Happy New Year's!

What New Year’s Means to Me :)

New Year’s means different things to different people, but like many of you, I see it as a time for starting over. I started writing fiction in November of 2021, but it didn’t really take off until January of 2022 when I found my first readers. Some of you have been with me since those early days of the year when I was trying to craft After It’s Over and just starting The Force of Magic. Thank you for sticking with me.

2022 was about finding my footing with writing fiction and in 2023 I’ve made it a goal to become a better writer. My desire is to serve my audience well and I hope you’ll contribute to that by providing constructive criticism. Of course, I love to hear what you like, but if you find areas where you can suggest improvements, I’m happy to hear that as well.

New Year’s is an opportunity to start things you’ve always meant to do and stop things that are having a destructive impact on your life. My prayer is 2023 will be beautiful for you, but if it doesn’t start out right don’t wait until 2024 to get back on track. We always have the opportunity to Begin Again…Again.

Book Review - Strange Habit of Mind

Andrew Klavan is a modern fiction writer who writes supernatural and psychological thrillers. In the last two years I’ve read several of his books. His non-fiction book, The Truth and Beauty, is my favorite book of 2022. Last Christmas, I listened to the first book in the Cameron Winter series, When Christmas Comes and found it an enjoyable read.

Both that book and Strange Habit of Mind focus on a University professor with a background in a mysterious intelligence agency who now uses his sharp mind and training to solve mysteries by putting himself into the situation and figuring out what does and doesn’t fit. It’s an interesting take on the genre which reminds me a bit of Sherlock Holmes’ mind palace.

In this latest edition, Mr. Winter faces off against a tech billionaire who crosses paths with one of his former students with unfortunate circumstances. Much of this story feels like it could have been taken from recent headlines and relate to some of the social media giants in the news today. This volume also provides a significant amount of background on the protagonist.

The battle is intriguing, but a bit unrealistic when you consider the power in real life such people often have. Still, I recommend this as a good thriller that seems very relevant today. Check it out!

Indie Book Recommendation

I read Malcolm Omega’s Wild Country Series on the Kindle Vella platform and I was happy to see it make the transition to print and Kindle. This series is classic fantasy with adventure in a rich, well-detailed world. It is very action-driven and the scenes are well written. If you like fantasy adventure and my book, The Force of Magic, you’ll enjoy this one and should give it a try. Free on Kindle Unlimited and a great deal at only $3.99 on Kindle.

The Force of Magic - Updated Map and Art

I’ve been hard at work on preparing the full color hard cover edition of the Force of Magic. As a part of that, I’ve revamped the map that will soon be included with all additions and have been prepping the artwork that will be included. Below you can find the map and a few samples of the art. :)

December Kindle Vella Stats Update:

As of 12/31/22

After It’s Over

• 284 People follow this story

• 7564 episodes read

• #1 Post-apocalyptic story

• #1 Alternate History story

• #1 Pandemic story

• #7 Survival story

• #18 Dystopian story

• #32 Action story

• #42 Adventure story

• #53 Thriller story

The Force of Magic

• 254 People following this story

• 5931 Episodes read

• #1 Super Powers story

• #6 Epic Fantasy story

• #30 Coming of Age story

• #29 Young Adult story

• #16 Female Protagonist story

• #60 Magic story

• #74 Adventure story

The Agency - DDD Inc.

• 57 People following this story

• 2806 Episodes Read

• #4 Conspiracy story

• #6 Business story

• #11 Life story

• #19 Betrayal story

• #17 Fiction story

• #99 Mystery story

What’s Kindle Vella?

I’ve added a number of new readers over the last month and many of you have only read my books on Kindle or in Print. I started out as a Kindle Vella author before publishing my stories and making them widely available. If you’re curious to learn more about Kindle Vella, I wrote a short article about it that is available here.