Toby Neal's Blog
January 18, 2024
Two free books and the rest of the Paradise Crime Mysteries with Lei on sale for 3.99!
First two free, all others 3.99, WOW!
Are you missing titles in the 16 book Paradise Crime Mysteries with Lei? Check all your titles and fill in any you don't have at this UNBEATABLE price!
No matter where you are in the world, WINTER is a great time to stock up on books.(We know, we're grabbing them up right and left too!)
We looked back and realized its been THREE YEARS since the Paradise Crime Mysteries with Lei were on sale!
Well, that's just too darn long! So to that end, we're giving away Blood Orchids #1, Torch Ginger #2, and putting ALL THE REST on sale for 3.99!
The link will take you to the page on my website where you can see the whole series and pick up any you may be missing!
(When you click on a cover, you can choose ANY RETAILER, or BUY FROM ME and save even more with this 15% off coupon at checkout! 15tobyneal )
HAPPY NEW YEAR AND HAPPY READING!
June 30, 2023
The Paradise Crime Cozy Mysteries and a giveaway!
The whole series is releasing in 2023!
In need of a lighter, brighter mood post-COVID, I set out to expand the Paradise Crime World in a new direction with a deep dive into a side character from the Paradise Crime Thrillers, Kat Smith, a Secret Service agent who guarded Sophie's dad, Ambassador Frank Smithson. She appears in a minor role in several of the Paradise Crime Thrillers.
So far, readers are loving the new series and an opportunity to watch Lei, Sophie, and Marcella work their parts of a complicated mystery involving multiple bodies and a Chang crime family scam with deep roots.
But mostly, they're loving getting to know six-foot agent turned postmaster Kat, her reluctant feliine companion Tiki, a hot pilot named Mr. K, and a cast of colorful characters that populate the imaginary village of Ohia outside of Hana on Maui
(CLICK ON THE IMAGE FOR MORE INFO on Coconut Wireless!)
“Coconut Wireless rocks!”
“The coconut wireless is humming in Ohia, Maui, and the latest topic of gossip is me, Kat Smith. I'm Secret Service, not Postal Service, but what I feel like is a criminal when I'm appointed postmaster to a cozy little town on Maui. Turns out I've stolen a well-earned promotion from beloved Auntie Pua Chang, who's been there forever. I haven't been in Ohia a day when Tiki the post office cat, meaner than a wolverine, brings a prize to my doorstep: a piece of the woman who had the job before me.
“Can't stop reading and chuckling! Kat is my new favorite heroine!”~ Reviewer
Want to win a PRINT copy of the book? Enter a giveaway on Goodreads to win a copy HERE!(CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW FOR MORE INFO ON SMALL ISLAND!)
“Small Island nails it again!”
Small Island, #2 in the Paradise Crime Cozy Mysteries, launches today and so far, the excitement is high! Here are some fresh reviews from our ARC team: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “I loved this book just as much as, if not more than, the first book in the new series by Toby! It made me LOL many times and had me wondering who was the guilty one once again! Toby writes these wonderfully entertaining books that have me addicted from the start! I am waiting impatiently for the next book in the series. If you love a funny and entertaining “who-done-it” book this is the book (and Series) for you!!”`Cheryl, Amazon
“2nd in series of Cozy Mysteries with Secret Service Agent Kat in Old Ohia as Postmaster General and Tiki, an ornery cat who has adopted her along with the Red Hat ladies who have taken her under their wing. Add a delicious pilot, a murder and, well I'll tell ya, I couldn't put it down.” ~Nadine
Want to win a PRINT copy of the book? Enter a giveaway on Goodreads to win a copy HERE!And coming soon is HAWAII TIME! Click on the image to LEARN MORE.
COMING 9/23 from me, and 9/28 for all book retailers!
It's been a blast to create this trilogy, and if they do well I'll add them to the World as a regular series with ongoing installments. I sure have enjoyed adding Ohia and its characters to the Paradise Crime World and I hope you think so too! Feel free to add a comment with your thoughts. Mahalo!
June 30, 2022
The #book you’ve been waiting for…WIRED TARGET is here NOW.
“ABSOLUTELY UNPUTDOWNABLE…I WAS GRIPPED BY IMAGINATION FROM THE FIRST PAGE TO THE LAST!” ~Rosemary K, Advance Reader
What would you do if the crime you were hired to solve tugged at your heartstrings?
Private investigator Sophie’s latest case weighs heavy: someone has desecrated the nesting grounds of the majestic Laysan Albatross on Oahu, annihilating a generation of endangered birds—and the outrageous crime appears to be spreading to other islands. Sophie teams up with Sergeant Lei Texeira on Maui to search for killers whose brutal activities outrage the public.
Meanwhile, deadly grandma Pim Wat continues to threaten the fragile peace Sophie is building with her family.
Will Sophie be able to find the answers she seeks in time?
“Action. Adventure. Intrigue. Suspense. Sophie's story jumps off the pages and pulls the reader into a world that's hard to leave at the end of each book!”~Deb L., FB
GET YOURS NOW!
📚AMAZON: https://amzn.to/3ISYp90
🌴APPLE BOOKS: https://books.apple.com/us/boo…
📚BARNES & NOBLE: https://www.barnesandnoble.com…
🌴KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebo…
📚GOOGLE PLAY BOOKS: https://play.google.com/store/…
“In Wired Target, Neal brings moments to cheer, then ambushes the reader with gut-clenching tension, fully immersing you in the moment.” ~Sheree B-I
June 14, 2022
A whole year of #travelblogging the USA!
As I post this, a YEAR has gone by since I began a newsletter writing and traveling journey on SUBSTACK; and though I considered ending it as we turned the corner into June and began our return and the end of an exciting year of travel and change, I’ve decided to continue.
Why?
The name of my newsletter! 🙂
May 21, 2022
WIRED HARD, Paradise Crime Thriller #3, FREE for limited time!
A murder at a royal Hawaiian archeological site on #Maui
Rare artifacts worth killing for A simmering attraction that bursts into flame A killer with an unhealthy obsession
ESCAPE TO #HAWAII with Sophie, for a #FREE #reading VACATION YOU'LL never forget!
Grab your book NOW on your favorite retailer in your favorite format (audiobook and print NOT free!)WIRED HARD, Paradise Crime Thriller #3 with Sophie Ang!Already read WIRED HARD?Pass this post on to a friend who might enjoy!
WIRED HARD IS FREE ON ALL BOOK RETAILERS! Limited time.
April 11, 2022
Black Jasmine FREE for a limited time!
OUR FREE GIFT TO YOU from 4/11/22-4/15/22!
Paradise hides darkness behind a beautiful face.The teen in the car at the base of the cliff is no suicide.
When a nameless young girl is found in a crashed vehicle on the rocks of one of Maui’s black lava cliffs, Detective Lei Texeira can’t rest until she finds out what really happened. She blazes through all the wealth and poverty of Maui island society in her quest for justice even as she faces the personal demons of commitment and revenge that threaten the only real love she’s ever known.
That girl should never have crossed me.
I know who I am—a procurer of beautiful things for people who can afford them. Men and women for pleasure, fine art for collectors, and money for the mob. Lei Texeira is nothing but an annoyance. I’ll take everything she loves, burn down her house, and take her life, too…just because I can.
“Toby Neal's stories have a relentless, charged energy that heat up every page.” Holly Robinson, author of Sleeping Tigers🌴Amazon USA: https://amzn.to/2LOFLGo
🌸Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/Blac…
🌴Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Black-Ja…
🌸Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black…
🌴Paperback: https://amzn.to/3NqCuJh
🌸Audiobook: https://www.audible.com/pd/Bla…
(Nore: only the ebooks are free! Some Amazon US links are included for convenience, but just search your country's store for BLACK JASMINE
March 18, 2022
All about those Toby Neal audiobooks!
Who else LOVES audiobooks? They are so great on a roadtrip. They have been lifesavers for Mike and I while traveling, doing stupid chores (like cleaning out a closet or garage) and working out or walking, not to mention when sick. A good audiobook is even better than a movie, in my humble opinion!
The process of having most of my books made into audio has been a labor of love, not only for me but for the two extraordinary voice actresses who have brought them to life.
When I was first approached by Audible to contract the Paradise Crime Mysteries with Lei, I insisted that we find “someone from Hawaii” to read them because the “Hawaiian Creole” aka “pidgin” dialect in the stories, as well as the Hawaiian names and places, are VERY difficult for outsiders to do.
Enter the talented SARA MALIA HATFIELD! Sara is a “local girl” from Makaha on Oahu, who went to college at the University of Hawaii and makes her living as an actress with voiceover and narration as a part of her considerable resume, which you can read HERE. I've met Sara in person. Her beauty and personality, as well as her sexy voice, have done an amazing job bringing Lei to life through TWELVE Paradise Crime Mysteries, two standalones, and both of my memoirs! Sara is exacting in her standards and her perfect pronunciation of pidgin and Hawaiian is seamless and brings readers straight to Hawaii.
Sara pictured with most of the books she's narrated with care and emotion for Toby Neal
Much as I wished Sara could do ALL of my books, I had a lot of them… and Sara got busy with other aspects of her career. So I went on the hunt for someone equally talented who could help with the less Hawaii-heavy stories.
Enter the amazing Sonja Field! Sonja is an American voice and accent coach based in London. After graduating with a BFA in Acting from Carnegie Mellon, Sonja worked for several years as a professional actor in theaters across the U.S. She then obtained an MFA in Voice Studies from the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama. She is also a certified Knight-Thompson Speechwork teacher.nIn addition to coaching, Sonja is a professional voiceover artist and audiobook narrator.
If anyone could learn to pronounce the Hawaiian accents and names in the Paradise Crime Thrillers with Sophie, it was Sonja! She struggled for a bit with her first book (Unsound) but studied clips and samples and worked closely with me. With her professional background as a dialect specialist, Sonja was determined to master Hawaii's little-known regional dialect. She created the British/Thai accent that Sophie speaks with, and a wonderful range of international character voices for the series. She also did UNSOUND, Dr. Wilson's book, and the Toby Jane romances are as dreamy and romantic as anyone could wish with her talents bringing those characters to life.
Sonja Field brings the Paradise Crime Thrillers depth and passion!
It was past time I let readers know how MANY Toby Neal books are available in audiobook (there are 28 all together) and a little something about the two amazing women I've been lucky enough to work with on them.
Have a listen to the samples on any of the books listed at their retail site–you won't be sorry! That link to ALL of my audiobooks once again is HERE.
March 14, 2022
Chased by bighorn sheep!
This is not some wacky clickbait line of B.S.! I really WAS chased by a herd of bighorn sheep on our road trip camping in Flaming Gorge, Utah.
If you haven't checked out my separate travel blog, it's time to do so! I write about our many traveling adventures on our trip across the USA on PASSAGES, here: https://tobyneal.substack.com/
Read all about the adventure with the sheep here: https://tobyneal.substack.com/p/chased-by-a-herd-of-bighorns-at-flaming?r=azzp8&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
This picture basically summarizes the four-month camping/road trip that I write about on Passages. Hope you'll join the journey and keep up with me weekly as I travelblogger the USA!
March 9, 2022
Print book #giveaways on Goodreads!
I don't know about you, but when I really love a book, there's nothing like holding one in my hand, marking my favorite passages, or passing it on to friends to enjoy!
In light of that, I set up THREE print book giveaways on the Goodreads site to make it easy for folks to get their hands on one. It's asy to enter, just click on the book icon below that you'd like to win, and hit the ENTER GIVEAWAY button on Goodreads!
I've never promoted myself much on Goodreads but I realized lately that a lot of good book discussions are on there, and many fans looking for reviews and new authors to read. So I'd love to see you over there! They also have a fun “ask the author” section where you can post questions for me. So, if you'd like, click on the photo or link below to follow me there, I'd love to be friends!
Goodreads author profile Toby Neal
March 4, 2022
What order should I read Toby Neal books?
After the question about “where to begin?” comes, what ORDER should I read the Toby Neal book series in?
Lots of readers dislike being confused about timelines and the progression of a series. I feel the same way!
So we anticipated this, and created an ongoing, constantly updated Google Document list complete with links to the books at your favorite bookstores so you will never be confused again.
Seriously. ALL OF THE BOOKS. Mystery, Thriller, Romance, Memoir and a few standalones you might have missed are ALL in the Reading list! Click on the icon below to scroll through. You can even download it as a graphic, and check the boxes of the ones you've read (and still have to read!)
Still confused, or want more info?
You can browse the headers above and look at the covers and descriptions of each series for TOBY NEAL (mystery thriller) TOBY JANE (romance) or TW NEAL (memoirs)
Hope you found all you needed…pop a comment below and let me know if I can help you further!
Aloha from the embarrassingly prolific
Toby Neal
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