Leopold Borstinski's Blog, page 4

It’s getting closer…

I’m pleased to announce the cover reveal for The Mensch, book 7 of the Alex Cohen series. Thank you to all of you who have already pre-ordered the book at your favorite sales platform.

The good news is that I received the manuscript back from my editor earlier today, which means we are only weeks, not months, away from the novel’s release.

What is it about? Well, Alex and Sarah move to Miami as he tries to extricate himself from a lifetime of mob dealings… Anyone who watched The Deuce will know about the burgeoning porn industry that blossomed in 1970s New York. Guess what? Not only was there similar action in Florida, but there was Jewish involvement too.

I’ll let you know a little more in the run up to the launch.

Enjoy.

The last one…

The final book in the Alex Cohen series, The Mensch is coming along nicely. While still in the editing phase, it is in a decent enough shape even at this point in its journey. Alex remains committed to leaving the world of mobsters behind him, but somehow he is sucked back in time and time again. One minute it is the burgeoning 1970s porn industry and the next there are diamonds in Tel Aviv to consider.

Pre-orders are still open on the book and when it launches, I shall make it available on Kobo, B&N and Apple for only a week or two, so if you use those platforms, I would strongly suggest you make sure you get it before it vanishes, literally. As soon as I switch those sites off, those on Amazon will be able to use Kindle Unlimited to read the novel, as well as buy it outright, of course.

I’ll keep you posted.

Leo

Back in the saddle?

I thought I’d give you a short update on where I am at with this writing thang.

Book 7 of Alex Cohen, The Mensch now exists as a full first draft and is going through the editing process. I hope to soft launch it in July/August. Pre-order now to make sure you get it on the first day of its release.

Then you can expect some silence from me until the end of the year when I hope to release book 1 of the Jake Adkins PI series, I Confess. There will be more details on what that involves over the coming months, but to cleanse your palette feel free to check out The Case, which covers a fair chunk of Jake’s life.

In between, I am going to delve into non-fiction under a different (real) name and produce a school textbook, but I’m not going to bore you with details about that as it has nothing to do with historical crime fiction thrillers. But I didn’t want you to think that I was going to be idle.

Leo

Mean Streets without Scorsese

Here we have a collection of thrillers for you to check out at The Mean Streets Just Got Meaner. It comprises some free reading aimed straight at you.

All you have to do to grab some copies is to click the link and stuff your goodie bag until it overflows with fresh stories.

So if you like a thriller, like a crime book then fill your boots…

Pop

I have just completed the first draft of The Mensch, which is the last book in the Alex Cohen series. It’ll take another couple of months before it hits the streets, but you can buy a pre-order now from your favorite retailer so that you get it as soon as it is released.

If Kobo, B&N or Apple are you preferred providers then remember that the book will only be available on those sites for the first two weeks. After that, the only place to buy will be on Amazon or in Kindle Unlimited.

To say that the last section of the novel was difficult to write would be an understatement. Once you read the final chapters, you will understand why I had to stop and cry before the end.

Crackle

The last time I wrote something for the newsletter I warned you that I’d be in radio silence for a while. Well, to be honest, that is still true but there are a couple of reasons that I’ve broken cover.

The first reason is that I am aware that some folk have been kind enough to sign up to the newsletter recently and I did not want them to feel that they had were going to get nothing for their trouble.

The second reason is that I have found myself watching more television these past few weeks than I have done the previous six months. Two shows have caught my attention: Peaky Blinders and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.

Law and Order SVU is something which has hooked me back into its world again. I was a big fan five or more years ago and have nibbled away at Criminal Intent and Organized Crime, but there is some part of the L&O world that is deeply appealing to me. The promise of an incomplete storyline and the bleakness of the characters, maybe.

SPOILER ALERT

Then we come to Peaky and I should point out that I am watching the new (and final) series. The last one involving Oswald Mosley stretched my credulity to what I thought was the limit. That Thomas Shelby could become an MP as well as befriend the arch-fascist in a single bound almost broke me. Now he mumbles a lot and suddenly is running his life on the basis of vaguely defined Gypsy curses. This is not a gang boss I see before him.

I hope that the next time I post that I am back inside the last chapters of The Mensch.

Until then, take good care of yourselves.

Leo

Silence

This is a short note of apology to let you know that I can’t promise to write a newsletter item for a short while.

I had a close family bereavement in the last week and I need a while to get my head together again.

This means that book 7 of the Alex Cohen series, The Mensch, might get delayed past April, but I can’t it figure out right now. I hope to be back with you in the next couple of weeks, but I am posting this in case my silence lasts a little longer.

Take good care

Leo

Collections aimed at you

Here is an Historical Fiction list comprising free novels for you to grab and read. You’ll find one of my books in the pile, but I am hoping you’ll discover a new author to enjoy now and in the future.

And here is a free Novel Giveaway for you to enjoy. Again, there’s a bunch of books for you to download, with one of mine in the mix.

I hope you can take a few minutes out of your day to expand your reading list.

Fill your boots.

Leo

Well hello, books!

Here is a small but perfectly formed selection of discounted crime novels, of which mine is one. It comes from those nice people from Hello Books.

In case you haven’t figured it out, these books are in the crime genre and are either free or only cost $0.99 from Amazon this weekend.

Fill your boots.

Leo

 

Alex Cohen will move to Amazon only

Hi

I recently mentioned that I was thinking of taking the Alex Cohen series out of Kobo, Apple and B&N.

Well that is exactly what I will do from February 1, 2022 so that gives you a week or two to grab any copies you may want from those stores before I take Alex exclusively into Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. Don’t worry, I will ensure there is an opportunity to buy The Mensch, book 7, on these platforms before it too folds inside Amazon only – but I need to finish writing that story first.

In short, go to Kobo, Apple or B&N now to get any of the Alex Cohen series before I pull them from sale on Feb 1.

As a reminder, I am doing this as an experiment to increase sales by enabling kindle readers to borrow the books in Kindle Unlimited instead of buying each book outright.

Fill your boots.

Leo