Larry Darter's Blog, page 2
August 19, 2019
August Book Blast: Harry’s World
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HARRY'S WORLD by Australian writer A. B. Patterson has been on my TBR list for a while now. I got on to it this past weekend and was pleased I did. If you're a fan of hard-boiled classic noir, I think you will like this book.
Plot Details
PI Harry Kenmare is a prehistoric private detective in an unfriendly and infinitely unjust modern world. His life revolves around drinking, fine food, smoking, and fast women, preferably the ones he has to pay for, in cash. So what better CV for trawling through Sydney’s corrupt social and political elites, who cravenly chase power and wealth behind veneers of respectability.
In this collection of seedy episodes, Harry is a dinosaur on a mission of justice, looking to shatter the hypocritical facades. And the rules don’t always apply.
Join Harry in the jungle of 21st century Port Jackson, where little is as it seems and none of it is pretty. Except, of course, those gorgeous by the hour girls.
The Review
If you visit the website of Australian crime writer and former Western Australia Detective Sergeant A. B. Patterson, you will be greeted with this opening line: "As an author, I want to entertain you with vices aplenty, and a few virtues in the fray!" Patterson's first Harry Kenmare novel certainly lives up to that billing, providing both vices and virtues aplenty as we follow Harry's travels through the seedier side of Sydney, Australia.
Be forewarned PI Harry Kenmare is one of those protagonists you find you must warm up to as you learn more about the circumstances that fashioned him into the man he is. At the beginning of Harry's story, it's tempting to dismiss him out of hand as a boozy, cigarette smoking bloke with an insatiable appetite for the services of prostitutes. Yet, as you learn more about Harry's past, you begin to understand his vices are the superficial bits. It's only when you dig deeper into the character you discover the virtues Patterson promises.
In a review of HARRY'S WORLD, I read before purchasing the book, the reviewer revealed she struggled with what she described as "the stereotypical female portrayals and the tacky sexual urges of Harry." That I think is a view we've come to expect from the politically correct "woke" generation in our #MeToo era. I think it also an unsophisticated and unfair assessment.
Clearly, Patterson's aim, writing a book set squarely in a seedy, noir world was bang on target. Read any Raymond Chandler or Dashiell Hammett classic, and you can find similar "stereotypical female portrayals and tacky sexual urges" because it is part and parcel of the hard-boiled, noir genre. Perhaps Patterson's earthy-realism style that features graphic sex against a vivid, sordid urban background is a bit more in-your-face than some readers may be comfortable with. But a reader who swoons at wading through the grit, grime, and muck that defines a true hard-boiled, noir tale would probably be better served to stick to reading cozies.
Frankly, I rather enjoyed Patterson's somewhat twisted, over-the-top, graphic style, and loved his crisp, authentic dialogue, titillating decadence and his bent for blending in rich, distinct characters in his effective quasi-historical way. Sure, there were parts of HARRY'S WORLD where I was surprised, shocked, and at times even a bit disgusted, but that is part of the charm. While very good, this book is probably not meant for the faint of heart.
Overall, I found HARRY'S WORLD has excellent atmospherics, mood, well-developed characters, noir sensibility, and even a good bit of humor thrown into the bargain to counterbalance the darker bits. The plotting is well-thought-out, sometimes surprising, but above all, always credible.
HARRY'S WORLD is anything but the "typical" detective story. It's the story of a flawed hero doing his best to help rid the world of some of its purest evil. It's gritty, sometimes rude, and dark in parts, but a thoroughly absorbing read. If you enjoy hard-boiled, noir, you will like this book.
Publication Date: July 30, 2015
Publicious Pty Ltd
Paperback: 338 pages
Genre: Hard-Boiled Mysteries/Private Investigator Mysteries
Paperback/eBook
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Visit A. B. Patterson's website
http://www.abpatterson.com.au/
A. B. Patterson is an Australian writer who knows first-hand about corruption, power, crime and sex. He was a Detective Sergeant in the WA Police, working in pedophilia and vice, and later was a Chief Investigator with the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption.
Born in Sydney, he grew up in England and France, returning to Australia when eighteen and soon commencing his career in law enforcement, and other government agencies.
He now lives in Sydney and loves to holiday in France.
In 2015 he published his debut crime novel, "Harry's World". The sequel, "Harry's Quest", was published in 2018. He has also had short crime fiction published in the US, in "Switchblade" magazine.
The post August Book Blast: Harry’s World appeared first on Crime Fiction Author Larry Darter.
June 18, 2019
There’s a New Character Gunning for Harry Bosch Fans
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With Harry fast approaching permanent out of service, there's a new character gunning for Harry Bosch fans. Meet new LAPD detective Howard Drew. Like Bosch, Drew is a murder cop who speaks for the dead.
In this June 13, 2019, Los Angeles Times article, Harry Bosch fans like me got the news we've all been dreading for a while now. From author Michael Connelly's own lips we've learned Harry is on the way out. "I write in real time. My characters age and Bosch is aging out," Connelly told the Times. "Hopefully, I'm gonna be writing longer than Bosch is gonna be detecting, so it was kind of like
looking for a new protagonist to carry on."
Bosch will pass the torch to Renee Ballard, the new protagonist. Ballard, a female Hollywood Division detective, exiled from the elite Robbery-Homicide Division shares many of Bosch's character traits including a dogged dedication to the job and willingness to color outside the lines when department bullshit gets in her way when she's working a case.
Connelly fans first met Ballard in Connelly's The Late Show (2017), novel where the veteran detective is marooned on the graveyard shift in Hollywood after she accuses a supervisor at RHD of forcing himself on her. She next appeared in the twenty-first Bosch novel, Dark Sacred Night (2018), where she and Bosch teamed up to solve a case. She and Harry will team up again on a murder case in the next Bosch novel, The Night Fire (2019), which is coming this October.
The inspiration behind the Ballard character is Mitzi Roberts, a real-life LAPD detective Connelly knows personally. Roberts has been one of the LAPD detectives Connolly has relied on as a confidant and advisor to help make sure he gets things right in the novels.
As the article in the Times notes, Michael Connelly remains tight-lipped when it comes to specific details about Bosch's future. But, the truth is, Harry has reached a chronological age now where realistically his days as a murder investigator and detective are numbered. But, from the quotes Connelly gave the Times, it seems clear Renee Ballard is Connelly's choice as his future featured protagonist standard bearer.
Personally, I love the Renee Ballard character. She is believable as a hard-nosed police detective who closes cases while retaining her feminine side. There is plenty for police procedural fans to like about her.
Ballard's ascent as Bosch's heir apparent comes at a time when the representation of strong female characters in popular culture has become a focal point for authors and screenwriters. Female characters are no longer relegated to being only victims or damsels in distress in crime fiction novels. Instead, women protagonists have become increasingly popular in suspense and thriller genres taking over roles reserved almost exclusively in the past for white males.
I champion this, having a series of my own featuring a strong female protagonist. It's no surprise then that an author of Michael Connelly's stature doesn't intend to be left on the wrong side of this important cultural change. Still, there is the other side of the coin that must be considered when it comes to Harry Bosch.
I think I can speak for legions of other Michael Connelly fans when I say Harry Bosch is the heart and soul of Connelly's franchise. Without Harry, I think the series could have been pretty average. While Ballard is a worthy and welcome new addition, she will never replace Bosch. For that reason, I believe when Harry Bosch is finished as a character it will leave a void, a void that needs to be filled.
Like many Michael Connelly fans, I've read all his books and now wait impatiently for an entire year to pass to get the next one. I have a handful of other crime fiction authors I read devotedly besides Connelly. But, I'm still doing the same thing, waiting a full twelve months between books. That's the thing I hate most about traditional publishing. The process from manuscript to publishing is just too damn slow. Frankly, I think it's the eighth wonder of the world that traditional publishing even still exists in the era of microwave ovens and fast food. Do you know anyone who actually likes waiting for anything? I mention this because after reading the last Bosch novel, I searched the Internet for "authors like Michael Connelly." I found several lists. I sampled a good many books. Guess what? I didn't find anyone "like Michael Connelly." Not really. The biggest reason? I found no other character like Harry Bosch. No one remotely close. Maybe that says something. Maybe someone needs to create a character in the Harry Bosch mold.
Nature hates a vacuum, so let's fill it. Enter Howard Drew, known to his close friends and acquaintances as Howie. Like Bosch, Drew is an LAPD homicide detective. Unlike Bosch, he is young at twenty-nine, just getting started in the murder investigation racket with his whole career ahead of him.
Drew is a Navy veteran with four years in patrol at Van Nuys under his belt along and another year as a burglary detective. Drew applies for and gets accepted for a slot at West Bureau homicide where he is paired with veteran D3 homicide detective Stella Ruiz.
The first novel in the Howard Drew series, The Girl in the Picture, is already in development. It's the story of Drew's first murder case. An early morning jogger discovers the hideously violated and disfigured body of a young woman a killer has dumped and posed in the Hollywood hills. Drew and Ruiz catch the case. Because the gruesome crime scene includes a few similarities to the notorious unsolved 1947 Black Dahlia murder, it creates a nationwide media firestorm. To Drew's dismay, thanks to the keen media interest the LAPD bureaucracy pulls the case from West Bureau and hands it over to the elite RHD Homicide Special Section. The RHD suits soon learn the victim was likely a prostitute. With few clues and even the identity of the nobody victim unknown, the case quickly goes cold. When the media's interest lags, the file gathers dust. This doesn't sit well with Drew, who already takes seriously a murder cop's sacred duty to speak for the dead. He's also confident an unknown serial killer is at work in the City of Angels who must be stopped. He goes to work off the books to learn the woman's identity, find the intersect between the victim and the monster who killed her, and to bring him to justice. Whatever it takes.
Drew may not be Bosch, but give him time. If you like me are a Harry Bosch fan already mourning his end even before the final curtain falls, look for The Girl in the Picture, coming November 2019. It's the first in a brand new series that Bosch fans are sure to love.
The post There’s a New Character Gunning for Harry Bosch Fans appeared first on Crime Fiction Author Larry Darter.
June 14, 2019
June Book Blast: The Last Kill by Robert W. Stephens
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THE LAST KILL, the tenth novel in Robert W. Stephens' A Murder on Maul series is the featured selection for this month's Book Blast. This very readable series features Edgar Allan "Poe" Rutherford, an independently wealthy resident of Maui who spends his time solving murders on the island as an amateur sleuth.
Plot Details
Lights. Camera. Murder. When lies become reality, can Poe find the truth before a killer strikes again?
As Maui’s best private investigator, Edgar Allan “Poe” Rutherford understands the importance of keeping a low profile. That becomes impossible when a new reality TV show comes to the island, which features an eccentric handful of divorcees looking for love. But when one of the women is poisoned to death, the show’s production comes to a grinding halt.
At the same time, a few miles down the beach, a divorce attorney is stabbed multiple times while she sits on a lounge chair and watches the sun set over the Pacific Ocean. The methods of murder, as well as the victims, couldn’t be more different, yet Poe has a sneaking suspicion they’re somehow related.
As Poe dives deep into the backgrounds of the show’s cast and crew, as well as the attorney, he learns that nothing’s real in reality TV and everyone has a dark secret.
The Review
I've been hooked on Robert W. Stephens' A Murder on Maui series since reading the first novel, Aloha Means Goodbye, and haven't missed one since. The thing I found immediately engaging about the series is Stephens' conversational writing style. Reading one of his books feels almost like you're sitting across from the author while he tells you the story.
The Last Kill, the tenth novel in the series has all the elements I've come to expect from Stephens — an entertaining plot that keeps you guessing, a sprinkling of humor, and interesting colorful characters that you either immediately feel empathy for or love to hate. Another thing I like about Stephens' writing is he gives you plenty of details about the setting leaving you feeling almost like you're on Maui feeling the warm sunshine on your face and enjoying the kiss of the gentle trade winds on your skin. Since Hawaii is one of my most favorite places on the planet, I really enjoy books using the islands as a setting.
I consider this series to be in the cozy mystery category since the protagonist, Edgar Allan "Poe" Rutherford is an amateur detective who either informally investigates cases or works with the Maui police as an unofficial consultant. While cozy mysteries aren't my usual forte when it comes to crime fiction, I have truly enjoyed reading this series. The Last Kill was no exception. As always seems to happen to me with these novels, I couldn't put it down until I'd read it from start to finish. The Last Kill earns a five-star Book Blast rating which means I loved it, buy it today.
If you love murder mysteries with plots twists that bend and sway like a palm tree on a windy Hawaiian beach, you’ll love Robert W Stephens’ The Last Kill. No worries if you haven't read the first nine books in the series yet. These are all standalone novels where you can start at any point in the series and won't lose anything in the translation. As of the date of this publication, for a limited time you can grab your Kindle copy of The Last Kill for just 99 cents.
Publication Date: February 18, 2019
Eleven 22 Entertainment LLC
eBook; 357 Pages
Genre: Mysteries/Private Investigator Mysteries
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Visit Robert's website to get a FREE copy of Aloha Means Goodbye, the first book in the series.
Robert W. Stephens is a writer and filmmaker. After graduate school, he worked for a variety of video production companies as a production assistant and grip on commercials, infomercials, and documentaries. Eventually, he moved up to writing, producing and directing for many Fortune 500 companies, advertising agencies, and government organizations.
Over the years, though, he began to feel the desire to get back to telling his own stories through both novels and independent films. To date, Stephens has published 10 novels, including the Murder for Maui mystery series, the Alex Penfield novels, and the standalone dark thrillers Nature of Evil and The Drayton Diaries. His first film, House of Fallen, is a Gothic thriller about the hunt for fallen angels, and it received distribution in 2011.
The post June Book Blast: The Last Kill by Robert W. Stephens appeared first on Crime Fiction Author Larry Darter.
June 12, 2019
Writing Episodic Fiction Experiment Update
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Almost a month into my writing episodic fiction experiment, I'm ready to share another update with the Amazon May sales data to work with. If you're a fiction writer considering serial fiction, hopefully you will find this post helpful.
April, May, and early June have historically been the months in which I
have sold the fewest number of books. I suspect people, even committed readers, have other spending priorities during this part of the year and purchase fewer books. Possibly their discretionary spending goes to vacations, new summer clothes for the kids and family, etc. Other authors I know have told me their book sales also tend to be flat during the same period which I think supports my theory.
Typically, my book sales tend to pick up toward the end of June and then accelerate through the end of the year and into January. In my experience February sales level off, but overall remain strong through most of March before plummeting precipitously when April hits. Sales historically have continued to languish until mid-June when the cycle begins anew.
The circumstances outlined above were again true for me during 2018. My primary goal of the experiment when I decided to try writing episodic fiction was to see if it might pull my book sales from the doldrums during the late spring and early summer months.
As a review, I launched the first episode in the Perdido County serial, Hard Road, on May 14. The release of the second episode, Someone's Daughter followed one week later on May 21. Since then I've released the third episode, Illusions, June 4. Episode 4, Fentanyl, will be released next week, June 18.
Using Preorders for Serial Fiction
All episodes have been made available for preorder on Amazon. While my Malone series books have usually done quite well in preorder, my other books have never attracted a lot of interest until released. Typically for other books I've sold only a handful of preorders. So, I wasn't expecting a large number of preorders for the Perdido County episodes and haven't been pleasantly surprised. I've sold a few for each episode, but the numbers haven't been amazing. That's fine though because I've only used preorder for the series to make certain the episodes get published exactly on the promised dates. In other words, preorders have only been used for scheduling purposes.
That said, I feel making the episodes available for preorders has been worthwhile. If nothing else, I feel it showed potential readers I had the commitment to deliver all ten episodes as promised.
Advertising Serial Fiction
For those who may be curious about it, I didn't spend a huge amount on advertising the Perdido County serial. I have spent a nominal amount on BookBub ads, but mostly I've relied on weekly #BookBubbles through Bublish to take advantage of free social media advertising to get the word out. Bublish is a platform I highly recommend. It provides a super means of advertising your books (or in this case serial episodes) on social media without it appearing like you are spamming your followers with "but my book" posts.
Impact of Writing Episodic Fiction on May Book Sales
As I've said, I didn't approach this serial fiction experiment expecting to make heaps of money from episode sales. Certainly if enough readers end up buying or reading all ten episodes on Kindle Unlimited, even at 99 cents for the first episode and $1.49 for the other nine, it could produce a good amount of income. Still, my overarching goal was to increase the visibility of my other full-length novels on Amazon through more frequent publishing. More visibility is often the major driver in increased book sales. Based on only the first 30 days of available sales data, I believe the experiment is achieving my goal.
Now to the bit most authors will be most interested to learn about. How has writing episodic fiction impacted my May 2019 book sales?
Drum roll please. My books sales during the month of May 2019 increased by a rather astounding 2,180 percent over May 2018 sales.
I have published a new book in both my primary series since May 2018, and hopefully after another year has passed more potential readers have discovered my books. But, I believe I must attribute the most significant part of the impressive improvement in book sales this May over last to the greater visibility generated by the serial fiction experiment.
Most of the book marketing experts I'm familiar with believe the frequency of publishing directly impacts visibility, especially on the behemoth Amazon platform where readers have around ten million eBooks to choose from. Publishing content bi-weekly is an effective way to do that.
Impact on June Book Sales
The sales data for June is far more limited than May being only twelve days into the month. But, thus far it still looks very good. For one thing, based on historical sales data, my book sales picked up earlier in June 2019 than in June 2017 or 2018. For the first twelve days of June, my book sales for June 2019 have increased at a far more modest pace of 518 percent over June 2018 in comparison to the May figure. But, I'm confident if June book sales stay on the present trajectory, by month's end, the increase may surpass May by a few percentage points.
Kindle Unlimited Reads
I wasn't sure what to expect from Kindle Unlimited page reads. Frankly, I'm not a fan of KDP Select or the companion Kindle Unlimited program. Regardless of what Amazon or anyone else might tell you, the paltry amount Amazon pays out to authors based on page reads computed solely by Amazon with zero independent verification is not a good deal for average authors like me. A 300 page novel for example, enrolled in KDP Select will earn an author less than half the cover price of the book when people read it on Kindle Unlimited.
That said, I think enrolling serial fiction episodes in KDP Select can be a good decision for other reasons. First, Amazon puts some amount of organic promotion behind books enrolled in KDP Select that the company does not put behind books not enrolled in the program. And, Kindle Unlimited page reads figure into the super top secret "we can't tell you how works or we'd have to kill you" Amazon algorithm. But, page reads do impact a book's ranking on Amazon like sales do, at least to some degree. The higher the rank, the more visibility.
Profitability aside, I think enrolling the serial in KDP Select has been a good decision. Since May 14, I have had very few days without at least a few hundred page reads by Kindle Unlimited subscribers. From the standpoint of visibility of all my books on the platform, that's a bonus.
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In conclusion, based on the early data, it seems writing episodic fiction can be an effective way to help fiction authors improve the visibility and discoverability of their books on the Amazon platform. Check back next month for another update if you're interested to see how my June 2019 results compared to May at month's end.
The ninth episode of Perdido County, Election Day, was completed this week and is now available for preorder. So, I have only one episode remaining to write and publish. That takes the Perdido County serial out to August 27.
The post Writing Episodic Fiction Experiment Update appeared first on Crime Fiction Author Larry Darter.
May 1, 2019
May Book Blast: Bordertown by Gregory James
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Here is how I came to discover BORDERTOWN by Gregory James, the featured selection for the May Book Blast. Some weeks ago, Australian crime fiction author Gregory James followed me on Twitter. As I always do when a fellow author follows me, I immediately checked him out. First, I discovered his genre was right in my wheelhouse. Another thing intrigued me about James. Like me, he is a former police officer. So far so good. When it comes to a police procedural writer, you can usually count on a former cop to know his stuff.
Learning he had recently published his debut novel in his Robert “Bo” Campbell series, I searched it out. The blurb looked promising and after reading the interesting sample on Barnes and Noble, I purchased and read the book. Here is my review.
Blurb
Promising young detective Robert “Bo” Campbell is in a stack of trouble.
After accidentally shooting and killing his best friend and partner during a bungled inner city drug raid, he faces the sack or, even worse, jail. With his career and freedom hanging by a thread, he’s outcast to a remote posting on the border – a place where he can kick back until all his troubles blow over.
But something isn’t quite right in this frontier country. Half a dozen missing indigenous women, secret meetings and a police force bursting with corruption and racism has Bo questioning his own moral character. When he’s asked to cover up yet another murder on his very first day, he suspects he’s been set up to fail. But by whom?
What happens will see Bo battling for his own survival. Is he prepared to risk everything to save a community that’s already broken?
Bordertown is a debut novel set in the Australian bush. It’s a story of redemption, survival and determination by one man to rise against the odds and do what’s right. A cop story with a twist…
And a journey that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
My Review
Far too many police procedural novels get bogged down in the minutiae of the technicals aspects of collecting and processing the evidence from the inciting event, most usually a murder crime scene. As a long time fan of the great police procedural writers like Joseph Wambaugh and Michael Connelly, I prefer riveting, edge-of-your-seat action. That's exactly what you get from Gregory James in his entertaining debut novel BORDERTOWN.
Rather than peering over the flapping crime scene tape looking at technicalities, you get heart-racing action, the kind that kept me up too late at night once I start reading because I couldn't put the book down.
All debut novels are not created equal, but it seems Gregory James has really hit his narrative stride right out of the gate. This fast-paced, gritty story, set in the Australian bush, is chocka with action, drama, and suspense.
James masterfully creates conflict for the protagonist, Bo Campbell, from the get-go as historical secrets and hauntings begin to pile on top of one another. Chapter after chapter, Campbell resolves one sticky situation after another only to be thrust into another more dire circumstance than the one before. With a creeping sense of dread, you seriously start to wonder if it's realistic to believe he will ever come out on top.
But, little by little, Bo Campbell starts to sort things out. The pieces start to fall into place. There is never a momentum stutter or stall once the story gets rolling. The story is a high-stakes thrill ride that always seems in danger of flying off the rails. The story is also filled with well-drawn, interesting characters.
James powerfully evokes the ugliness of white racism and antagonism toward the aboriginal Australians, a state of desperate inequality from which there seems no obvious escape. It's searing, brilliant, and unflinchingly honesty, no matter the overwhelming ugliness and heartbreak that rests at the end of the road his honesty carves out.
Robert "Bo" Campbell is an interesting protagonist. All authors know a good hero must to an extent be a flawed human being to seem realistic. James takes this so far at the beginning, I not only found Campbell unlikable, but worthy of loathing.
He seemed like a weak-willed drunk wallowing in self pity. When he found himself among a group of bent cops in the outback, he was far too willing to cover up a murder in order to gain acceptance. But, as the story plays out, Campbell reaches deep inside himself. He manages to find both the self-respect and the backbone that transforms him into a character you can care about and feel empathy for.
If police procedurals are your thing, BORDERTOWN is the real deal with an imaginative plot, superb pacing, and the well-developed characters. I highly recommend you make a date with Gregory James and Robert "Bo" Campbell. Can’t wait to see what James has in store for us in the next Bo Campbell novel.
Book Blast Rating: 5-stars
About the Author
Gregory James is a former detective who took up writing to turn real life stories and concepts into fiction. As a kid growing up in country Queensland, Gregory was fascinated with stories about cops and the Australian landscape. Reading the tales of legendary larrikin Les Norton (by author Robert G Barrett) fuelled his love of great Australian crime yarns. He lived the life of a policeman for nearly two decades in both the city and the bush, experiences that now make up much of his extensive portfolio of novel ideas. His debut novel Bordertown (due out 2018) follows the story of a down-and-out young detective who’s cast into a world of corruption and racism. It’s the start of many adventures and challenges in both the outback and the city. Gregory lives on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast with his wife and three kids.
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Bordertown by Gregory James
Publication Date: March 22, 2019
Forensix Publishing
eBook; 391 Pages
Genre: Crime Fiction, Police Procedural
Bordertown by Gregory James is available from Barnes & Noble - Google Play - Apple - Kobo
For more information, please visit Gregory James' website. You can also find him on Twitter.
The post May Book Blast: Bordertown by Gregory James appeared first on Crime Fiction Author Larry Darter.
April 22, 2019
8 Reasons to Read Episodic Fiction
Nearly 60% of readers do some reading on smartphones
What do The Three Musketeers, Fifty Shades of Grey, and Stephen King's The Green Mile have in common? They were all novels originally published in installments in magazines or newspapers before being released as a complete novel. Today, there is a resurgence in episodic fiction reading. Serialized novels are nothing new. It's been around since the Victorian Age. It's only been adapted for the Netflix and smartphone age. Before we get into the eight reasons why you may find serial novels a great way to read, let's take a look at the difference between a "series of novels" and "novel serials."
Series Versus Serials
In a series of novels like my Malone series, each book can be read individually. They are built around a recurring set of characters set in the same world. You can get away with reading them in any order you wish because each book is standalone. No mysteries or questions go unanswered between the books.
Novel serials like Perdido County, on the other hand, have an overarching, unifying story line, but come in episodes or installments. Episodes are separately published in the eBook format. Once the story arc has been finished, the episodes may be grouped together and published as a complete novel (sometimes called a season).
Now, here are the eight reasons why you may find serial novels a great way to read.
8 Reasons to Read Episodic Fiction
Perfect for Shorter Attention Spans: Many people today don’t have the attention span to sit down and read an entire book. A Microsoft study claims that in only the fifteen years from 2000 to 2015, attention spans declined from 12 seconds to only 8 seconds. Some attribute this to our increasing exposure to technology and its conditioning effects. Reading serial novels suits our reduced attention spans since an episode takes only around 40 minutes to read.
Ideal for Smartphone Reading: Nearly sixty percent of people who enjoy eBooks now use their smartphones to read them at least some of the time, up from 24 percent from only a couple of years ago. Bit-size serial novel episodes are ideal content for smartphone reading.
Less Time: Many people today don't have the time to sit down and read a complete novel. But books read in installments are easy to read on public transportation, while waiting in line, during work breaks, and other short periods of downtime.
Lower Investment: Because you aren't buying a whole book, shorter serial episodes require less of an upfront investment. Additionally, if after reading an episode, if you didn't like it, you only spent a couple of bucks or less on it, and you don't have to buy the rest of the series.
Familiar Format: Serialized fiction is episodic like a television series. For people familiar and happy with the format, reading a book in episodes can be as enjoyable as watching a favorite television series.
Anticipation: Some readers delight in the time between episodes (usually two weeks), a time of anticipating and speculating about what’s going to happen next. Delayed gratification isn't always a bad thing. For some, there is something special (or even a little agonizing) about waiting for the next installment of a riveting story. Love it or hate it, the serial format enhances that awesome sense of anticipation.
Fresh Content Regularly: Every two weeks or so, you get another original piece of fiction that reads like watching a television show. You get a fresh chance to hang out with characters you love with each new episode.
Complete Stories: While there is the larger overall story arc, each episode stands on its own with its own plot, a beginning, a middle, and an ending.
The Style of Episodic Fiction
The style of serial fiction tends to be more colloquial and direct. The story structure is fragmented like a season of a television show. Rather than release it in one go, serial novel writers publish their stories in regular episodes in the same way as "Game of Thrones" is broken into episodes rather than watched whole.
Good serial fiction draws you in and makes you want to know what happens in the next episode. It builds reader excitement.
Given the inevitable trend towards increasing smartphone reading, more publishers and writers are now producing serial fiction, content optimized for the smartphone reading experience.
Many people today may have fallen out of love with books, but most have not fallen out of love with stories. This demographic is best served through a medium they are most comfortable with, stories that capture a technologically conditioned attention span. With a rapidly expanding portion of everyday life revolving around smartphone screens, serial fiction offers reading entertainment that is cheaper, more compact, and more accessible than ever before.
Coming May 14
Perdido County is a new, modern-day Western crime fiction serial novel. Dark Road, the first episode premiers May 14 on Amazon. Get your copy for just 99¢
Buy it Now
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April 20, 2019
April Book Blast: The Ringmaster by Vanda Symon
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The April blog tour for THE RINGMASTER by Vanda Symon I've been following reminded me I've been remiss in writing a review. So, I'm featuring her terrific book on the first monthly "Book Blast" post which will become a recurring feature here on my blog. Each month on Book Blast I'll review a book from another great crime fiction author.
I absolutely love Vanda Symon's writing style, a blend of no worries Kiwi sensibility and talented twisty, intelligent storytelling. Here’s an embarrassing confession… I found OVERKILL (Penguin NZ, 2007), the brilliant debut novel in Symon's Sam Shephard series so mesmeric I was instantly transformed into a fanboy as Symon leapt atop the list of my favorite crime fiction authors.
Finding it absolutely impossible to wait for the publication of the new edition from Orenda Books, I admit I first purchased a used copy of the Penguin Books paperback version of THE RINGMASTER to sate my ravenous appetite for more Sam Shephard. But, as a true blue fan, I have since purchased the new eBook edition so I can support the author by posting a verified review on Amazon.
Now, without further ado, here is my review of THE RINGMASTER.
Plot Details
Since the last glimpse of the heroine Sam Shephard and her endearing best mate Maggie in OVERKILL, the pair has moved to Dunedin where Sam is a detective in training as a detective constable. The book opens with a horrific murder in the Botanic Gardens.
Shephard, as low woman in the pecking order is dispatched to the murder scene on a Saturday to secure it until the arrival of the forensic team and the detectives assigned to investigate.
The victim, a young woman is discovered in water, circumstances that evoke a sense of déjà vu for Shepherd because of the similarity with a past murder she investigated as a constable in Mataura.
Shephard's sense of duty, instinctual curiosity, and empathy for the victim leave her chomping at the bit to take an active role in the murder investigation though her intractable, grudge-holding boss DI Greg Johns stubbornly tries to keep her squarely on the periphery of things.
Undeterred, the oft times impetuous and sometimes insubordinate Shephard, inserts herself into the investigation working on her own time and following up on the bits her partner Smithy hands over.
In time, Sam works out the murder may not be an isolated incident, but perhaps another in a string of deaths, possibly the work of a serial predator on the loose in Dunedin. She also discovers a possible link between the string of deaths and a visiting circus.
The Review
One of the strengths of THE RINGMASTER is the author's familiarity with the setting, one Symon is so obviously comfortable in and knows so well, the central-eastern coastal city of Dunedin, the principal city of the Otago region in the South Island of New Zealand. With only a few descriptive sentences here and there, Symon so masterfully paints the scene for us, you feel almost as if you've been there.
Another of Symon's enviable talents is her ability to draw for us realistic and memorable characters. I think it impossible for a reader to avoid falling in love with the intrepid Sam Shephard despite her flaws, feeling empathy for her, and rooting for her to succeed. Similarly, at times you feel so enraged by DI Johns' unfair treatment of Sam, you wish he was real so you could poke him in his smug face. Next to Sam, I find Sam's mate Maggie the other most endearing character. In fact, her personality reminds me of that of a close Kiwi friend from Queenstown which makes it super easy for me to identify with her.
As an American reader, I will mention reading Symon's novels exposes you to some of the nuances between the lovely way English is spoken and written in New Zealand in comparison to the Americanized version. While American readers may find a word here and there or turn of the phrase which may seem a bit unfamiliar, it's far from a distraction. As someone who has had the good fortune of visiting New Zealand a number of times and who has some amazing Kiwi friends, I love the way the language is spoken in New Zealand and it only makes Symon's writing all the more engaging and enjoyable to read.
Beyond the awesome setting and the true to life characters, Symon has excelled at telling an entertaining, engrossing story that keeps you turning the pages to see what happens next. Like any great police procedural read, there are plenty of twists and turns along way. THE RINGMASTER is masterful plotting from the first page to the last. Any serious crime fiction fan should have it on their to-read list. I rate it as a five-star read only because I can't give it six!
Publication Date: February 18, 2019
Orenda Books
eBook; 320 Pages
Genre: International Mystery & Crime, Crime Fiction
Paperback/Kindle
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About the Author
Vanda Symon is a crime writer, television presenter and radio host from Dunedin, New Zealand, and the chair of the Otago Southland branch of the New Zealand Society of Authors. The Sam Shephard series has hit number one on the New Zealand bestseller list, and also shortlisted for the Ngaio Marsh Award for best crime novel. Symon currently lives in Dunedin with her husband and two sons.
For more information, please visit Vanda Symon's website. You can also find her on Twitter, and Goodreads.
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The post April Book Blast: The Ringmaster by Vanda Symon appeared first on Crime Fiction Author Larry Darter.
April 19, 2019
Road Trip to West Texas Coming Soon to an Author Near You
“You may all go to hell and I will go to Texas!” Davy Crockett famously once angrily said after losing his Tennessee bid for the U.S. Congress. I'll be joining Davy next month when I take a road trip to West Texas, another research pilgrimage to Texas west of the Pecos as I prepare to write the second book in the Owen Wolfe Mysteries series.
West Texas has always been one of my favorite parts of the Lone Star state. I love wonder and there is wonder galore to be discovered in West Texas. There is just something about West Texas that slaps you across the face, leaving you slack-jawed and dumbfounded. If you love wide open spaces, breathtaking desert landscape views, and big skies, there is no doubt you would enjoy the road trip I have planned.
West Texas Defined
West Texas is a loosely defined part of Texas, generally encompassing the arid and semiarid lands west of a line drawn between the cities of Wichita Falls, Abilene, and Del Rio. There is no real consensus on the boundary between East Texas and West Texas. While most Texans understand the terms, no boundaries are officially recognized and any two individuals are likely to describe the boundaries of these regions differently. Texas writer A.C. Greene once proposed that West Texas is the region west of the Brazos River. I find that definition works as well as any.
West Texas Sub-Regions
To make things even more confusing, West Texas is also subdivided according to distinct physio-graphic features. The portion of West Texas that lies west of the Pecos River is often referred to as the "Trans-Pecos," a term first introduced in 1887 by Texas geologist Robert T. Hill. The Trans-Pecos lies within the Chihuahuan Desert, the most arid portion of the state.
Another part of West Texas is the Llano Estacado, the "staked plains," a vast region of high, level plains extending into Eastern New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle. To the east of the Llano Estacado lies the “redbed country” of the Rolling Plains and to the south of the Llano Estacado lies the Edwards Plateau. The Rolling Plains and the Edwards Plateau sub-regions act as transitional zones between eastern and western Texas.
My trip will take me to the Trans-Pecos region, mostly to Presidio County with side trips to neighboring Jeff David and Brewster Counties. Presidio County is the main inspiration behind the fictional Perdido County in the Owen Wolfe series. I'll be visiting the towns of Fort Davis, Marfa, Alpine, and Presidio.
Fort Davis
The namesake of Fort Davis, is the Fort Davis frontier post, which played a key role in the history of the Southwest as part of the defense system of western Texas from 1854 until 1891. Cavalry troopers stationed at the post protected emigrants, freighters, mail coaches, and travelers on the historic San Antonio-El Paso Road hoping to reach the gold fields of California. Today, the Fort Davis National Historic Site operated by the National Parks Service is considered one of the best remaining examples of a frontier military post in the American Southwest.
Marfa
Marfa is a tiny Texas town tucked away in Presidio County in the Chihuahuan Desert of far west Texas. Because Marfa is almost literally in the middle of nowhere, a three-hour drive from the nearest airport, the town remains slightly mysterious since it's not as readily accessible as other popular Texas travel destinations. The mystery only serves to add to its wonder.
Marfa is a curious mixture of displaced writers and artists from place like New York City and L.A., and down-to-earth Texans looking to resurrect the back-to-the-basics lifestyle mentality.
Marfa offers unobstructed views that go on for miles and a west Texas sunset that's the stuff of Instagram dreams. The horizon that stretches on for miles is what draws creative folks from all over the United States and the world to Marfa.
A thriving art scene has come to define the town since 1986 when artist Donald Judd opened The Chinati Foundation. The foundation sits on 340 acres of land on the site of the former Fort D.A. Russell. It features two of Judd's most famous works and also showcases pieces from eleven other artists like Dan Flavin, Carl Andre, and Roni Horn.
People say that Marfa is a completely unique place, ever changing but still remaining the same in important ways small towns tend to do. The town (pop. 2,000) is a mix of old and new, classic and modern. There are laid back cafes and modern art exhibits, hundred-year-old ranches and trendy food trucks.
Alpine
The Trans-Pecos, far west Texas, whatever you wish to call the sprawling, wide-open landscape, some in the region consider Alpine its undisputed capital. Alpine is the county seat of Brewster County, which is bigger than Connecticut and three times the size of Delaware. It’s the largest town (pop. 6,054) in the region, the Big Bend’s Amtrak train stop, and the home of Sul Ross State University. Located in the high desert mountains, Alpine is considered one of the very best places in Texas to pass the summer. There are warm days, afternoon summer monsoon showers, and nights cool enough for sweaters.
Presidio
Presidio often gets overlooked by West Texas tourists. To the north is Marfa, the bougie oasis frequented by the likes of Beyoncé and throngs of tourists. To the southeast is Big Bend National Park, an 800,000-acre geological marvel that offers stunning views of the desert. Presidio, wedged between them, is usually just a stop along the way.
Situated on the US-Mexico border across from its Mexican sister city Ojinaga, border town Presidio (pop. 4,099), is a place in a state of perpetual flux. Established in 1683 (as La Junta), it embodies what many seem to misunderstand about the border area—that both sides are inextricably linked. That neither is uniquely American, Texan, or Mexican but rather a composite of all three.
In Presidio you see that in the way the residents speak, and in the trickle of people who cross the international Port of Entry on foot each day. Presidio is not only steps from Mexico, it's a step toward understanding the border region in all its amazing complexity.
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It will be good to be back in West Texas again after a hiatus of several years. It will provide me some fresh memories to draw on while writing the Owen Wolfe series. And, beyond seeing some amazing panoramic views of the rugged high desert landscape, and the enjoyment of some great Tex-Mex food and cold beer, I'm sure to meet some wonderful West Texans who I'm sure will find their way onto the pages of an Owen Wolfe novel.
Learn More!
Watch the Official Perdido County Trailer on YouTube!
Watch the Trailer
The post Road Trip to West Texas Coming Soon to an Author Near You appeared first on Crime Fiction Author Larry Darter.
April 16, 2019
My Serial Fiction Experiment
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There are only twenty-seven days left to go until the launch of my serial fiction experiment with the release of Perdido County: Dark Road, the first episode.
I've not only learned a great deal about writing serial fiction over the past weeks, but I've also discovered I really enjoy it the writing of it. I'm already planning a new series once the first Perdido County serial novel is complete.
If you're reading this and aren't entirely sure what serial fiction is, it helps to think of it as an episodic television series in print.
I wanted to share with anyone who might be interested a little of the nuts and bolts that have gone into Perdido County thus far.
Who needs chapters
I've learned there are different ways to do it, but I decided to go with episode numbers rather than chapter numbers to hopefully make things a bit clearer for readers.
For example, in the first episode, you will find the divisions marked with 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, etc. The first 1 refers to the first story, Dark Road. The subsequent number refers to the specific division (like a chapter) number.
This type of numbering system is what we usually find used for episodic television series. Then in episode 2, Someone's Daughter, the divisions are marked 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, and so on. I'm sure you've got it now.
How many episodes
For my first serial fiction experiment, I chose to do a total of ten episodes. Most of the research I read from people experienced with serial fiction storytelling recommend 10-12 episodes. Ten seemed a good round number. I uploaded the fourth episode, Fentanyl, on Amazon for preorder today, so I have six episodes left to go.
The stressful bit about serial fiction was the idea of continuing to turn out new episodes on a timely basis once the first couple is released.
Again, based on my research I took the advice of experienced serial fiction writers who recommend completing the first three episodes as a minimum before releasing the first one. That provides a bit of a bumper in the event something comes up that prevents you from writing as planned.
So, with four episodes done and the first release still weeks away, the stressful aspect has now pretty much evaporated for me at this point. In fact, I'm wishing I'd started publishing the episodes sooner. But, Amazon being Amazon, I'm not going to fool with the preorder dates I've already established.
Truth is, I expect to have finished all ten episodes before the first one is published on May 14. The writing has really gone faster than expected.
Episode lengths
Initially, I planned the episodes to be in the neighborhood of 10,000 words. The experts I read recommended between 8,000 to 12,000 words per episode.
I didn't want them to be less than 10,000 words because I always want readers to feel they are getting a good value for their money. But, I've found it difficult to complete an episode in only 10,000 words.
Most are in the 12,000-word realm. One I think was just over 13,000 words in length. That seems fine as far as I'm concerned. It gives even more value to those who decided to purchase and read them. And, the episodes are still short enough so that most people will be able to read them in a half hour or less.
Pricing serial fiction
Pricing the episodes was the most daunting bit for me. Like most writers, my primary objective is to attract readers who will be entertained by my work. That objective always trumps any profit motive for me.
I'm fortunate enough to write full-time for the pure enjoyment of it, not because I need the income for my living. So, I never want to put off potential readers because of the price.
On the other hand, I've learned from experience as an independent author and publisher you can price your work too cheaply.
When you do that, some people not see your work in a favorable light. They will look at a low price and instead of seeing a potential bargain assume the work must be junk not worth their time because it is priced so cheaply. The aim is to strike a happy medium.
By its very nature, serial fiction episodes will never command the prices of a complete novel since the potential reader is only purchasing a fraction of the complete book at a time. I think a good way to price serial episodes is by reviewing the prices set for quality short stories since both are of similar length.
The problem is, I found few examples of single short stories for sale on Amazon. Most writers wait until they have accumulated several and publish them together in a single volume.
But, I did find some examples of not only short stories, but true serials as well. It seemed the going price ranges from FREE up to a maximum of $2.99.
Using what I learned, I decided to go with 0.99 for the first episode and $1.99 for each subsequent episode. That seems a happy medium.
Once the episodes begin publishing and I have the sales data to work with, I may adjust the prices if it seems a good idea. But, at the moment I'm happy with my pricing decision.
I'd prefer to offer the first episode for free to attract a readership for Owen Wolfe Mysteries, but since I'm enrolling the episodes in Kindle Select in the hopes of attracting Kindle Unlimited readers, that's not an option right now.
Publishing schedule
The first episode, as mentioned, publishes on May 14. Episode two publishes one week later. Afterward, a new episode publishes every two-weeks (or every fortnight) after that.
Again, the publishing schedule is based on advice from the experts. It seemed to make sense. A reader who really enjoys the first episode can get the second episode in only a week. Then publishing every two weeks seems fast enough so that you don't kill the enthusiasm of those who read the first two episodes.
Of course, over time this becomes moot. Eventually, all ten episodes will be available on demand once the tenth one publishes.
For anyone interested, here is the full publication schedule by episode;
Ep. 1, Perdido County: Dark Road - May 14
Ep. 2, Perdido County: Someone's Daughter - May 21
Ep. 3, Perdido County: Illusions - June 4
Ep. 4, Perdido County: Fentanyl - June 18
Ep. 5, Perdido County: The Coyote - July 2
* Those titles with links are available for preorder now.
Note: The last five episodes have yet to be titled.
Ep. 6, Perdido County - July 16
Ep. 7, Perdido County - July 30
Ep. 8, Perdido County - August 13
Ep. 9, Perdido County - August 27
Ep. 10, Perdido County - September 10
Several authors have expressed interest in hearing about how my serial fiction experiment turns out. Hopefully, this post answers some questions for you. Other questions about things like sales and advertising I hope to address once the serial episodes start publishing. Meanwhile, if you have a question, send it to me in an email or a tweet if you're on Twitter and I'll do my best to answer it.
The post My Serial Fiction Experiment appeared first on Crime Fiction Author Larry Darter.
April 2, 2019
Serialized Crime Novel Update
Series Summary
Owen Wolfe is a thirty-five-year-old former Dallas police homicide detective. After a drug dealer kills his partner in Dallas, believing it was his fault, Wolfe is crushed by guilt. He resigns from the Dallas police in frustration when his supervisors forbid Wolfe’s involvement in the investigation of his partner’s murder. He moves back to Kimble, his quiet, sleepy little West Texas hometown, the county seat of the fictional Perdido County where he seeks solace from a bottle.
Emery “Bud” Frazer, a lifelong friend of Wolfe’s late father, is the Perdido County Sheriff. Frazer reveals to Wolfe he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and must take an extended leave of absence for medical treatment. He then tells Wolfe he wants to hire him as a deputy so that Wolfe can serve out the rest of Frazer’s term as acting sheriff of Perdido County. Wolfe refuses initially. Frazer perseveres telling Wolfe it will give him an opportunity to impress the voters in the county so Wolfe can successfully run for sheriff in the next election. Wolfe grudgingly accepts the offer and is sworn in as a deputy.
Carlos Sosa, a Latino man, and Wolfe’s childhood friend provides insight to and sometimes aids Wolfe in dealing with the county’s Hispanic residents. As the series progresses, the friends deal with issues of drug trafficking and smuggling from across the border with Mexico, issues of competing for jurisdictional authority between the county and U.S. Customs and Border Protection for protecting the citizens of Perdido County and prosecuting crimes.
In the first serialized novel, Melissa Reeves, Wolfe’s high school girlfriend, is concerned that Wolfe has been stuck since the death of his Dallas partner. She tries to rekindle a relationship with him and wants to help him get past it so he can focus on his law enforcement duties. While taking over as acting sheriff, Wolfe also prepares to run for election. While two of the other deputies, Barney Riggs and Juanita Alvarez accept Wolfe as acting sheriff, he experiences conflicts with the other deputy, Chase Carpenter. Carpenter, the son of a wealthy Perdido County oilman, believes he should have been named acting sheriff and also enters the election to replace Frazer.
In random flashback scenes, Wolfe travels to back to Dallas where he attacks a drug dealer. Dallas Police Homicide Detective Rodney Dutton later comes to Kimble to talk to Wolfe. Dutton tells Wolfe they found the murder suspect who killed Wolfe’s partner in a shallow grave. Wolfe denies killing the man. However, Detective Dutton suspects Wolfe committed the murder.
Since the post, An Inside Look at Serialized Novels, I've done more research and given the idea more thought. This post is my concept update for a serialized crime novel I plan to write and publish over the summer.
BRAND NEW NOVEL
It seemed best to create a brand new novel for the series rather than using one of my existing series. This of course requires a completely new major character and host of supporting characters. The title of the novel is Perdido County. The title of Part One of the novel is "A Dark Road" which I have already started to write.
At left, you can read the working concept summary for the novel.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Perdido County will not be a traditional novel chopped into episodes or parts. It will written as a serialized novel from the ground up. That means readers can expect an overarching primary plot for the novel along with heaps of subplots (one per episode). In a sense, like a short story, each episode will be complete within itself with a beginning, a middle, and an end. But, each episode will move the overall plot forward as well as see the development of the main characters as well. Together the episodes will be woven together to form the larger narrative.
I'm aiming at 80,000 -100,000 total words, so I expect to publish the novel in about ten episodes or parts of between 8,000 to 10,000 words.
The timing of publication I envision is publishing the first two episodes a week apart and then publishing a new episode every two weeks until the novel has been completed. Of course, since this is my first attempt at publishing serialized crime fiction I may have to adjust the publishing schedule once I see how it all works. But, the aim is to publish the episodes rather quickly.
PRICING
I haven't yet decided on pricing for the episodes. In fairness, I'm aiming this project at Kindle Unlimited subscribers who will be able to read the episodes virtually for free. That means all the episodes must be available exclusively on Amazon to target Kindle Unlimited subscribers. Still, I want to establish a price fair to those who aren't Kindle Unlimited subscribers who may be interested in reading the novel. So, I plan to set a purchase price roughly equal to what the episodes cost subscribers to read which actually isn't really free since they pay an annual subscription to get access to the content.
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Delving into serialized fiction for the first time is both exciting and frightening. There is no way to predict whether the outcome will be success or failure. But, I find some solace in the fact I can always re-edit and re-publish the episodes as a unified complete novel if the serial episodes don't perform as expected. The thing I most hope to achieve with this experiment is achieving a more engaged readership through more frequent publishing. Hopefully, the first episodes will be available next month, May 2019.
The post Serialized Crime Novel Update appeared first on Crime Fiction Author Larry Darter.
