Paul Austin Ardoin's Blog, page 8
November 16, 2020
National Novel Writing Month: My New Project
November is National Novel Writing Month—NaNoWriMo for short. The rules of NaNoWriMo are simple: Write 50,000 words in a new novel during the month of November.
What will I be doing during NaNoWriMo, you ask? I just completed my first draft of the next Fenway Stevenson Mystery. Book 7 is called The Accused Coroner, and next I’ll be readying it for a trip to my developmental editor!
So this month, I’m focusing on a brand new series. Murders of Substance features a brilliant but arrogant forensic toxicologist and the federal agent who is assigned to work cases with him. The first novel, Ceremony, finds a dead graduate student injected with a dangerous hallucinogen. The list of suspects is huge, from the professor in debt to a pharmaceutical company, the mysterious girlfriend, a local fringe church who used the drug in rituals, an animal-rights activist—even the local lake fishing society. I’m targeting the middle of next year for release.
I hope you’ll enjoy this series as much as you like the Fenway books!
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November 4, 2020
National Novel Writing Month: Sacramento to Stardom
November is National Novel Writing Month—NaNoWriMo for short. NaNoWriMo is an international organization now, and there are chapters all over the world. The rules of NaNoWriMo are simple: Write 50,000 words in a new novel during the month of November.
My first novel, The Reluctant Coroner, was written as a 2017 NaNoWriMo project, and I’ve gotten more involved with my local chapter here in Sacramento every year. This year, I’m one of the Municipal Liaisons (i.e., regional coordinator.) It’s great to help facilitate so many authors in the chapter achieve their goals of publication.
Several current and former members of the Sacramento chapter have published books—and no matter what you like to read, there’s something for you! I’ve shared books by P.D. Workman and T.M Baumgartner before. Here are several more books written by authors in NaNoWriMo’s Sacramento chapter!
Former SacNaNo’er Andrea Stewart released her novel The Bone Shard Daughter to rave reviews in big-time science fiction publications, Booklist, Library Journal, NYT Bestseller author Sarah J. Maas, and even The Guardian!
April Browne published the first book in her witch-cozy series, Cupcakes and Crime.
Mel Woodburn released her debut, a superhero story about a girl who can breathe flames: Geek Fire.
November 2, 2020
The Sting of Disappointment
In the opening months of 1996, I was twenty-three years old. My temp-to-perm job had just gone perm—my first real job. Now that my job was permanent, I was about to move out of my parents’ house and into my own apartment. And Sting was about to release a new album.
After 1993’s brilliant, creative, and occasionally crazy Ten Summoner’s Tales—which I must have listened to five hundred times—I was awash with anticipation for Sting’s next full-length album. Ten Summoner’s Tales had captured the same kind of energy that early Sting albums had, even though it wasn’t as jazz-tinged as The Dream of the Blue Turtles and Nothing Like the Sun. I was a music nerd, too, so I absolutely loved the odd Brubeck-like time signatures of “Seven Days” and “Saint Augustine in Hell.” So when Mercury Falling landed in record stores (remember those?) on Tuesday, March 8, 1996, as soon as my First Real Job let me go at five o’clock, I ran out and bought it. I ran home, put it in my CD player, and started listening to the opening strains of “The Hounds of Winter.”
And… I was a little let down. The energy definitely was more Soul Cages than the driving beats of Ten Summoner’s Tales. The chorus of Mercury’s opening track is, uh—well, it’s kind of sleepy.
OK, I thought to myself, it’s just the first song. I thought back to the first time I listened to The Soul Cages, which was ultimately a solid album, but it took many listens to appreciate it.
Next song: “I Hung My Head.” Like the second track on Ten Summoner’s Tales, it’s a ballad-style song about a Western-themed story in an odd time signature. That’s a little better than “The Hounds of Winter.” The odd time signature is interesting, though the song is definitely morose. The energy is still flagging—and the lyrics are certainly not very thematic or poetic. It’s about a guy who kills another guy, and he’s super sorry about...Read More
October 16, 2020
Recommended Reading: Zachary Goldman Mysteries
P.D. Workman is one of my favorite indie mystery authors, and her PI Zachary Goldman is a compellingly flawed character you can't help but root for. For a limited time, you can download Book 1 for free, and purchase Books 2 & 3 at a significant discount. In addition, the next three books in the series are coming soon and available for preorder! I hope you enjoy this series as much as I do.
Zachary Goldman, Private Investigator, is flawed with a capital F.
Shattered by the tragedies of his own life, he will somehow still manage to pick himself up and dig just a little bit deeper than anyone else to find the vital clues.
Maybe being broken makes it easier for others who have faced tragedy to trust him. Walk with Zachary as he solves cases that will stretch his abilities to the limit.
Even with his own life in shambles, Zachary Goldman is still the one you want on the case.
A case is only unsolvable as long as it remains unsolved.
Read MoreSeptember 28, 2020
Interview: What's Next?
I was recently interviewed on the NewInBooks Blog, in which I discuss my favorite books to read, inspiration for becoming an author, as well as favorite scenes from The Watchful Coroner.
Q: What’s on your top 5 list for the best books you’ve ever read?
A: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Marquez is jaw-droppingly good. I really enjoy Jack Benton’s series of Slim Hardy Mysteries, and the second book, The Clockmaker’s Secret, is masterful. Two of my favorite books are mysteries masquerading as literary fiction: Paul Auster’s Leviathan and Siri Hustvedt’s What I Loved. To end this list, I’ll pick The Silent Madonna by Michelle Damiani, another sophomore entry in a book series. The Silent Madonna reminds me of One Hundred Years of Solitude—not just because of the magical realism elements, but also because the town itself is a character in the book. And, of course, the ending that wraps up the many plots and character arcs.
Q: What scene from The Watchful Coroner was your favorite to write?
A: As I was finishing the last few chapters of the first draft—I write linearly, from Chapter 1 to Chapter 27—I had a great idea for the last scene of the book, and a great idea for a last line. I was giddy with anticipation when I wrote those last few pages. I often struggle with first lines and last lines, but with this book, the last line came easily. Building up the tension and following the “camera” through that last scene was crazily enjoyable, and when I typed that final sentence—followed by “The End”—I was euphoric in a way I hadn’t been since my first novel was...Read More
September 22, 2020
The Watchful Wait is Over!
Need to catch up on the rest of the series? When you purchase The Watchful Coroner directly from my author store, you'll also receive 40% off the rest of the series (The Fenway Stevenson Collection Books 1-3, The Upstaged Coroner and The Courtroom Coroner).
Read MoreSeptember 21, 2020
September 20, 2020
September 19, 2020
September 18, 2020
Watchful Release Countdown
Happy Friday! We're counting down until The Watchful Coroner release with preview quotes from the book. Here's some classic Dez for all of you who missed her in Book 5. Enjoy!
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