A New Book Is Born
Well, that’s a little strange, talking about a book being born when the subject of the book is death by murder. Maybe it’s just one of those paradoxes, sort of what T.S. Eliot meant about a particular spring month of growth and greenery being cruel.
Speaking of April, here’s my new title from that neighborhood: Such a Cruel Month. If you click on that link, you’ll be jetted over to the Amazon page where you can learn more about this mystery novella, read a sample and buy copies of the ebook for yourself and your friends. You can also give one to your not-so-friends, but I take no responsibility for how that will be received. The book is also on several other book retail sites, but you get the idea.
Just a few notes now for inquiring minds:
1) The title is pertinent to the book, which at times is more literary than mystery, so I’m happy with that.
2) This is the first time I’ve drawn a main character from the senior ranks, but that’s what the story demanded. That might not happen again so prepare to put on asterisk on this one. My approach is to tell stories (of whatever length), and for me that means the character arises out of the story rather the other way around.
3) Such a Cruel Month started as a short story, but the storyteller in my head had more to say than that format would allow. So I kept writing until I had 17,600 words. In the hierarchy of fiction word counts, that slides in as a short novella, though I’d much prefer you didn’t actually count the words but just enjoyed them and the story they tell.
4) As usual I’ve thrown in a truckload of twists and turns, which makes driving difficult on mountain roads, but in the end it all works out. Speaking of the end, please read to it. The last page might be such a head-snapper that you’d want to reread the book to see how the magician pulled an elephant out of his hat. OK, rabbit, or whatever.
Later.