Paul Austin Ardoin's Blog, page 9

Interview With a Brozy Author

Recently, I was interviewed by fellow mystery author Victoria LK Williams as part of her series about Brozy (Broader Cozy) mysteries. In it, we discuss what makes a mystery Brozy, Cozy, or Hard-boiled, where I get inspiration for writing, and my plans for the future of Fenway and beyond.

Read an excerpt of our interview:

Paul is the first of the Brozy Authors you are going to meet. If you missed the last post, Brozy Authors write light, entertaining whodunit cozy mysteries that appeal to more traditional male interest. Either by the chief character being male or the story line taking a more masculine turn (think book store owner vs biker). If you haven’t tried a brozy, then you’re in for a whole new adventure!

Are there any secrets from the book (that aren’t in the blurb), you can share with your readers?

Not many readers have noticed this, but Fenway—who has a difficult and strained relationship with her father—never calls him “Dad” except to his face. When talking about him, she always says “my father.” This changes at some point in the series… and for readers of the books, it’s probably obvious where it is and what the catalyst of the change is.

What is the future for the characters? Will there be a sequel?

I’ve started on Book 7, The Accused Coroner, and it will wrap up some of the longer arcs in the series. I plan to go on to write at least two more Fenway Stevenson novels after this and maybe more.

How many plot ideas are just waiting to be written? Can you tell us about one?

I have ideas for three other book series. One is about a private investigator who’s at the center of a 12-book series of interconnected crimes called...Read More

Join My Advance Reader Team!

WANT TO RECEIVE ADVANCE COPIES IN EXCHANGE FOR HONEST REVIEWS?

Can't wait for The Watchful Coroner? Join my Advance Reader Team and end the suspense! You get the book 2 weeks early and I get a hopefully massive number of reviews the day of launch!

What does this mean?
If you agree, I’ll send you an electronic copy of The Watchful Coroner, my sixth novel in The Fenway Stevenson Mysteries. In return, you agree to put an honest review of the book on at least two websites: Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, GooglePlay, Apple Books, Goodreads, or BookBub. (Amazon has a you-have-to-spend-$50-in-the-last-year rule before you can post a review, but none of the other sites have that rule—even if you don’t buy books on one of those sites, it’s easy to sign up and leave a review.) I’d like the reviews online by the e-book launch date, Tuesday, September 22, 2020.

Sounds great! How do I apply?

Simply submit the form below and I will let you know if you are accepted on the team!

Note: If you're interested, but unavailable this month, click...Read More

Book 6: The Watchful Coroner

I'm excited to announce that Book 6, The Watchful Coroner, is coming in September! I know some of you expressed concerns that the big conspiracies and mysteries were all wrapped up in Book 5. Don't worry—Fenway still has more secrets to untangle!

A body lies in the penthouse of a five-star hotel. Its secrets could destroy her.

Fenway Stevenson's nemesis is now mayor, and her boyfriend is a new private eye. But the latest murder victim in her seaside town could unleash her hidden past. With her father's oil company on the brink of disaster, Fenway finds herself walking a thin line between what she believes and where the evidence points. Can she uncover the truth before the town explodes?

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Fenway is a Bestseller!

Last week, The Reluctant Coroner hit NUMBER ONE on the Kindle Free, Kobo Free and the Apple Books Free charts—not just for mysteries, but for the entire free store! Other books quickly climbed the paid book charts, including The Incumbent Coroner as #6 in Kindle African American Mysteries, and The Incumbent Coroner, The Upstaged Coroner, and The Courtroom Coroner all graced the Nook Indie Top 100!

A huge THANK YOU to all purchase Fenway's stories, send messages, and write reviews. You are an amazing group of readers! And if you haven't gotten the new version yet, get it from your favorite store (or download from BookFunnel). I've extended the sale so it's free for the rest of the month.

You can find links to the entire Fenway series below. Maybe we can keep the momentum going and add some more Fenway books to those bestseller charts!

The Reluctant Coroner

The Incumbent Coroner

The Candidate Coroner

The Upstaged Coroner

The Courtroom Coroner

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New and Improved!

If you downloaded Book 1, The Reluctant Coroner, but haven't finished it, maybe the beginning of the book was too slow for your taste. The Reluctant Coroner was the first novel I ever completed, and I've learned a lot about becoming a better author since its publication. I've just revised (and I think significantly improved) The Reluctant Coroner, focusing on the first third of the book.

Here's a sample from Chapter 1:

So if you haven't finished Book 1, give it another chance! Right now, it's free on ALL platforms through July 11!

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Courtroom Drama Pt. 2

I have a confession: of the entire Fenway series, The Courtroom Coroner was the hardest book to write. I am not a planner. I am in real life—I manage to work, shuttle kids to activities and games, remember important events, and plan beautiful celebrations with my wife. But for books, I’m what some call a discovery writer. Or, I fly by the seat of my pants. A pantser. I typically know who the killer is and how they think they can get away with it, then I just start writing and let the story lead. Sometimes Fenway surprises even me. For example, in The Candidate Coroner, I got to the part where Fenway kept borrowing cars, and realized with absolute certainty that one of them needed to blow up. I then to rework scenes, characters, and scenarios to get to a place where a car explosion made sense and furthered the story.

However, when all the characters are locked in a courtroom, there is no wiggle room to rework scenes when the story takes you in a new direction. I started writing, scrapped it and started over five times before I got past Chapter 3! To educate myself, I looked up how J.K. Rowling outlined The Order of the Phoenix and mimicked her style.  She had a giant chart (see below) with a timeline, plot points, and what each character group was doing to tie into each other. It’s pretty impressive. Mine wasn’t quite that elaborate, but it helped me find plot holes and missing elements (ex: OMG I need Piper!). Sixth time was the charm.

I also wanted to amp up the emotions in this book. The first four focused heavily on exciting action sequences and surprising plot revelations, but a locked room presented its own tension as people become more scared, hungry, and hurt. The facades fall away and you encounter raw, real emotion. Confrontations and honest conversations are...Read More

Courtroom Drama Pt. 1

I credit my grandma for my love of courtroom dramas. She lived with us when I was young, and we established a summer lunch routine: every day at noon we tuned in to Channel 20 and watched "Perry Mason" reruns (not to be confused with the HBO revamp coming in June). The criminal defense lawyer managed to clear the names of the falsely accused, usually through clever schemes where the real criminal outed themselves on the witness stand. It was very Elle Woods, for those of you born after 1980. 

Naturally, I have since watched all 20 seasons of "Law & Order," along with other, lesser-known,  70s and 80s dramas such as "Soap" with Billy Crystal as a ground-breaking (gasp!) gay character, and Robert Guillaume's spin-off in "Benson." In one memorable episode, Benson accompanies his boss to a yacht party, where the host is mysteriously murdered...and everyone realizes one of their fellow guests is the killer. Benson finally solves the mystery by discovering that the victim had a habit of chewing the earpiece of his glasses, which had been dipped in poison. 

The closed-room murder enthralled me, and I devoured classics like "And Then There Were None" and "Murder on the Orient Express." There is delicious tension between the horror of murder and the knowledge that the killer is walking among the survivors. There is a feeling that no one is above suspicion, and no one is safe. 

So in the back of my mind, I always knew I wanted to put Fenway in a courtroom, and what better way to ratchet up the tension than to kill a key witness and keep the killer locked in the room?

Buy The Courtroom Coroner

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Court is Now in Session

Happy release day! The Courtroom Coroner is now available! I've extended the 40% off pre-order sale—only $2.99 (regularly $4.99)—for another week, so if you haven't purchased your copy yet, hurry and do that now. 

I truly believe this is my best writing yet, and early readers seem to agree.

"A suspenseful closed-room murder mystery. Ardoin masterfully crafts an edge-of-your-seat novel with the perfect balance of intrigue, drama, and humor."

—C.B. Samet, four-time award-winning author

But don't take our word for it. Download your copy and see for yourself. 

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Review: Sadie's Spirit by CB Samet

Sadie's Spirit (Romancing the Spirit Book 1)

By CB Samet • ★★★★★

When pragmatic physician and budding researcher, Sadie Crawford, goes for a hike, she didn't imagine she would die on the trail. She definitely didn't imagine she would become a ghost.
Rather than idly lingering on Earth, she focuses on finding her killer. 

I had read other books in this series and liked them a lot, and the first book is no exception. Samet focuses on the romance, but the stakes of the thriller part give the book urgency. And, like the other books in this series, Samet has a great handle on her two main characters—in this case, Sadie, the ghost trying to solve her own murder, and Asher, the one who got away all those years ago.

I found myself rooting for Sadie and Asher from the get-go. Both of them are flawed, but it's easy to see how they make each other better people. While the suspenseful part of the plot seems to fade in the background a bit, it's still at the root of the conflict that drives the book forward, and it stays compelling and strong throughout.

As a novella, it's a quick read—I started and finished it on a short flight—but it was also satisfying and made me want more.

Download Sadie's Spirit for Free on Amazon

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Fenway 5 Coming May 12!

The Courtroom Coroner

I had originally hoped to deliver the fifth Fenway Stevenson mystery to you this April, but with all the craziness in the world right now, that timeline was delayed. But, despite the two week delay, I am very excited to share the description, the stunning cover art, and the pre-order link! The book is now available at major ebook retailers.

A dead defendant. 
A court in lockdown. 
And a murderer in the room.

 

Coroner Fenway Stevenson is distraught. Not only is her father on trial for murder, but a huge conspiracy is wrecking the coastal town she calls home.

 

And with two gunshots in a crowded courtroom, everything changes.

 

A dead body. Thirteen people. A set of locked doors. As the hours tick by, one thing becomes clear: the killer is still in the courtroom and will stop at nothing to ensure the truth never comes out.

With nothing but a fingerprint kit, an Ethernet cable, and her wits, can Fenway catch the killer before becoming a victim herself?

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