Leopold Borstinski's Blog, page 13

Author Recommendation

As you know, now and again, I let you know about a particular author’s work and I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to Reefer Ranger by David Mark Brown. As always, I shall let David’s description do all the work…

Ranger J.T. McCutchen is as black and white as they come. He likes his law with a long arm and short trial. He delivers the verdict via Colt .45, up close and personal. But protecting his Texas borderlands against the increasing turbulence of the Mexican Revolution pushes him to the brink.

South of the border and alone, he’s blindsided and left for dead. Fractured, both physically and emotionally, the once singular man is forced to either reinterpret himself or the world around him. His decision will imprint the history of nations.

TRIGGER WARNING: McCutchen’s origins are that of a racist, self-righteous SOB. He behaves accordingly in this story.

NOTE: This is a darker introduction to the Lost DMB Files. If you prefer a more optimistic outlook, go ahead and download Reefer Ranger and then follow the links at the end of the story to begin your adventure with “Del Rio Con Amor,” the origin story of our dreamer/hero, Chancho “Del Rio” Villarreal.

Crime spree going cheap

Here is another seasonal sift through the discounted ebook department in the form of a promo collection called the Summer Crime Spree. This comprises a set of discounted crime stories, all retailing at $2.99 or less so anyone based in a city will be used to spending more on a cup of coffee (albeit before the pandemic lockdowns).

Fill your boots.

Summer Thrills

A fabulous opportunity for those of you who are interested in thrillers in the summer. It is called Must-Read Summer Thrillers and you can grab copies of free thrillers, mysteries and such right now.

In case it’s not obvious, I urge you to fill your boots.

Doldrums

There comes a point almost every time I write a book that I hit a “difficult” period. Now, this is a relative statement–nothing about this is actually difficult and I am hyperaware that millions of people are suffering with real physical issues on a day-to-day basis. So bear with me…

Somewhere in act two, when there is a respite before the final sweep into the third act and the end of the story, I slow the pace down and too often I stall. I love the race to the finish and the desperate need to get to the final scene, which most of the time I have in my head before I’ve written the opening chapters. Just before that, I stop and find the words not flowing out of my fingers onto the screen.

They hover undefined at the back of my mind as I try to eke them out into my consciousness. Until then I spend days with virtually no output and that then scares me. I remember that awful Becky Greene winter and wonder if I am about to head into another one of those scenarios. It’s been two days now and I’ve only managed two paragraphs. The aftermath of the murder I mentioned last week is now a distant memory–for me and my characters–and we are left with the need to keep on going.

On a more positive note, ahem, I am days away from publishing the second episode of my Awakenings story (and still less than a dollar an episode).

On a sales note, look out on July 3 if you are in the US as there will be a price drop to 99c for The Bowery Slugger and it quite literally won’t get cheaper than that.

On a newsletter note, those of you who subscribe to my newsletter will shortly (within the next week or so) get an extra message from me to help you manage what kind of content you see in the newsletter. I mention this here so the email is not a total surprise to you.

I hope you have a safe and enjoyable week.

Leo

Confessions of a serial killer

I’ve killed another of my babies. Before you call the cops and turn me in–again–I should point out that I am only a literary murderer, not a literal one. The creation I am talking about is one of my favourite characters in the Alex Cohen series and yesterday I wrote their death scene. And it made me sad.

I have known what was going to happen since I first introduced them in The Bowery Slugger but nothing prepared me for how I would feel now they are gone. Of course, this is a metaphorical loss and there are far too many people experiencing genuine grief with or without the pandemic. I am not pretending to steal their pain.

But I didn’t realize how much I cared until this character was no more. I’ve already tried to think up spin-off stories for them to have their own series, although I think it very unlikely they will ever see the light of day.

So when you get halfway through Casino Chiseler–when it comes out towards the end of the year–and bullets fly, know it gave me no pleasure to kill this person. And the vengeance was all mine.

Leo

Wakey, Wakey Awakenings

My new serialized novel in the Lust to Dust series, Awakenings is available to buy now and Part One is available exclusively from my website at www.leob.ws/awakenings for less than a dollar per erotic episode.

It is a standalone tale split into monthly parts and features characters from The Death and Life of Penny Pitstop although you don’t need to have read that novel to enjoy the story of Raymond, Claudia and their New York vacation.

This steamy tale will run every month with each bundle of chapters only costing 99c If you are interested in an erotic story of Brits in America then grab your copy today.

Fill your kinky boots!

First-in-Series Competition

Here is something I’ve never done before and you can benefit from the experience too. I’ve included The Bowery Slugger in a promo competition, called First-in-Series Fast-Paced Thrillers.

The deal is dead simple: sign up to as many newsletters from thriller authors as you want and you enter a competition to win an eReader and 60 books, including the Slugger.

So quite literally, fill your boots.

Sex and death in equal measure Part 1

This has been a week of two halves. The first part involved following up on my earlier commitment to write a steamy serialized story: it is called Awakenings and the first episode of this tale is available for pre-order from the website for only a dollar. You should be able to download it by the end of June, hopefully earlier. I have taken two characters from The Death and Life of Penny Pitstop and followed their lives after that book ends. In my notebook of story ideas, this story fragment had been at the back of my mind for at least the last year without having any place to go. My more full-blooded sequel to Pitstop was my aborted attempt at a detective tale. That might see the light of day at some point, but I will certainly finish Alex Cohen before I embark on any major novel series. I’ve only got one pair of hands to type with. Naturally, I will keep everyone informed when the launch happens.

Sex and death in equal measure Part 2

The second part is that I am pleased to announce that I have murdered Abe Reles. No need to call the police–this is an exceedingly cold case dating back to the ’40s, which is fortunate as I continue to write more for the Casino Chiseler. As a reminder this is book 4 in the Alex Cohen series and won’t see the light of day until somewhere between September to November. Definitely before Thanksgiving. The clue was in the photo a couple of posts ago of the half moon–that was the name of the hotel where Reles was staying when he met his untimely end the night before he was going to rat out his friends in the mob.

Serial Steam

I thought I’d give you a quick update on something I’m planning to start in a few weeks time. This is of interest to those of you who like steamy tales, even erotic you might say.

So this is the idea. I am going to publish a serial story – only available on my website – with each episode coming out once every four to six weeks and costing around a dollar per part. I sent an email out to newsletter subscribers earlier this week who had previously expressed an interest in steamy books and sufficient numbers showed an interest in the idea that I’m going to give it a go.

If readers support the project then by the end of the year, they’ll have content equivalent in size to a full novel, although each episode will be standalone, but linked like a TV miniseries.

And this activity will run in parallel to my ongoing writing of the Alex Cohen series. I can’t offer you a link to the first series today but its working title is Awakenings. I’m hoping to get the first episode out before the end of June. I’ll keep everyone updated with a special emphasis on those who are steam-focused, as it were.