Brian Freeman's Blog, page 14

Happy Thanksgiving

From Marcia at facebook.com/theauthorswife:

Like many of you, this week we’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving. We’ll be having some friends over to join us and our “boys”…and as we begin our preparations, Brian and I find ourselves reflecting on how thankful we are to have so many wonderful friends—like you–all around the world. Brian loves writing books and what a joy it is to know that his books have touched so many lives.

Every day Brian receives emails and messages from loyal and devoted fans…writing to tell him how much they enjoy reading his books. All of these messages are wonderful…and yes, he does read and respond to each of them personally.

This one was so touching, I asked him if I could show it to you…and of course, he said yes. Sometimes it’s easy to forget how much of an impact we have on others…this was a lovely reminder. We’re thankful for all of you and the joy that you bring to our lives…Happy Thanksgiving to all of you…!

Here is the email…just as it was written….

Hello Brian Freeman.

I am ****, and I have recently become acquainted with (aka addicted to) your work and your alter ego, Jonathan Stride. I have been a book junkie since the age of 8, when, at my second grade book fair, I purchased my first book with my very own money. The title was, “The Happy Hollisters Haunted House Mystery”. Fifty-eight years have passed, yet every moment of that purchase is clear in my fuzzy mind.

I came upon your name about three weeks ago, and I have been working my way through the Stride series since. I just completed “The Cold Nowhere” and will be moving forward after this letter. I need to tell you that I usually cannot complete an entire series without taking breaks after every two or three novels to read something different before returning. Not so with your work. I’ve only EVER done this once before, and that was with the Lou Boldt/ Daphne Matthews series by Ridley Pearson. You are in a very exclusive club…rightfully so!! So, move over Ridley, because you must now share your pedestal with Brian! I am nearly 67 now and I am handicapped. It is because of The Library of Congress BARD program for blind and handicapped people that I am able to continue to read and remain sane. Thank you so very very much for making your work available to them. Really Brian, nothing I can say is enough. Nothing I can say is adequate enough to help you understand how much this means to me. The quality of my life is quite different now, but as long as I can climb inside a book and live there….life remains grand. I appreciate you. Please give my best to your lovely Marcia. Carpe Librum

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Open Sesame

From Marcia at facebook.com/theauthorswife:

One of the things that I try to do is to share fun and interesting details of our lives…but the reality of it is that, unless we’re out traveling and doing book promotion events, we’re home and Brian is busily writing away in his office (which, of course, he’s doing currently). That being said, we usually do quite a number of events each year, so we spend a lot of time out on the road.

When we travel, I enjoy taking pictures…so thank goodness for the quality of cellphone cameras, right…? Of course, I’ll take some pictures at the book events…and maybe you’ve even seen me “snapping away” at some of them. But I also enjoy taking “touristy” pictures…so if our schedule permits, we’ll go and visit the local tourist attractions in any given area. (Yes, that does sometimes include cemeteries and ruined buildings—cause after all, we never know when or where something will prove inspirational for a future book…!)

Sometimes though, as in this case, I’ll see something that is so unique, I’ve just gotta take a picture. Now, if you take a look real closely at this one…hopefully you’ll be able to see what it is and figure out how it’s supposed to be used…! But…just in case you’re stumped…thank goodness they also had instructions and a diagram…

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Stock Up Your Kindle

I’m seeing some great e-book prices online for several of my earlier novels. SPILLED BLOOD…SEASON OF FEAR…TURN TO STONE…GOODBYE TO THE DEAD…ranging from $2.99 to $4.99 for your Kindle. Good time to dive in!

https://amzn.to/2RCbbye

 

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Trick or Treat

Trick or treat!

THE VOICE INSIDE begins on Halloween night…so what better week to share a video of me reading the first chapter? Grab the popcorn and have a listen.

 

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Death in the Fridge

From Marcia at facebook.com/theauthorswife:

One of the most common questions that Brian gets asked is about how he schedules his writing time: does he write every day…does he prefer to write in the mornings or evenings or both…does he work 7 days a week…etc. And the answer to that is…being an author means that Brian’s schedule is always changing. Although he does spend his days (mornings and afternoons, but usually not the evenings) busily writing away, that time is often “interrupted” when a new book is coming out. During the months leading up to…and following…a book launch, there’s a lot of activity taking place online and in traveling to bookstores and libraries (and bookclubs) to promote the new book, so we’re in and out and constantly engaged in marketing activities.

But then there are the “off” times…like now. It’s been several months since the last book was released…and it will now be several months until the next one is released. (Of course, it’s available for pre-order now—online or from your local bookseller.) So, it’s actually rather quiet at our house currently. We’re home with “the boys” and living pretty normal lives…which also means taking care of some of the things that get neglected when we’re too busy at other times of the year.

One of those recent activities involved…cleaning out the refrigerator. Yes, one of the days last week when we opened up the fridge…it became immediately obvious that something had…umm…”died.” The smell was overwhelming…so, I took on the task of getting rid of the problem. (Of course now that I think about it, I’m wondering whether Brian used an upcoming manuscript deadline as a way to avoid involvement. Hmmm, I may need to do a little detective work of my own to solve that mystery…!)

Luckily, it turned out that it was NOT the result of Brian doing research on how long a body could be kept in the fridge…but rather, just a package of broccoli that had outlived its “best if used by” date. Thank goodness for lots of “elbow grease,” baking soda, and some good old-fashioned oatmeal…yes, oatmeal…!

I triumphantly told Brian to come and check out my results…which he did. And after complimenting me on my a job well-done, he promptly asked me how the freezer was doing!

I’m pleased to report that yes, we’re still happily—and humorously—married…!

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October Deals

My two Frost Easton novels, THE VOICE INSIDE and THE NIGHT BIRD, are both Kindle Monthly Deals in October. So you can get them right now for a great price before #3, THE CROOKED STREET, arrives in January!

Click here to find them on Amazon.

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The Voice Inside

Last year, THE NIGHT BIRD twisted your memories.

This year, THE VOICE INSIDE sets evil free on the streets of San Francisco. Get the latest Frost Easton thriller now before #3 arrives in January!

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Fresh Fiction

Great to see ALTER EGO as today’s “fresh pick” at Fresh Fiction, one of the top reader sites on the web. The fresh picks are chosen by the site’s readers and reviewers — so thanks, everybody!

Have you read the book yet?

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Brian On a Stick

From Marcia at facebook.com/theauthorswife: Although summer is winding down and schools are back in session in many parts of the country, in Minnesota the end of August means it’s time for the Minnesota State Fair. For 12 days, ending on Labor Day, hundreds of thousands of people flock to the fairgrounds daily to see all sorts of exhibits, meet up with friends, attend concerts…and of course, consume every kind of junk food imaginable.

And topping the list of favorite foods are those that can be deep fried (mini-donuts, candy bars, cheese curds, etc.)…and foods on a stick (corndogs, cheesecake, bacon, spaghetti, etc.). Yes, you name it, and you can find it fried…or on a stick…or both…!

Brian and I love to attend the fair and often go several times each year. He’s even done guest appearances there. In fact, several years ago, one of our favorite local bookstores had a booth out there and asked Brian if he would come and hang out there to chat with readers for the afternoon. Needless to say, Brian jumped at the chance to do so. As an added perk to people who stopped by, we wanted to come up with something to giveaway that was right in keeping with the theme of fair foods…so we gave it some thought and finally came up with the perfect idea.

We designed and printed up bookmarks with a complete listing of Brian’s books to date—then attached them to sticks. And voila…“Brian-on-a-stick” was born…! They were a HUGE hit…and we gave away hundreds…!

These days, there are too many books to fit onto one bookmark…so Brian-on-a-stick is history…! But, we still go every year…and have a great time…along with the other almost 2 million other attendees. No wonder it’s called the “the great Minnesota get together”…!

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Book Club Picks

Attention book clubs! Are you making your fall and winter picks?

I now have book club discussion questions on my website for ALL of my novels, including this year’s books THE VOICE INSIDE and ALTER EGO. So you’re ready to open the wine and start chatting!

There’s a page with information for every book at bfreemanbooks.com.

(Of course, discussion questions usually include spoilers, so no peeking if you haven’t read a particular book!)

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