Jacqui Murray's Blog, page 140
February 3, 2015
#IWSG–How Do I Market My Upcoming Thriller?
This post is for Alex Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writers Support Group (click the link for details on what that means and how to join. You will also find a list of bloggers signed up to the challenge that are worth checking out). The first Wednesday of every month, we all post our thoughts, fears or words of encouragement for fellow writers.
This month’s insecurity – I spent years (close to a decade) writing my almost-completed fiction. I’m ready to self-publish, but don’t really know how to get the word out. I have a few go-to bloggers who I’m relying on for a template–Rebecca Bradley and Medeia Sharif–but that means I see how they do it, not necessarily what could work for me. That doesn’t sound terribly organized or logical or even well-thought out.
For example, as I finish up final edits, getting a cover, and pinning down publishing options, I bet there are wheels I should be setting in motion so in a few months–when my ducks are all lined up–I simply push the marketing Go button.
What my ducks look like:
What they should look like:
What have you-all done that has worked for your new release? Thanks so much for taking the time to share your ideas with me!
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman
, the story of her daughter���s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is the author/editor of dozens of books on integrating tech into education, webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today���s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. You can find her book at her publisher���s website, Structured Learning.�� Filed under: marketing, publishing Tagged: iwsg, to hunt a sub
February 1, 2015
How to Talk Like a Southerner
As part of my writer’s resources, I post lists of descriptions that have jogged my creativity and helped me write about this and that more cleverly. One of the most challenging jobs as a writer–IMHO–is representing�� how people talk in the cultural nuances of their geographic area. I’m not talking about a native language–a Russian speaking Russian even though you type it in English for your reading audience. I’ve seen this done a variety of ways:
the native language followed by the English
a few lines in the native language and the rest in English
a continual smattering of the native language with the rest in English, using common phrases that many people would understand. For example, if they’re Russian, you might say goodbye with Dos Vdanya.
The reader quickly gets the idea the reader is that nationality.
What I’m referring to in this post is more like a character trait–differentiating one of your actors with the cultural nuances of his language. For example, for a Brit, you’d have him say ‘spot on’ or ‘bloody’. When that appeared in a dialogue, it clarifies for the reader who’s talking without the need for tags. It also helps put the reader in the scene, with the action.
Fellow blogger Andy Oldham over at Christian Grandfather sent me a list he created of Southern words and agreed to share them with you-all. It’s long–over forty pages–so I’ll only put the first page, and then a link to download the entire list. If you’re writing about the American South or have a character newly-moved from that geographic area, these will add spice to any scene:
Acronyms ~
WWSD ~ What would Scarlett do?
A ���
A tough row to hoe ~ it will be hard to do but not impossible
Anal glaucoma ~ I can���t see myself coming to work today
Aim to ~ I plan to do something
Ain’t ~ isn’t
Air-up ~ put air in a tire
ANYWAYS ~ And, then; and, so
Arish ~ It���s a bit chilly outside tonight
Aunt ~ called Ont or Ontee, aunties
Aunt Flo [came to visit] ~ It’s code for a girls period. Makes a good inside joke.
B ���
Baby (1) ~ New baby is an infant
Hip baby is old enough to sit on your hip
Knee baby ��� one who stands or holds on to mama���s knee while she is talking to someone.
Baby (2) ~ my girlfriend/boyfriend or wife/husband or lover – Oh Baby!
Baily-wick ~ the cards are not in your baily-wick, or you lost that game, I guess it wasn���t in your baily-wick.
Beaux ~ a gentleman caller or friend
Be-ins ~ since, if, so long as
Biggity ~ Vain and overbearing
Bitty bit ��� or itty bitty bit ~ A tiny amount
Blabber Chabber: ~ Someone who talks on and on about nothing; jibberish
Blissful living ~ someone is very happy regardless of circumstance
Blowhard – braggart, bully
Blue Belly or Yank or Yankee ~ anyone from north of the Mason- Dixon Line; some say anyone from north of I-10 or I-20, lol
BOBO ~ A small injury or wound.
Bogeyman ~ Pronounced Boogyman; the devil, a demon, a ghost.
oiled Peanuts ~ It���s what southerners do with peanuts
Boohiney ~ Buttocks/I���ll kick your boohiney; She has a nice boohiney!
Boots (cowboy) ~ Shoes perfect for every occasion
Bowed-up ~ impatient, upset and pouting
Boy Howdy ~ an exclamation
Bread basket ~ stomach
Bumfuzzeled ~ Confused or disoriented
Here’s the attachment so you can get the entire immersive list–Southern Writers Catalog. Enjoy!
There are some great websites that discuss using Southern dialect and phrasing in writing (often humor). Here’s one from Alabama Tom, and here’s a thorough discussion on how to talk Southern. These two are great!
More about language:
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman
, the story of her daughter���s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is the author/editor of dozens of books on integrating tech into education, webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today���s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. You can find her book at her publisher���s website, Structured Learning.�� Filed under: descriptors, words Tagged: language
January 29, 2015
Book Review: Dark Mind
A Dark Mind
by T.R. Ragan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
T. R. Ragan’s “Dark Mind” (Thomas Mercer 2014), #3 in the Lizzy Gardner series, is a look inside the mind of a demented, sick killer who revels in bringing pain to the happiest of people. Called the Lovebird Killer because his victims are couples who are madly in love, profiler Lizzy Gardner sets out to stop him. This is almost a procedural on how she unravels his twisted mind until she can stop him, but not without putting herself and her loved ones in his scope.
This is a wonderful, frightening tale, with a fast-moving plot and strong characters. The ending is satisfying save a depressing last few pages. The only problem I had was that the timeline jumps around a bit too much for me.
To purchase this book from Amazon, click the image:
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More psychological thrillers:
Book Review: Shut Your Eyes��Tight
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman
, the story of her daughter���s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is the author/editor of dozens of books on integrating tech into education, webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today���s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. You can find her book at her publisher���s website, Structured Learning.�� Filed under: book reviews Tagged: psychologic, thrillers
January 27, 2015
How I’m Doing on ‘To Hunt a Sub’
It’s been a decade since I started To Hunt a Sub. I took a break and wrote the sequel when I couldn’t find a publisher, then returned to a series I started fifteen years ago about early man (called The Evolution Files). After an aborted attempt to work with an agent, I returned to To Hunt a Sub. I couldn’t put it behind me until I put it out there for the world. I decided to fix its problems, then finish/publish my other two completed novels before moving on to a new topic.
I started that last year (more on that soon). I might be a month away from finishing my WIP, To Hunt a Sub–vastly different from ‘publishing’ it. By ‘finished’, I mean I’ve:
wordsmithed it
made sure all plot points follow
fact-checked it–important in this novel because it includes lots of details that will turn people away if I get them wrong
searched out all the examples where I mistakenly andboringly:
used generic descriptions
used passive voice
showed rather than told
used filler words like ‘just’ and ‘that’
cleared out redundancies
made sure dialogue is relevant and tagged properly
made sure pacing befits a thriller (non-stop, lots of crises, faster as the book progresses)
added enough personal detail to make my characters likeable and interesting (that’s not something that came naturally to me)
double-checked chapter titles and numbers
I have a question for you-all: I cover topics that may be confusing or foreign to readers (like Trident Refit Facilities, magnetic signatures). Of course I explain them in scene, hopefully non-pedagogically, but I was thinking of adding links in the book to more thorough discussions on them for those interested, or simply images.
What do you think? Should I enhance my novel with interactive links? Or not? Vote below:
��I’m also working on a tag line. Does this one make you want to read the book:
A single mother, a washed-up SEAL, and an AI team up to save America’s Trident submarines.
��I sure could use your help on both of these polls.
Jacqui Murray
��is the author of dozens of books (on technology in education) as well as the popular
Building a Midshipman
, the story of her daughter���s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an��
Amazon Vine Voice
��book reviewer, a columnist for��Examiner.com��and TeachHUB,��Editorial Review Board member for��Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today���s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. In her free time, she is��
��editor of��technology training books for how to integrate technology in education which you can find on Structured Learning (a collaborative publisher).
Filed under: Polls, writing Tagged: my writing, to hunt a sub
January 26, 2015
The Bausch Writing Workshop is Back!
Last year, I attended a spectacular free workshop offered by acclaimed literary fiction author, Richard Bausch. Every year, he invites Orange and Los Angeles County California fiction writers (any age, but no poetry) to send in a sample of their writing, then selects the top ten to join him for a fourteen-week workshop at Chapman University.
In 2014, he selected me. What an experience that was! You can read my take-aways here.
It’s time again. Here’s the website for the Bausch Writing Workshop. You’ll find out what is expected, how to apply, and the schedule. Be quick–the deadline for applying is February 3rd.
Here are posters I created from Richard’s fabulous advice last year:
Jacqui Murray
��is the author of dozens of books (on technology in education) as well as the popular
Building a Midshipman
, the story of her daughter���s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an��
Amazon Vine Voice
��book reviewer, a columnist for��Examiner.com��and TeachHUB,��Editorial Review Board member for��Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today���s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. In her free time, she is��
��editor of��technology training books for how to integrate technology in education which you can find on Structured Learning (a collaborative publisher).
Filed under: writers resources Tagged: bausch
January 25, 2015
48 Collections to Infuse Your Writing
For the next few months, weekly writing tips will revolve around word choice. That includes:
colorful and original descriptions
pithy words and phrases
picture nouns and action verbs
writing that draws a reader in and addicts them to your voice
I keep a�� collection of descriptions that have pulled me into the books. I’m fascinated how authors can–in just a few words–put me in the middle of their story and make me want to stay there. I’ve shared 40 themes in the past:
Actions That Are��Timeless
Actions��(Era-Specific)
American
Appearance
Body Language
Body Parts
Body��Parts–Moving
Character Traits
Clothing–General
Clothing���Women���s
Dogs
Emotion Part��I
Emotion Part��III
Emotion���A to��D
Emotion���E to��O
Emotions
Emotion���S to��Z
Fascinating��Character
Fight
Genius
Hacker
Homes I
Homes��II
Horses
Jobs
Landscape–African
Landscape���General
Memorable
Nature
Neighborhood
Noses, Mouths, Legs, and��more
Protagonist
Sensory��Actions
Sick and Illnesses
Sickness and��Illness
Similes
Sneak��Around
Vehicles���Cars, Boats, Planes,��More
Weird Traits
Wild��Animals
Over the next few months, I’ll add 8 more:
55 Interesting Intel Devices
57 Ways to Describe Talking in a Novel
65 Ways to Describe Sight and Eyes in Your Writing
29 Ways to Describe a Headache
37 Ways to Describe Depression
37 Ways to Describe Pain
118 Ways to Describe Sound
37 Ways to Show the Passage of Time
All of these are for inspiration only. They can’t be copied because they’ve been pulled directly out of an author’s copyrighted manuscript (intellectual property is immediately copyrighted).
When you read the collections, I’d love to have you add your descriptions.
Jacqui Murray
��is the author of dozens of books (on technology in education) as well as the popular
Building a Midshipman
, the story of her daughter���s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an��
Amazon Vine Voice
��book reviewer, a columnist for��Examiner.com��and TeachHUB,��Editorial Review Board member for��Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today���s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. In her free time, she is��
��editor of��technology training books for how to integrate technology in education which you can find on Structured Learning (a collaborative publisher).
Filed under: descriptors, writers resources, writers tips, writing
January 22, 2015
A Chat with Rebecca Bradley About Her Exciting New Book
I stumbled across Rebecca Bradley’s crime writing blog at some point in the past, I don’t remember when, but it quickly became apparent she was a kindred crime/mystery/thriller spirit. Her blog contains lots of tips on writing, her personal reflections, and interviews with a wide variety of mystery/crime authors whose books now fill my Kindle reader.
Rebecca’s just-released crime procedural, Shallow Waters (Amazon Digital Services 2015), is the first�� in the DI Hannah Robbins series. It deals with DI Robbins’ unflagging efforts to solve the ugly murder of a teenager while balancing what appears to be growing drinking problem and a boyfriend who may turn into something worse.
Because I am approaching the publication of my first novel, I had lots of questions for Rebecca–not just about self-publishing but marketing it to the world. I am honored to host her on WordDreams with answers to my top six questions. I found her answers refreshing, honest, and doable for any wanna-be writer:
I do a lot of pre-release book reviews for Amazon Vine. They always include a fascinating list of marketing efforts. What is your marketing plan?
A marketing plan sounds so cold and hard, though I know it’s just the business of selling books. But for me, on my own, it’s personal, so that’s what my plan is I suppose, to continue to be me and to be personal. To be social. Not to keep telling everyone to buy my book as I see some authors doing.
I started early before the book was released. I made sure I had a good cover for the book and then I offered ARCs (advanced reader copies) to book bloggers so the book would have some early reviews. This has worked quite well. I was taken up on the offer by quite a few bloggers and reviewers and have had positive feedback on the book.
Other than that, I stay visible in the world in which I want to be ��� the crime fiction world. I blog regularly, I read and review books, I run an online crime book club that meets once a month on Google hangouts which is brilliant fun. I just get on and enjoy what I do.
I love your cover. How did you find your designer and decide on the right cover?
My cover designer, Paper & Sage, was recommended by a crime writer friend Mel Sherratt. I paid for the higher end service because I think getting the right cover is important to selling a book, so I had a couple of choices. The one that we went with was a last minute choice and I absolutely love it because I think it fits the tone of the story perfectly.
I follow your blog, Rebecca Bradley Crime, and wonder what other ways you are using social media to get the good word out?
I have increased my activity on the blog from being an inconsistent blogger to regularly blogging now at least 5 times a week. I’m also an obsessive Twitter user and I use that platform to talk to like minded people who love books. Twitter is great for quick conversations and sharing things we’ve read. I’ve found that by being genuine and talking to people, they are as interested in what I have to say as I am in what they say.
The thing is though, I have had my social media accounts for many years before I released Shallow Waters so I had already built up friendships and I believe that is important. You can’t just write a book, release it, create a social media account and expect it to work for you. It just won’t.
As I read your new book, I came up with at least four parts I considered ‘favorites’. What is your favorite part of your book?
Really? Thank you! That’s a difficult question though. Having just let it out into the world, I’m sat here worried it’s not good enough and holding my head in my heads muttering ‘What have I done!’
My favorite books are those where I feel like I come out the other end a better person for the time invested in reading. What did you learn from writing this book?
I learned that the writers life is not an easy one!
There is a theme of secrets and lies running throughout the book and how lives intertwine and complicate each others situations without necessarily knowing about it. It was interesting to see from a distance as the author, the way in which situations could have been resolved had people been more honest, no matter their reasoning. I think we need to always consider those around us and not take for granted that all is well in their world.
Why should we read your book? I’ll give a for-instance: I’m addicted to British Detective Inspector mysteries. Yours has those wonderful characters and their unique ways of fighting crime, which is one reason I was excited to read it. Are there other reasons readers would want to read your book?
There’s a perfect reason right there. It’s a British Detective Inspector and not only that, but she’s a female protagonist for anyone fed up of all the men out there. It’s told in first person narrative so the reader gets the inside track on the investigation and on DI Hannah Robbins’ thought processes.
If you like police procedurals, it has an attention to detail that is gently woven in rather than overbearing and dull. The plot and characters come first and it is the first in a series so there are snippets of back story hinted at, to be explored further in future books.
Rebecca Bradley lives in Nottinghamshire with her family and Cockerpoo Alfie, who keeps her company while she writes. If you’d like to purchase her book through Amazon, click the link below:
Shallow Waters: DI Hannah Robbins #1
Jacqui Murray
��is the author of dozens of books (on technology in education) as well as the popular
Building a Midshipman
, the story of her daughter���s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an��
Amazon Vine Voice
��book reviewer, a columnist for��Examiner.com��and TeachHUB,��Editorial Review Board member for��Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today���s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. In her free time, she is��
��editor of��technology training books for how to integrate technology in education which you can find on Structured Learning (a collaborative publisher).
Filed under: book reviews Tagged: blog hop, guest authors
January 20, 2015
10 Beautiful Words That Have Enriched Me
I love words. I keep a list of about three hundred favorites, the ones that draw a mental picture that involves taste and feel as much as sight and sound. I browse them when I’m editing my mss, sometimes for inspiration but just as often as a reminder that writing requires a vast collection of great words.
I’d love to compare the average person’s vocabulary (approx. 17,000 words) to a writer’s. I’ve read that Shakespeare used only 15,000 words in all of his plays while Milton used barely 8,000. The problem of course: How many words do you have to sort through to find those perfect 15,000 or 8,000? Because those two gentlemen are about as perfect as a writer can be.
I’m working on a mid-level draft for my current WIP. I’m just about done with the plotting and will begin wordsmithing in about a week.That’s where words come in. I used to be comfortable neologizing words that would fit my story, but have been disabused of that habit (not fully disabused because I just verbized the noun ‘neologism’). Now I stick to words other people invented.
Here are ten you can actually use in your writing without sounding stuffy:
abecedirian���means what it says���a beginner.Rudimentary. The abc���s.
bandog���a large and fierce chained dog. This one���s appealing mostly because I love dogs.
caliginous���murky, dark. Say it aloud. It sounds good.
carabinieri���Italian national police force. This has a strength, a foreign power that I���ll probably never get to use because my characters aren���t going to Italy. I might have to plot a trip.
cobble, as in ���cobble together���. Can���t you just see that 1700���s cobbler tap-tapping at your plan, creating a beautiful mental quilt from scraps of disparate ideas
confluence���a flowing together a coming together of people. ���A confluence of events���. Comes after you���ve cobbled for a while.
concatenation���interlinked series. MS Excel users know this word. It���s how you cobble together clues and discover a confluence of events. I love problem solving in quirky original ways.
dappled���mottled, spotted. A dappled meadow, or horse. I see the dancing spots of brilliant color
deus�� ex machina���a powerful image of an unexpected problem-solver. I���ll get it into my writing eventually. So far, it���s sounded contrived.
doppelganger���Alter ego. I know in my writer���s soul I can turn this ghostly double into a problem-solver.
You have to admit, these are cogent and pithy words. Let me know how you use them.
I write a lot about words. Here are some other articles:
Beautiful Words
Eight Favorite Words (Part III)
Ten Favorite Geek Words (Part I)
Ten Favorite Geek Words (Part II)
Seven More Favorite Geek Words
I’m not the only one who writes about favorite words. Here are Yorick Reintjens’ 117 favorite words. Or Imgur’s list of 100.
–republished from Today’s Author.
Jacqui Murray
��is the author of dozens of books (on technology in education) as well as the popular
Building a Midshipman
, the story of her daughter���s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an��
Amazon Vine Voice
��book reviewer, a columnist for��Examiner.com��and TeachHUB,��Editorial Review Board member for��Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today���s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. In her free time, she is��
��editor of��technology training books for how to integrate technology in education which you can find on Structured Learning (a collaborative publisher).
Filed under: words
January 18, 2015
13 Ways and 3 Books to Build Blockbuster Plots
Martha Alderson’s Blockbuster Plots: Pure and Simple (Illusion Press 2004) presents step-by-step strategies to build your story, maximize the impact of scenes and provide depth to the plot. She focuses not on the ordinary plot, but the one that will push you to the top of the pile, make your book a must-read among all others.The difference in simple terms is you must want to write a story that will go viral (maybe make you a lot of money) rather than simply tell a story you feel must be told. I’ve read two other books for would-be writers that address this unique animal:
Donald Maass’ The Breakout Novelist
Albert Zuckerman’s Writing the Blockbuster Novel
Alderson explains it differently–less narrative and more a structured approach via what she calls a ‘Scene Tracker’. This handy spreadsheet includes significant elements required for each scene, such as:
date of scene
setting
scene summary
brief description of character’s emotional development
the goal of the scene
dramatic action
conflict
change
theme detail
I won’t include an image for fear it is copyrighted, but you’ll see it in the book.
Here are thirteen takeaways (besides these eleven) I liked:
“We experience mood swings, albeit fleetingly, in reaction to every conflict. Chart those.”
“Do not polish. Do not go back and start over. Keep moving forward.”
“…come up with an authentic detail specific to your story, yet universal, so when it is repeated, it draws the readers in…”
“A story is the shifting of power back and forth between the protagonist and the antagonist.”
“Story is about struggle.”
“As the character prepares to confront the adversity, suspense builds and the reader begins to participate.”
“Any sort of looming unknown makes it possible for you to slow things down without the fear of losing your readers.”
“The protagonist must be drawn as a complex individual with both strengths and weaknesses.”
“The Crisis is the dark night of the soul.”
“Once you, as the writer, know how the character is going to play the final confrontation, you have all you need to know.”
“The protagonist demonstrates the transformation s/he underwent in the story by doing something in the Climax s/he was unable to do at the Beginning of the story.”
“The first draft separates people who write from those who talk about writing.”
“By using something within the character’s psychology to create tension or conflict, you create a multilayered plotline, one involving character growth directly linked to the action.”
BTW, if you want to purchase any of these from Amazon, click the links below:
Blockbuster Plots: Pure & Simple
The Breakout Novelist: Craft and Strategies for Career Fiction Writers
More how-to book reviews for writers:
36 Essential Books for Every��Writer
15 Tips From Writing From A to��Z
11 Tips to Self-Editing Your��Manuscript
To have these tips delivered to your email, click here.
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman
, the story of her daughter���s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is the author/editor of dozens of books on integrating tech into education, webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today���s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. You can find her books at her publisher���s website, Structured Learning.�� Filed under: book reviews, plot, writers tips, writing
January 15, 2015
Book Review: Long Way Down
Long Way Down
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Michael Sears “Long Way Down (A Jason Stafford Novel)
” (GP Putman 2014), third in the Jason Stafford series, is a gripping story of Jason Stafford, a Wall Street trader who goes to jail for insider trading and comes out to rebuild his life by helping those in trouble in his past field. The path to helping one particular innovative, hard-charging entrepreneur leads Stafford through corruption, hitmen, murder, and multiple attempts on our hero’s life. By using the mental skills he developed both in and out of prison, he is able to unravel the clues that will find his client innocent. Or guilty. The reader doesn’t know which it will be until the riveting surprise ending.
Sears is an excellent writer. His characters are well-drawn and plot believable, albeit weighed down by long-winded detail on a variety of topics. As a result, the story moves a tad slowly for the usual thriller-murder-mystery. Add to that a robust secondary plot that while fascinating–Stafford is the single father, raising a son with Asperger’s–distracts often from the primary plot. What saves this is the realism of the dad-and-son daily events that the reader experiences with the duo. I was in awe of his patience, tenacity, and love for his son.
While Jason Stafford is smart, clever, and does not know the meaning of the word ‘quit’–great traits for a novel’s protagonist–I had a love-hate with him. Part of it was his superiority to all people, as though he learned nothing from his precipitous fall from grace and the mistakes that put him in jail. Because of this attitude, he too often had derogatory comments about everyday people just trying to get by. I get that this is his character. I’m not supposed to find him perfect, but it reminded me too much of Patricia Cornwall’s Kay Scarpetta. She shared the same malady about the time I quit reading that series.
Overall, Michael Sears is an excellent storyteller with a strong grip on character development and building his plot to an explosive climax. Definitely read this one.
To purchase this book from Amazon, click the image below:
[image error]OK, that’s not showing up. Click on this link–Long Way Down (A Jason Stafford Novel).
More book reviews:
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman
, the story of her daughter���s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is the author/editor of dozens of books on integrating tech into education, webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today���s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. You can find her books at her publisher���s website, Structured Learning.�� Filed under: book reviews Tagged: aslbergers, murder, thriller
