Tag Archives: paperback

Isabel Long Mystery Series

Missing the Deadline now in paperback

It’s a fact of my writing life that most of my book sales are digital. I’ve grown to accept that because it means attracting — and hopefully keeping — readers far from where I live. But I have great news for those who prefer a book in hand. Missing the Deadline, no. seven in my Isabel Long Mystery Series, is now available in that format.

So I will jump right to it, here is the link to Missing the Deadline.

As my publisher, darkstroke books, prefers, the Kindle version is released first, typically three months before the paperback is released. Frankly, I find the release of both an exciting development.

So, what’s this book about?

As it has happened before, Isabel finds her next case in an unlikely place — at a poetry reading. Cyrus Nilsson, aka the Big Shot Poet, is trying to make amends to the late Cary Moore, who you might remember was a highway worker who wrote poetry good enough for him to steal. He was even a suspect in that case, Isabel’s third. But the reading is to promote Cary’s book, ‘Country Boy,’ which Cyrus worked hard to get published.

Cyrus asks Isabel about taking on a case after the event, which was SRO at Penfield Town Hall. So, what’s this one about? Cyrus’s first literary agent, Gerald Danielson, was found shot in the head and near death outside his home three years ago.

Gerald survived but is not the same hotshot literary agent who moved from New York City to the village of Meadows Falls. Police ruled a failed attempt at suicide. But Cyrus has serious doubts. 

And as Isabel pursues this case, she quickly accumulates a list of possible suspects, such as a vindictive ex-wife, a jilted local writer, and even an apparently devoted sister who lives with him. 

Isabel also delves into the often frustrating world of publishing, which includes a trip to a literary conference in Vermont. She also explores a part of the hilltowns that is unfamiliar to her.

(By the way, Maria, Isabel’s mother and “Watson,” is glad to have a case once again. She says it’s boring without one.)

The books in my Isabel Long Mystery Series can stand alone, so you don’t need to read the first Chasing the Case. But it’s always my hope is that I will hook you into reading the rest.

PS I am half-way through Finding the Source, no. 8. 

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Checking the Traps, Isabel Long Mystery Series

Paperback fans: Checking the Traps Is Ready

Here is some exciting news for those who like to read books the old-fashioned way: the paperback version of Checking the Traps is now available. That’s also exciting news for me as this is the third book in my Isabel Long Mystery Series. I will cut to the chase. Price is $10.99/£6.99. Here is the link to buy it: mybook.to/checkingthetraps

Most of the sales for my publisher, Crooked Cat Books, comes from eBooks. Based in Europe, its authors and market are global. (By the way, Kindle fans can pre-order Checking the Traps using the same link above. The book will pop into your device on March 22.)

But I will be honest though. I prefer touching paper when I read a book. I spend so much time staring at a computer screen for my writing and editing work. My eyes enjoy the change. (I also enjoy collecting books in hard copy — first editions that I tend to find at bargain prices in the most unlikely places.)

Anyway, here’s a blurb about the Checking the Traps that appears on the back cover:

Isabel Long is a bit banged up from her last case with a broken collarbone and her arm in a sling. But that doesn’t stop her from pouring beer at the Rooster Bar or taking her third case with Gary Beaumont, a local drug dealer who once terrorized her. Gary is convinced his brother didn’t jump off a bridge known for suicides. Somebody pushed him.

Gary’s brother was a boozer who drove for a highway crew. But what interests Isabel and her ‘Watson’ — her 93-year-old mother who lives with her — is that the man wrote poetry.

The chief suspects are one of Gary’s business associates and a famous poet who plagiarized his brother’s poetry for an award-winning book. Yes, he was that good.

As a journalist, Isabel did regular meetups with her sources for stories. She called it checking the traps. She does the same as a private investigator, and this time, she’ll make sure she doesn’t get caught in one.

Those who have read the first two in this series will find many of my favorite characters return with this one, such the feral Beaumont brothers from the second book. Then, there’s Jack, Isabel’s love interest and the owner of the Rooster Bar, plus the Old Farts, those nosy old men in the general store’s backroom, and those rough-and-tumble cousins, Marsha and Annette.

But I’ve dreamed up several new characters for this one, including a character Isabel calls the Big Shot Poet. I even made him a suspect.

Interested? Then get thee to Amazon.

 

 

 

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Redneck's Revenge

Getting It Down on Paper

Today I received a copy of the paperback for Redneck’s Revenge, the second in my Isabel Long series. As my friends in the UK would say, I am chuffed. Yes, I am pro-eBook. It’s a great way to find a new read or a new author without investing a lot of money. But there’s something special about seeing something you thought up finally on paper.

For Kindle fans, Redneck’s Revenge is ready for pre-order. Click now and it will pop into your device Sept. 26.

But those who prefer paperback can go to the head of the line and order today. Plunk down $10.99 via a credit card. Voila! It will arrive in the mail in days. Here is the link: http://mybook.to/rednecksrevenge

Books start with an idea. In my case, it was: I’m going to write a mystery with a woman protagonist that’s set in a rural area.

The other day I found a notebook with a page of notes about the book. The protagonist’s name is Isabel from the start. She loses her job managing a newspaper. Her husband walks out on her and takes half their money out of the bank on an icy day. Her mother moves in with her. Isabel gets a job at a local bar, where an old coot approaches her about his daughter who disappeared a long time ago.

That was in September 2016. I worked on Chasing the Case (not the original title) during the winter of 2017, when I lived in New Mexico, and finished it in the spring. The story changed. Isabel’s husband isn’t a cad. I bumped him off instead. Isabel does work part-time in a bar, but her first case turns out to be her first big story as a rookie reporter — the disappearance of a woman 28 years earlier. Her 92-year-old mother becomes her Watson.

I enjoyed writing Chasing the Case so much, I wrote a sequel — Redneck’s Revenge — while moving to rural Western Massachusetts, where this mystery is set.

Redneck’s Revenge is my latest book published by Crooked Cat Books, which took a chance on the series late last year.

I knew my copy of Redneck’s Revenge was arriving via the U.S. Post Office today, so I dashed out of the house when I heard the mail truck stop at our box. I tore open the envelope.

Those who have read the first — and thank you — will find many of the same characters make it into the second. Of course, there’s Isabel and her mother. Look for Jack, the Old Farts in the back room, and a woman that Isabel nicknamed the Floozy, who is one of the links to her next case. Then there’s a whole bunch of new characters since this murder mystery takes place in another fictional hilltown in Western Mass.

If you haven’t, you might want to check out Chasing the Case: http://mybook.to/chasingthecase

Here’s a brief synopsis of Redneck’s Revenge:

Isabel Long is in a funk months after solving her first case. Her relationship with the Rooster Bar’s owner is over. Then the cops say she must work for a licensed P.I. before working solo.

Encouraged by her Watson — her 92-year-old mother — Isabel snaps out of it by hooking up with a P.I. and finding a new case.

The official ruling is Chet Waters, an ornery so-and-so, was passed out when his house caught fire. His daughter, who inherited the junkyard, believes he was murdered. Topping the list of suspects are dangerous drug-dealing brothers, a rival junkyard owner, and an ex-husband.

Could the man’s death simply be a case of redneck’s revenge? Isabel is about to find out.

Intrigued? I hope you are enough to want to read it.

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ABOUT THE PHOTO ABOVE: Yup, that’s me holding my new book.

 

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