Dan Decker's Blog, page 4

Writing Update – A New Project

Hope everybody’s having a good week and a good day. Things over here at Grim Archer Media are going pretty dang well.

Off to a good start in a new year!

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-z2u3m-1793d74

 Crazy to think that we’re already in the new year. Hope everybody out there had a great holiday season and that you’re buckling down for what the new year is going to bring to us. Anyhow, uh, just a couple of quick updates for you. If you missed it, The Second Option is now out and also The Fixer is out as well. Both of them came out in December and both of them are doing very well. So go ahead and check them out!

The Second Option is now available!

You can find it here!

AN OLD FOE IS CHARGED WITH MURDER.

Criminal Defense Attorney Mitch Turner is outside the county building when his nemesis, Frank Ward, is arrested and charged with murder. When their eyes meet as the cops parade Ward to the police car, Mitch knows Ward will call him, and he is conflicted. Curiosity compels him to meet with Ward, and he can’t stand idly by after hearing Ward’s chilling recollection of the events that led to his arrest. Ward might be a reckless prosecutor, but a murderer? Mitch doesn’t think so.

A SIMPLE CASE BECOMES COMPLEX.

Assistant State’s Attorney Ainsley Karsten was discovered stabbed in the basement of the county building, and Frank Ward was found unconscious in the same room. The evidence is convincing. But the deeper Mitch digs, the more he finds questions he can’t answer. Questions that take him to a place he’s hesitant to go.

A NEW FOE WILLING TO DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO WIN.

On top of that, the independent prosecuting attorney Pace Brooks is determined to convict Ward at all costs, seeing it as a steppingstone to political office. The deck is stacked against Mitch as he struggles against this determined and seasoned attorney, who is looking to take advantage of every opportunity, even at the cost of truth and justice.

Can Mitch Turner keep his wits about him in the game of oneupmanship and see that the truth prevails?

This legal thriller will keep you guessing until the very end. Pick up your copy today!

The Second Option is almost done!!

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-dn96x-177a767

 Hello, everybody. It’s almost Christmas time. It’s so crazy that we’re basically just five or six days away from it now. Anyhow, thought I would just do a quick update here today. Things have been going very well. I got The Fixer out last week and now all versions are available except for the audiobook, which will come later.

Of course, but the paperback, the hardback and the ebook are now all available on Amazon. So if you haven’t yet taken a look, you might want to consider it. I consider this to be one of the most fast-paced stories I’ve written in recent times. An unusual legal thriller, kind of different than the ones I’ve done in the past, but I think it’s a great ride, and I hope that any of you who choose to read it will certainly enjoy it.

Anyhow, I am now, neck-deep in the final edits for The Second Option. I usually do a paper review right before I finally publish, and that’s what I’m working on right now. I have the paper copy sitting in front of me on my desk, and I am currently on page 52, I will be starting that up here again once I’m done with this update.

The Second Option has been coming along really well. I couldn’t be more pleased with it. Shout out to editors and other people who have helped me push it through the process here to get it ready for publishing. As I’ve mentioned in the past, The Second Option deals primarily with Frank Ward, Mitch Turner’s nemesis in past cases, specifically The Verdict where he convicted Barbara Sampson, Mitch’s ex-girlfriend at the time.

And of course, if you «spoiler alert» if you have read The Last Mile, then you’ll also know that Mitch gets back together with her at the end of that book. But anyhow, so this book starts out with Mitch Turner outside the county attorney’s office, and he is on his way from a meeting, and some cops show up and he sticks around to see what’s going on.

And it turns out that somebody has been stabbed in the basement of the county building, and they have arrested Frank Ward for it. Frank and Mitch look at each other, and Mitch knows who Frank’s going to call. And Mitch is, of course, very conflicted about this because of what happened in the events of The Verdict.

Anyhow, so Mitch decides to take on Frank Ward as a client, even though he does have some personal conflict of interest there.

And it’s a rip-roaring story. It goes through a couple good twists and I can’t wait to get it out for everybody to check out. So anyhow, that should be coming out here in the next few business days. So hopefully, I get it published right before Christmas.

I’m now close enough and far enough in the process that I feel very comfortable saying that that’s my goal and my self-imposed deadline. So I should hit that. Barring some world changing events, which hopefully won’t happen.

Very excited for this book. I think you guys are all going to have a great ride. And it’s always good to get another Mitch Turner book done and out. Like I said before, it’s a visit from an old friend. A good friend, somebody who I’ve come to know very well and will come to know very well over the years as I continue to write regular stories about Mitch Turner.

Anyhow, this one ends with a very fun ending. I think you’re going to enjoy it. So better get back to my review so I can hit my deadline. Thank you everybody! Have a great day and a great week.

The Fixer is out!!

 It’s been a long time in coming, but The Fixer is finally out and is now available on Amazon. I am so happy to finally have it out in the wild. Both the ebook is available as well as the hardcover. The paperback will be coming online here in a little bit as well. Kirk Hoffman is a great character and I think you guys are going to have a good time with this story.

Here is the book description:

AN INTERNET BULLY AND MILLIONAIRE IS CHARGED WITH MURDER.

Attorney Kirk Hoffman only represents the innocent and works behind the scenes to help his clients. But when Dwayne Sachs, a contentious online influencer and the son of a former client, comes to Hoffman on a murder charge, he can’t say no, even though it seems like a simple case and there is little doubt Dwayne is guilty.

He just seems the type.

BUT KIRK HOFFMAN IS CONVINCED DWAYNE SACHS IS INNOCENT.

Dwayne was caught on camera visiting Rebecca Shuffield in her hotel room shortly before she was found brutally stabbed to death and there are no other suspects, but Hoffman sees something others don’t and signs Dwayne as a client. His investigation isn’t even a day old, and everybody on Hoffman’s team is convinced Dwayne is the killer, but he stubbornly pushes forward, soon discovering outside pressures trying to coerce a resolution.

EXTERNAL FORCES COMPLICATE MATTERS.

Hounded by the media, chased by people hidden in shadows, and dogged by those intent on Dwayne’s destruction–both friend and foe alike–it isn’t long before Hoffman, his team, and even Hoffman’s family are all endangered because of Hoffman’s dogged determination to see this through to the bitter end regardless of the personal cost to him. Can Hoffman identify the murderer in time to stop him from killing again? Can he prove his instincts are correct without it costing everything he holds dear?

Can he discover the truth when it seems everybody around him is determined to hide it?

If you enjoy fast-paced legal thrillers that keep you guessing until the very end, this book is a must-read! Buy yours today!

Mitch Turner #6, The Second Option, is done!

I am happy to report that The Second Option, Mitch Turner book #6, is done and that copy editing and beta reading is underway! I can now safely say that I should be publishing this book in December. 

It’s always interesting for me to get to the end of another book. In some ways, I’m always glad to be done with the project because I’ve read through it so many times that I feel like if I have to do it one more time, I’m going to go crazy. On the other hand, it feels like I’m letting go of something that I’ve spent months on, and there’s a little bit of nostalgia as well. 

With each new Mitch Turner novel, it’s always interesting because it feels like a visit from an old friend. It’s amazing to me how distinct Mitch Turner is of a character. Earlier today, I was working on edits for The Fixer, which is written in first person as well, similar to the Mitch Turner novels, and I thought how curious it was how instantly when I switched over to working on The Fixer from The Second Option. I immediately slid into the different character even though it was also written in first person. 

Kind of fun how that works. 

Anyhow, I am finally in a place where I am now going to be publishing The Fixer, I know I’ve been teasing this book for many months, but it’s finally coming, and I anticipate that I should have it out next week! 
And then, it’ll be time to turn my attention back to the final edits from The Second Option. More to come on that very soon. Hope everybody out there is having a great week!

Announcing The Second Option, the next Mitch Turner Legal Thriller!

At long last I’m ready to reveal the title of the next Mitch Turner novel. I’ve previously just been referring to it as Mitch Turner #6, but I can now announce that it will be titled The Second Option. 

I’m really excited about this title, and I think you will be too, when you read the book.

One of the things I wanted to highlight this week was the George W Dunne Cook County Office Building, which plays a big part in this story. It’s interesting sometimes because I hear other authors talking about how cities can be a character in their stories. In The Second Option, I almost feel like the Dunne building is a character in the story because of how often it comes up. One of the interesting things I found during my research for this novel was a video taken from the inside of the elevator at the Dunne building. It was actually useful to the story.

Here is a link.

I don’t have a lot of things I’m going to say today because I’m heads down still working on The Second Option, hoping to get it done here soon. I’m very close, so that’s all I’m going to say. Just a reminder to be looking for The Fixer, coming soon in December! Anyhow, hope everybody’s having a great week!

Soon.

The title is coming! Not long now.

Soon.

Very soon.

Writing update on Mitch Turner and a little about Barbara in book six!

Mitch Turner #6 continues to move along. I am somewhere between 84 and 89% done. The story is really coming together. I just had a conversation with one of my primary editors and let him know that I should be getting it to him in the near future for copyediting. 

This week I wanted to talk a little bit about Barbara. She has been Mitch’s love interest on and off since the second book. And was even the subject of a full book in The Verdict. She does make an appearance again in this book. One of the things that’s very curious to me is just how distinct her personality is in my own mind. I have a very clear mental image of her and her personality, and feel like I know her about as well as I know Mitch. The Barbara storyline has always been fun and interesting because I has never gone how I anticipated. Barbara goes her own way, perhaps this is why Mitch’s so attracted to her. Anyhow just thought I would let you know that there will be more of Barbara in this book, not nearly as much as there was in The Verdict, she probably won’t ever be the full subject of another book like she was in that one, but she does make an appearance, and I guess I will leave it at that! 

Anyhow, I have lots more I could say, or I could get back to writing on Mitch Turner #6, so I think I will go do that. 

Be on the lookout for The Fixer coming soon!

Mitch Turner will return soon!

Well, here we are in a new month! November 2024. The end of the year is just right around the corner. While things have been very busy, I have been spending a lot of time here at Grim Archer Media headquarters working on Mitch Turner #6. 

Today I was looking at a note for a potential title for this book, and it struck me that the note that I made might be the actual title. It’s still not a final decision, so I won’t say anything about it here, but I think I have a title that will fit nicely with the book as a whole. More to come on that in the next few weeks.

Anyhow, it has been another great week of incredible progress on Mitch Turner #6. Just the other day, I added in a few paragraphs at a key place that slightly adjusted the whole story. I’d peg it at about 80 – 85% done.

I figured today that I would talk about the victim in Mitch’s most recent case to give you an idea about what the story is going to involve. Ainsley Karsten is found dead in the basement of the state’s attorney’s office building. She’s smart and dedicated and always wanted to be a prosecuting attorney, and she accomplished that dream when she came to work at the state’s attorney’s office, even after receiving considerable resistance from her parents, who would have preferred that she’d gone in a different direction. In her spare time Ainsley liked to help people who were having legal problems, but were having difficulty getting other officials to pay attention and help meet their needs. 

So why did she wind up stabbed in the basement of the State’s Attorney’s office building? And why was Frank Ward charged with her murder? 

One of the interesting things about being an author is the emotions you sometimes feel about the things that happen in your book. I really like Ainsley’s character, and find myself wishing it would have been somebody else so I could write a story about her one day. 

So that’s a little bit about the victim in this case. 

Last week in talking about The Fixer, I spoke about Kirk Hoffman, telling you about his approach to practicing law. Even though his law practice is based in Salt Lake City, he takes clients from all over, and in future cases, we can expect to see him popping up in interesting places. Kirk Hoffman is an avid outdoorsman, whose favorite vehicle is a Jeep, so unlike Mitch Turner, who likes fast cars and city life, Hoffman enjoys four wheelers, and spending time out on the middle of a trail in the middle of nowhere, getting lost and trying to find his way back. It’s kind of how he lives his life.

Anyhow, I’m starting to feel really good about where everything is on Mitch Turner #6, so I will definitely be turning my attention to publishing The Fixer here in the next couple weeks. That’s it for this week I hope everybody has a great week!