketing.

The #WolfPackAuthors is a loose cooperative of writers who hang out on Twitter. I’m very pleased to be a part of the group.

To provide mutual support and to take a more creative approach to marketing each other’s books is the group’s goal, rather than simply re-tweeting each other’s books.

One of those marketing options was to put together a short story anthology to showcase the work of the #WolfPackAuthors. The result is

Once Upon a WolfPack: A #WolfPackAuthors anthology

Seventeen writers. Seventeen stories and poems. The book is currently available on pre-order for $2.99 and will see publication on 19 May 2019.

And in the true spirit of cooperation, all profits will go to Lockwood Animal Rescue Center. The center is focused on protecting wolves and helping military veterans with rehabilitation and integration.

We feel Once Upon a WolfPack will not only introduce you to our writing, but the book will help wolves and vets survive in what is too often our harsh modern world.

We give and you give. And many, many people and wolves benefit.

Travel to distant and magical lands. For a time be a superhero, or a creature of the night. Be a private detective and solve a crime, right a wrong. In Once Upon a WolfPack, you’ll have 17 chances to travel and live a life different from your own.

To whet your appetite, here is an extract from my contribution to the collection. Enjoy!

Mrs Solberg’s Problem
A Justinia Wright Private Investigator Mystery
by CW Hawes

She’d made the appointment for ten in the morning. The oversized oxblood wingback made her look small, even though she was of average height and build for a woman.

Our potential client was practically dressed for a December day in Minnesota, which unfortunately didn’t do anything to improve her somewhat drab middle-aged appearance.

My sister, the ace Minneapolis private detective Justinia Wright, wasn’t interested in the case when I told her about it yesterday. But then she’s rarely interested in any case. She doesn’t like to work. She’d rather play the piano or paint. Unfortunately, those two activities don’t pay my paycheck or that of my wife, Bea, who is the office receptionist, as well as being Tina’s Minordomo. I being the Majordomo, as well as Tina’s assistant.

And since my sister doesn’t like to work, one of my duties is to prod and cajole her into doing so. Of course, I get a ton of grief for doing my job. But that goes with the territory.

Consequently, I went ahead and booked the appointment. I figured once Mrs Solberg was in the office, the odds of Tina taking the case would greatly improve.

The boss looked at our potential client. From where I was sitting at my desk, she was wringing the life out of her gloves.

“There’s no need to be nervous, Mrs Solberg. It is Missus, isn’t it?” Tina said.

“Yes. Yes, it is. I’m married.”

Her voice was actually quite pleasant. It had a bit of depth to it.

Tina leaned back in her chair and steepled her long fingers. “I take it you are having marriage problems.”

“Well, yes and no.”

A frown crossed Tina’s face. “Come now, Mrs Solberg. You either are or you aren’t. If your home was a citadel of marital bliss, you wouldn’t be here. So what is the nature of your marital woes?”

“There’s a woman at my husband’s office…”

Tina finished the sentence for her. “And he’s spending entirely too much time with her for your liking. She’s also younger than you. Probably much younger. And you want me to do something about it.”

“Uh, yes. Yes, that’s right. How did you know?”

“It’s my job to know things. So I do.”

“Oh. I see.”

Although by the look on her face, I wasn’t sure she saw at all.

Mrs Solberg paused a moment and then her face brightened. “You can help me?”

“I can. What do you want me to do?”

“I don’t know. That’s the thing. I’ve been a good wife. I’ve seen to his, my husband’s, every need. I know that sounds old-fashioned, but I’m a traditional wife and I don’t think I need to apologize for that.”

Tina made a sound that could have been taken for concurrence, and Mrs Solberg went on. “I raised our children and was always there for them. And I’ve always been there for Dolph. That’s my husband’s name. Dolph. It’s Swedish and means Noble Wolf.”

“Interesting,” Tina said.

“I suppose so. Only now he might not be as honest as I thought. Anyway, I’ve always been there for him, and it’s just not fair that now we have some time—”

Tina interrupted. “The children are no longer at home?”

Mrs Solberg nodded. A tissue was dabbing at her eyes and nose. After a moment, she continued, “Now that we have time to do things together, he’s either too tired, or playing golf, or with his friends watching football, or out with this minx.”

Tina sat up and crossed her legs. “Does the minx have a name?”

“Lacey Nystrom.”

“Are they sleeping together?”

“Uh, no, I don’t think so. Dolph says she’s this poor young woman without much money and in a bad situation at home and he’s just being friendly. It’s nothing serious, he says. Just friends and I shouldn’t worry.”

“And you believe him?”

Mrs Solberg thought for a moment and then nodded her head. “Yes. I don’t think he’s had sex with her.”

“But you are feeling cheated. The kids are gone, you’ve paid your dues, and now you want to live a little.”

“Yes. That’s it. Can you fix this for me? Can you get rid of this minx? I’m probably being unfair, to call her a minx, but that is how I feel. She’s taking my husband from me and it’s not fair what she’s doing, or that he’s letting her.”

Tina nodded her head to show she understood Mrs Solberg’s feelings and leaned back in her chair. She eyed the humidor on her desk and then closed her eyes, steepled fingers touching her lips. After a quarter-minute passed, she opened her eyes and sat up.

“Yes, I can fix this for you. My fee for doing so is twenty-five thousand dollars.”

“What? You can’t be serious?”

“Oh, I very much am, Mrs Solberg.”

“But, but…”

“You think it’s a lot of money?”

Mrs Solberg nodded her head.

Tina continued, “I suppose it is. However, I happen to know you can probably afford it. You live over in Kenwood, which is more expensive than my neighborhood. Which as you know is second only to yours. I also know your husband is a vice-president at Borger, Inc. And makes a very decent salary.”

“How do you know this?”

“As I said earlier, it’s my job to know things. And I do. The decision is yours. However, I ask you, do you like feeling you are second fiddle in your husband’s affections? I’m assuming you love him and that’s why you’re here.”

“Yes. Yes, I do. We were good together when we were young.” She took in a deep breath and it came out a sigh. “But then along came the children and more responsibilities at work, and promotions, and, well, now I’m looking at fifty and Dolph is in his fifties and, well, I just want us to have a chance to live a little before we’re too old. I think we’re still good together.”

“I understand,” Tina said. “To get what you want, with my help, will cost you twenty-five thousand. It’s your happiness, Mrs Solberg. Not mine. What’s your decision?”

“You really think you can help me?”

“Yes.”

Our potential client stared at her purse. Perhaps somewhere in its depths there was an answer, and, after a significant amount of time had passed, she asked, “Is a check alright?”

I guess there was an answer lying there in the depths of her handbag.

“A check is fine, Mrs Solberg.” Tina turned to me. “Harry, a contract.”

I printed off a contract, filled in the blanks, and gave it to our client for her to sign. I’ll have to find out the brand of that purse. Could probably make a fortune with it. After she read and signed the contract, I made a copy for her.

“Tomorrow, I will send you instructions by email,” Tina said. “You must follow them to the letter. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

Mrs Solberg stood and handed a check to Tina, who stood and took it from her. The two women shook hands, and then I escorted our new client to the front door and out into the cold Minnesota winter.

On the way back to the office, Bea asked if Tina had taken the case.

“Yep. Have no idea why. She didn’t even try to charge her some ridiculous fee. It’s an odd case, though, and maybe that’s why. Something of a challenge. Something out of the ordinary. I’ll tell you about it later.”

I went on into the Inner Sanctum and sat at my desk. Tina had lit a cigar and poured herself a glass of madeira. She took a sip of wine and then puffed on her cigar, before speaking.

“Since you wanted this case so badly, here are your instructions.”

I gave her a look.

“What? You didn’t think all you were going to do was badger me, did you?”

I sighed. “I suppose not.”

“Good. Get your notebook and pen.”

Continued in Once Upon a WolfPack

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

Share This!

My 2018 Reading Recap

Today begins a new year. So I thought I’d recap some of the excellent books and stories I read in 2018.

I’m loathe to rank the books I read, and I definitely don’t like to single one out as the Best of the Year. Mostly because tastes change and what I put on top today, I might put in the middle tomorrow.

That being written, 2018 was a banner year because I discovered many wonderful writers and even more truly fabulous books and stories.

What I thought I’d do is look over the 43 novels and novellas, the 5 short story collections and 37 individual short stories, and the 8 books of non-fiction I read and give some a shoutout. Good reads with which to load up your ereader for 2019.

Quite a few of the books I read in 2018 I’ve already promoted on Twitter, featured as my Book of the Week on Facebook, or written reviews for this blog. The rest are waiting for their turn in the limelight.

As a reader, I don’t usually finish a book that isn’t holding my attention. I’m 66 and there are too many good books out there to waste time on the bad ones. After all the actuarial tables aren’t on my side.

I also don’t bother with books touted as bestsellers or award winners. Mostly because the disappointment factor is very high with those books. I’ve discovered true gems amongst the books that are not bestsellers and amongst those that have garnered no awards.

Success is largely a matter of luck, and generally has nothing to do with talent. In writing, as in life, persistence is the key.

Now on to the books!

Secrets of the World’s Best-Selling Writer by Francis L and Roberta B Fugate. This is the best book on writing I’ve ever read. And I’ve read quite a few. The book is about the writing career of Erle Stanley Gardner, the creator of Perry Mason. The Fugates had access to the vast archive of Gardner’s notebooks, letters, and papers. The writing advice comes straight from Gardner himself — and the book is full of wisdom. Every writer who is serious about selling his or her work should have this book. And readers interested in the creative process, should also have this book. It’s a treasure trove.

I love short stories and short novels. Too often long works are filled with unnecessary padding — stuff that doesn’t contribute much, if anything, to the story.

However, I did read a couple of hefty tomes in 2018. And neither one had any flab. They were:

Church Mouse by RH Hale

Don’t Dream It’s Over by Matthew Cormack

I’ve previously extolled (and will continue to do so) the virtues of Church Mouse. It’s a powerful novel with exceedingly well-drawn characters. A very memorable read. A modern day classic.

Note: Due to Amazon’s anti-small author policies, Church Mouse is not available in the Amazon US store. The links take you to Ms Hale’s website and from there you can purchase the book at the vendor of your choice.

Don’t Dream It’s Over is one of the best post-apocalyptic novels I’ve ever read. Matthew Cormack, with a deft hand, paints us a world that is not nice — but wherein lies much hope. Hope for a better future than what we might have gotten in the old world.

The book is also one of the most in depth character studies I’ve ever read. You have to read Kazuo Ishiguro to find something similar. An excellent, excellent read.

Now on to the shorter stuff!

In 2018 I made the acquaintance of quite a number of new (to me) writers. Some of these were:

Richard Schwindt

Joe Congel

Seabury Quinn

Stephen A Howells

Ernestine Marsh

Ray Zacek

Simon Osborne

Andy Graham

Zara Altair

Mark Carnelley

John Paul Catton

These men and women will provide you with many hours of great reading pleasure. So let’s look a bit further and see what kind of pleasure they will bring.

Richard Schwindt has 10 works of fiction (by my count) and I’ve read 8 of those works. He’s an entertaining writer, who delivers good mysteries and occult detective tales, along with imaginative fantasy and paranormal reads. His books are infused with humor, and always give me food for thought.

To start, check out Herkimer’s Nose and Fifty-Seven Years (written under his Will Swift byline). Great reads by a great author!

Joe Congel writes traditional private detective mysteries. His books and stories give a nod to the Golden Era of the mystery, while at the same time being very modern reads. If you like the old school mystery, you’ll like Joe Congel’s Tony Razzolito!

The late Seabury Quinn was a very prolific writer during the pulp magazine era. His first published story was in 1918 and his last (I believe) was in the early 1950s. He wrote across many genres, but is best known for his stories in Weird Tales magazine. He was that magazine’s most popular author, and I can see why. The occult detective Jules de Grandin is his most well-known character.

Stephen A Howells has one book published to date, and in my opinion it is a big time winner. The Garden of Jane Pengelly is part ghost story, part love story, part fantasy, and part magical realism. And it is all wonderful! Mr Howells can tug at your heart strings, so have the tissue box handy. You will love this book.

Ernestine Marsh is the queen of the bitingly satirical comedy novel. Agonising is a look at our foibles and how ridiculous we as a species are at times. Ms Marsh wades in with no holds barred and pulls no punches. I laughed with every page I read. I can’t wait to read the sequel, In Agony Again. Voltaire move over.

The work of Ray Zacek can be darkly humorous, or satirical, or just plain dark. I like his stories very much. My favorite to date is Daguerreotype. The tale is a haunting exploration of our dark side and the risk of indulging it. Treat yourself to Mr Zacek’s work. You won’t regret it.

Simon Osborne’s post-apocalyptic novel, Off Grid, begins with an alien invasion — and the aliens don’t want us around. The rest of the book is a story of survival, planning for the future, and deciding how to get rid of the aliens so we have a future. Off Grid is well-written and just plain good.

In the two works by Andy Graham that I’ve read, he gives us wonderfully dark tales. Stories that explore the unseemly part of our psyche and of our soul. An Angel Fallen is especially powerful and memorable. Do check out his work. You won’t be sorry.

Zara Altair writes mysteries set in Ostrogoth Italy a couple decades after the fall of the western Roman Empire. Argolicus is a retired Roman bureaucrat who gets involved in solving murders — in a culture where murder is not a crime! Give the Argolicus mysteries a try. Start with The Peach Widow.

Mark Carnelley has written an intriguing post-apocalyptic book, The Omega Chronicles, where only one person survives the disaster. What would you do if the survivor was you? Definitely worth your time.

John Paul Catton’s work is remarkable for its inventiveness. Tales from Beyond Tomorrow, Vol 1 is a short story collection that explores a variety of themes. A writer decidedly outside the norm. Take a read!

Now on to a few authors who are no stranger to this blog.

If you have a penchant for stories that have the qualities of a fairy tale, then Sarah Zama’s The Frozen Maze is for you. Quite good!

Jack Tyler’s work makes a strong contribution to the good old-fashioned adventure yarn. However, the book that has impressed me the most is his epic fantasy novel, The Stone Seekers. Mostly because it isn’t a Tolkien ripoff. It’s fresh and creative. The book breathes new life into a sub-genre that is filled with hack writing. Do check out The Stone Seekers.

Mannegishi by Ben Willoughby is an inventively dark take on a Native American legend. If you like horror, you’ll like Mannegishi. And all of Willoughby’s other horror tales.

It is no secret that I am very fond of the work of Crispian Thurlborn. And his latest story, Exit, does not disappoint. Thurlborn’s work is imaginative and at times difficult to categorize. It’s often darkly humorous, and written in a style that would make Dickens envious.

Exit is a story that would have made a stunning episode on The Twilight Zone. It’s a good example of dreampunk (you know, Alice in Wonderland) — and it is simply fabulous. Can we actually change our lives? Or are we doomed to live them forever on repeat? Read Exit and then try to answer those questions.

So that’s my reading recap for 2018. Now on to 2019. I’m currently reading Frank Belknap Long’s early Cthulhu Mythos novel The Horror from the Hills. And I’m looking for some good writers to explore this year. If you have suggestions, let me know.

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

Share This!

A Bump In The Night

Good Books You Probably Never Heard Of – Part 9

A Bump in the Night by Crispian Thurlborn
https://amzn.to/2KBx666

We think life can be difficult. But being dead has its own problems.

Mr Snaggle and Mr Snuffle, those Arbitrators of the Quick and the Dead, have a new problem on their hands: their good friend, Mr Bump (that fellow who ferries folks across the river to the realm of the dead), is fading. Fading from being a ghost to being truly dead. And if Mr Bump goes, who’s going to do the ferrying?

This is a ginormous problem and Mr Snaggle and Mr Snuffle are doing their darnedest to help their friend. Seemingly, though, without success. That is, until little Penny shows up.

Crispian Thurlborn’s A Bump in the Night is a ghost story. It’s an urban fantasy tale. It’s a literary think about the meaning of life — and death. It’s a book that is at once humorous and serious.

In a style that would make Dickens envious, Thurlborn tells us a story we won’t soon forget. The tale lingers there on the edge of your mind, just like… Well, just like a ghost.

And while A Bump in the Night isn’t a Christmas story, it does have ghosts and the themes in the book go very well with “peace on earth, goodwill towards men”.

Crispian Thurlborn is one of my favorite authors. If you haven’t read anything by him, let me say his writing is on par with that of the best writers writing today.

Do yourself a favor and get a copy of A Bump in the Night. You won’t be sorry, and you may just find yourself putting the book in your pile to read again.

Comments are always welcome; and, until next time, happy reading!

Share This!

Daguerreotype

Good Books You Probably Never Heard Of – Part 8

Daguerreotype by Ray Zacek

https://www.amazon.com/Daguerreotype-Ray-Zacek-ebook/dp/B00EN3JJI4

Garth Colby finds among his late brother’s belongings a remarkably preserved early Daguerreotype depicting a Parisian street scene. Because of the remarkable condition of the photograph, Garth realizes he has a small fortune on his hands. And, of course, that’s where the trouble begins.

For the photograph has a long and sordid history. A history of producing hallucinations and insanity. Money-hungry Garth, though, is ignorant of this history. But more importantly, if he did know the history, would he care? Money solves everything, right?

Even though Daguerreotype is a horror or macabre novella, Zacek handles the form in a way that brings as much satisfaction as one would get from a novel. We are treated to well-developed characters. We experience a fully developed storyline, hauntingly told, that holds our attention right to the end. And the suspense, as Zacek weaves the past and present together, is unrelenting.

Some readers balk at the shorter prose forms. If you aren’t especially fond of them, I invite you to think of Daguerreotype as a long lost script for a never produced episode of The Twilight Zone. Yes, Daguerreotype is that good. It is well worth an hour of your time.

The book is only 99¢, and it’s also on Kindle Unlimited.

Very highly recommended!

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

Share This!