Evan Bond's Blog, page 19

One of My Favorites

Have you ever read a book you loved so much you read again? And you know you'll read it again and again? I've had a few of those, actually, but I thought I'd take a minute to talk about one of my favorites. 
I would have to say the Lord of the Rings books. Everything from The Hobbit to The Return of the King. Now, I know what you're thinking. That's cheating! That's four books! You're technically right. But I am OK with this. 
I started reading The Hobbit when I was a young kid and loved it. Then I started to read The Fellowship of the Ring before the movie came out. I power read through all three of those books so I could be ahead of the movies before they came out. I enjoyed every second of them and still remember the scenes clear as day. 
Recently, I reread the entire series and I'm sure it won't be the last time. What book have you read over and over and sill love it?
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Horror Novella Plot

​How about a little more information regarding my upcoming horror novella? Since you asked so politely, I guess I can give up a little information.

A family vacation to a country home out in the middle of nowhere was meant to be relaxing. It was meant to be a way to bring the family closer together. Instead, it did nothing but pull them apart, piece by piece. Adultery, seduction, harassment, terror, and death awaits the family in the faded yellow country home. 

I can't give up too much information yet. Hopefully, this excites you as much as it does me! Don't forget, you'll get this book FREE if you sign up for my newsletter. I can't wait for you to hear it. Thank you very much for reading. 

Case Log #3

I think this may have been my favorite case so far, though I've only had a few. It was evening when my smart phone buzzed to life on the end table next to me. I was watching a television show while I scooped popcorn from a bowl. Wiping my fingers on my jeans, I snatched up the phone to read the text message. 

Mr. McCormick, I was hoping to hire your services for a very important and personal matter. It's in regards to my son whom I haven't seen in years. I was hoping you could help me find him.

I quickly responded, saying I would be happy to meet up. We agreed on a coffee shop downtown first thing the next morning. When I arrived the following morning, I wasn't sure what to expect. It occurred to me then that I had failed to ask the person's name. Now I would have no idea who I was waiting for. It was a bit sloppy, but what can I say. I'm still figuring this detective business out. 
It didn't matter, however, as the client ended up meeting me instead. He was a large man with a full head of hear and a gleam in his bright blue eyes. He looked older than he actually was, his skin beginning to tighten and wrinkle like old leather. He licked his lips nervously and approached. 
"Mr. McCormick?" He asked, proffering his hand.
"Please, call me Ethan." I replied, taking it. 
We sat down at the table and ignored the other patrons as we got down to business. "My name's Carl." He said. "Like I told you on the phone, I haven't seen my son in about ten years. I wanted your help to track him down." 
Pulling out my notebook, I said, "I'll do what I can. Tell me everything." 
"Sure. I was married to a wonderful woman, beautiful and bright. She was the light of my life. We had a young son together and had a wonderful life watching him grow. When he was about eleven years old, things got a little rough for me. I had lost my job, my parents died, and a host of other problems struck almost at once. I didn't cope well. I started to drink. 
I started to drink so much that it got in the way of my relationship with Stacy. Which, of course, put a strain on my relationship with my son. Anyway, things got worse as I spiraled downwards. Stacy tried to get my friends together for an intervention but I stormed out in anger. Eventually, I become unbearable. We fought, sometimes in front of Blake, I'm ashamed to admit. To keep a long story short, things got a little violent one night and Stacy took Blake out of our home and I never saw them again." 
He sighed and sat back in his chair. I continued to write notes in my notebook as he did. 
"I think she moved out of state and I was served divorce papers soon after. At the time, I blamed her. I refused to sign. I got angry. I drank more. And I lost even more. My house, the job I was barely holding on to as it was, all of my friends. It was a living nightmare. As the years went by, I started to clean up my act. I went to an AA meeting and haven't looked back since. I wanted to prove to Stacy I was worthy of seeing my son again. I couldn't bear being away from him for one more minute.
Then the unthinkable happened. Stacy was killed in a car accident. Blake was all alone. Of course, he was an adult by this time and I think he moved away. He didn't know where his father was and he probably didn't want to see me. I reached out to family members, but never learned where he was. Now, I just want to find him. I want to show him I've cleaned up and I want to make amends. It'll be his choice. If he never wants to see me again, I'll understand."
The man's story was a sad one. I had to give it to the man. Most people wouldn't have owned up in that situation but he had. He was doing whatever he could to rekindle his relationship with his son. I agreed and went about my work, looking for his son. 
The hunt for Blake was not an exciting one. I spent most of the time on phone calls, checking with local records or family members of Blake. I had to lie a couple times to get the information I needed. Finally, I got an address. It turned out, Blake had moved to Miami only a few months prior. I'd like to think he was there looking for his father. 
In the end, I was able to arrange a meeting and the two men sat down together. I haven't checked in with Carl, but I'd like to think they worked things out. After all, the last thing I saw after I left the two together was the warm and welcoming embrace Blake gave his dad. 

New Cover Reveal

Do you want to see the cover for my upcoming Ethan McCormick novel, Sins of the mother? A non-pixelated version perhaps? Well, you're in luck! Sign up for my monthly newsletter and get a sneak peek at it. Sign up before March 8th to see it first. For everyone else, the cover doesn't drop until April 1st. Sign up now!  #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; } /* Add your own MailChimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */Subscribe before March 8th, 2017 to be among the first to see the new cover!* indicates requiredEmail Address * First Name

Author Talk

Confession time! I don't have a whole lot of experience when it comes to public speaking. That's not to say I'm bad at it, I just don't do it very often. I think it's the nature of us authors to be a bit more reserved, to maybe shy away from large crowds. Well, in a little less than two weeks, I have no choice but to face a large crowd and I have to be in front of it! 
On March 4th, I will be attending an author expo and at 11:00 am, I will be in a room talking about my books for about twenty minutes. I must say, this notion has me a little nervous. I have no issues talking to strangers if I absolutely have to but normally I am pretty reserved. However, having to talk about my work for about twenty minutes is making me pretty nervous. Anyone out there have experience with publicly speaking about your own work and have any tips? I would love to hear from you!  

Meeting Great People

The latest author event I attended stood out from the others, thus far. First, the tables were set up and us authors arrived to set up. Four of us in total. At some point, someone checked the weather and realized rain was imminent. Moving the tables inside, we continued the event indoors. There, we got to talking and learning more about each other. 
First, there was Latiesha Cook, author of Ashes to Ashes Dust to Bad Bitches. She's a motivational speaker and a wonderful person. It was a pleasure speaking with her and learning more about her accomplishments. If you're looking for motivational material, check her out on Amazon and follow her on Instagram @Latiesha_cook. 
Next up, there was Pam Saxelby. She was there with her two children's books, Josie the Great and Max and Bear. I flipped through them and was very impressed by the illustration and writing for both. Of course, my in-laws and my own mother showed up to this event. Thankfully, they picked up the books for my soon-to-be-born son, Desmond. If you have a child in your life then check out Pam Saxelby. You can follow her on Instagram @authorpamsaxelby or grab her books on Amazon. 
Last, but certainly not least, there was Shondra Mitchell, author of Troublesome Times are Here. Shondra is a motivational speaker as well. She was there with her cool son, Jordan. He knew a lot and taught all of us a thing or two. Definitely follow her on Instagram @authorshondram and check her out on Amazon as well.  

I don't really want to speak about myself, as this post is not about me but the lovely people I met at the last author event. Luckily, this is more about another author as well. While we were there, a man walked through the door and browsed a bit through the store. Eventually, he asked for a moment of my time. I agreed and he handed me a copy of his book, The Modern Vampire Torose. He exclaimed he had been checking me out on social media and my website as well and liked my style of writing. With that, he asked if I could take a look at his book and leave an honest review for him. Of course, I obliged. It was flattering to have another author ask for my opinion on their work. I will be reading M.B. West's The Modern Vampire Torose soon and write a review on my blog. Check him out on Amazon if Vampire novels are your thing!  

Review of 3am by Amy Cross

Like most people, when I find an author that I really enjoy I tend to read their other books. If I really like them, and they are within the genre that I love, I will create a shelf for them on my Nook. There's the "big name" authors like Stephen King and Lee Child that I have created shelves for. Now, I am pleased to say I'm adding Amy Cross as well! 
So, I just finished reading Amy Cross' 3am. I am honestly glad I did not read this book near that time. Every little noise would have made me paranoid. I'm still waiting to wake up then and hear a knock at my door! 
If you like horror, pick up this book. It follows a woman's desperate search to find her aunt who went missing in an apartment complex in London known as Marshall Heights. Megan shows up at her aunt's flat to find out what may have happened to her. Not finding any trace of her, she stays in her aunt's flat. The property manager, Michael Powers, allows her to stay there but warns her to stay inside and asleep at 3am. 
I don't want to give much of the plot away so if you want to know what happens next, pick up the book. It's a quick read and I believe it's only .99 on Kindle and Nook. Totally worth it! I loved this book and can't wait to jump into more of her work! It was creepy and suspenseful and I couldn't put it down. 

You get an e-book, and you get an e-book!

Got a little bit of fun news to share with you. I'm currently working on a special project that differs from my other works in a sort of way. I'm in the process of writing a novella instead of a full feature novel. What's the fun news? Well, if you sign up for my newsletter, when the novella is finished you will receive a free e-book! Cool? Go ahead and sign up below! There will be more info in the future regarding the novella. I can tell you now, it leans more towards the horror side of my writing than just thriller/suspense. It will be out later this year, though I don't know the actual date or page count, yet. More info to come soon! 



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Case Log #2

People never cease to amaze me...
A few days after working my first official case, I was contacted by a rather frantic woman. She claimed her husband was having an affair. I told her I could help with that and agreed to meet her right away. We discussed the case and she gave me all of the details. Her husband, Rick, had been spending a lot of late nights away. He would claim he was at the bar with friends but she did not believe him. 
One night, while going through the laundry, she found a pair of red panties that did not belong to her. Her heart sank, utterly crushed. There was no more denying it. Rick was having an affair. Naturally, Jenny confronted him about it. Instead of owning up to it, he lied once again. He said he had no idea what they were and insisted they must have been an older pair of hers she forgot about. "They aren't even my size, Rick." she told him. In fact, they were bigger than her size. Jenny had never been a bigger woman, they could not possibly be hers. 
The suspicion drove her mad. She knew Rick was lying about the affair but couldn't prove it. That's where I came in. She wanted me to snap a photo of Rick committing adultery so she could finally confront him about it. Jenny said they might see a marriage counselor and try and put the broken pieces back together. 
I accepted, of course, and went about my routine. With my camera and other items, I went about tailing him one Friday night. He did, in fact, go to the bar and hang out with some friends. I started to wonder if he was telling the truth after all, though it didn't explain the underwear. 
Around nine at night, he climbed in his car and drove off down the road. This is where I would catch him. I picked up my cell phone and called Jenny. "He's leaving the bar right now. Give him a call and see what he tells you." She did. He said he was still at the bar with his friends. Now I knew something was up. 
Rick pulled up to a club that I didn't recognize and gathered up what looked like a duffel bag. A few minutes later, he walked inside the club. After a few minutes, I realized I had to go inside. Unfortunately, I would have to ditch my camera and rely on my smart phone. No big deal. It would get the job done. 
I walked up to the front door and started to notice something peculiar. There was a major shortage of women walking in and out of the club. Shrugging, I stepped inside. Then it hit me like a semi-truck. I was stepping foot in a gay bar. Maybe he was having an affair after all, but with a man? I pushed further into the club, looking for Rick. 
I approached the bar and ordered a drink. The bartender politely mixed the drink and slapped it down in front of me. Taking a sip, I pulled out my phone and showed him a photo of Rick. "I'm looking for this guy. His name is Rick. You wouldn't happen to have seen him, would you?" I realized I was acting too much like a cop but it didn't matter. The man's eyes lit up, then he smiled. 
"Yes and no," he said. "He doesn't go by Rick here, though." 
"What do you mean?" I asked. 
Again, he smiled and pointed over towards the main stage. Taking my drink, I wandered over. A crowd of people gathered around the stage as if waiting for a show. The lights dimmed and a fog filled the stage. People cheered and hollered. I scanned as many faces as I could but didn't see Rick, or whatever alias he went by in the club.
"Please welcome to the stage," an announcer called. "Lady Lori!"
The crowd went wild. I stared at the curtain as a man dressed in drag emerged. It was Rick. I recognized him right away. He wore a red lingerie outfit with a long, flowing white wrap. He danced around the stage and put on quite a show. I snapped a picture with my phone and slowly made my way out of the club. I wasn't sure if Jenny would be relieved or angry to learn he dressed in drag and performed for men. At least he wasn't having an affair. 
I waited with her until Rick got home. He stepped inside and saw me. Hesitating for a moment, he looked upset. "Jenny, who is this man?" He almost seemed jealous and hurt. 
"He's a private detective I hired to follow you. After I found the underwear, I couldn't get passed it. Why didn't you just come clean about it? Why did you make me do this?" 
"Honey, I don't know what this man has been telling you, but he's lying. I'm not having an affair." 
"Oh, I know, Lady Lori." She held up her phone with a picture of him mid-dance, half naked in bright red lingerie. 
He seemed taken aback by this and hung his head in shame. She had learned his "terrible" secret and he was surely afraid she would leave him for it. I remained silent and watched it all unfold. "I admit it. The panties you found were mine. I dress in drag and go to the G-bar downtown. It makes me feel special. I don't know. I'm not gay, though. And I'm not having an affair!" 
Tears welled in her eyes and she ran to him. She threw her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his lips. "I don't care. As long as you're not having an affair. If this is who you really are, I want to be there with you. I want to support you." 
Now, he looked shocked. Not a lot of women would have understood. I wasn't completely sure if I did. But I was glad she accepted him for who he was. Saying my good-byes, I walked out into the night and headed home. It seemed the cases I had taken so far were never as they appeared at first. 

Case Log #1

*Foreword* Ethan McCormick is a special character for me. He's one I've been developing over many years. He started as an English project in High School and over time became one of my main characters as a writer. If you haven't met him yet, he's an ex-Miami Police Officer turned private detective. I thought it would be neat to start a series of blog posts which outline some of the cases he works on between novels.This will be the only time I issue a foreword for "his" blog posts from here on out. I hope you enjoy these mini stories. If you like them, let me know in the comments below or on my social media pages. If you haven't read Ethan's adventure yet, you can pick up To the Wolves and learn what pushes him to become a private detective. His new adventure will be out later this year! Without further delay, here is Ethan McCormick's case logs. 


It's been a few months since I left the police department for certain reasons. If you've watched the news lately, you'll know why. If you haven't, go ahead and look it up. I won't outline it here. I'm starting this blog to keep a public record of the cases I take. Names will be changed in order to protect everyone's identity. 
I received my first real case only a few days ago. It was a fairly straight forward one. I was contacted by the manager of a local restaurant. One of his employees had filed for worker's compensation. He wasn't so sure the claim was legit. Since he can't straight out call him a liar, he did the next best thing. He hired a private detective to prove he's faking. This was my first case since leaving the department, mind you. I've still got a lot to learn. 
The first night, I set up shop outside the man's home. I had my camera, my thermos of coffee, and a pair of binoculars. Watching him practically all night, I fought off the urge to sleep. I guess I had seen too many movies because night was the worst decision ever. I needed to try and catch him out in the middle of the day, walking on two legs instead of one in a cast and on crutches. 
So, the next day, I grabbed my camera and drove to his neighborhood. Parking a few houses down, I got out and went for a walk. After a few passes by his home, he finally came out to get the mail. He hobbled on one leg, fighting with the crutches. I immediately believed he was actually injured. The way he struggled with the crutches seemed realistic.
I took a few snapshots from down the street and set off towards my car. I stopped in my tracks when another vehicle pulled up in front of his house. It was a bright red Mustang with a convertible roof. Out climbed a stunning woman in a skin tight, black dress. I don't know what compelled me to stay, but I ended up snapping a couple photos of the two of them sharing a passionate kiss in the front yard. After, she helped him inside.
Shrugging off the encounter, I made it back to my own car and tossed the camera inside. From there, I drove straight to the restaurant with the evidence that his employee was telling the truth. Frank, the manager, was actually relieved. He liked his employee, Daniel. "He's a good kid," he said. "But I heard rumors he wasn't actually hurt. Gotta look into it, you know."
The most interesting thing happened when I decided, for reasons unknown, to share the last photo of the kid I had taken. "Yeah, he seems nice and he's got a hell of a girlfriend," I told him as I passed him the camera. I have never seen a human being turn the shade of red Frank did. His face was the same color as a firetruck. I thought he was going to literally explode.
Just as I was about to ask what was wrong, he yelled, "That's my wife. That little bastard!" Daniel had met Frank's wife at the restaurant one afternoon and bought her a drink. Frank was in the back doing paperwork and the two flirted lightly. One thing led to another, and Daniel started to sleep with Frank's wife. I guess it went on for quite some time. Worse, he really was faking the leg injury for the worker's comp money. It turned out, he and Jessica were planning a trip together and planned to "make Frank pay for it." It gave them more time to fool around while he was out of work for his "injury." 
Needless to say, it was a funny one. It seemed open and shut and yet there were layers to it that I could not have fathomed. It never ceases to amaze me what some people will do. But, without those type of people I would be out of a job. So I guess, thank you Daniel and Jessica, in a sort of messed up way.   




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