Life's a Mystery - for more than a year

For more than a year I've maintained this blog, posting every other week. You'll notice from the picture to the left, I haven't aged a bit. :-)  Actually, I might have lost a few pounds since that picture was taken.

I appreciate all of you who have visited. It is a bit of work to put down thoughts... well, better to say "interesting" thoughts... on a regular basis.

I want people to get to know me a little better. It might provide a better perspective on my writing. Most authors prefer that their "work" speaks for them.

I've been watching a thread of conversation on the DorothyL listserv site. It is populated by writers and fans of mystery. A few of the mystery readers expressed indignation at posts billed as BSP - shorthand for "Blatant Self Promotion."

I seldom make a reference to BSP. I don't mind telling people about my stories. I can't recall ever having forced anyone to buy (or read) one of them. But in the same way that we appreciate when a friend calls to alert us to a program on TV that they know we might want to watch, I figure I'm providing a service to alert people to an upcoming title they might want to read.

I make it a point to freely share short stories and the opening chapters of my books. In that way, a person can decide in advance if they find the story interesting and the style readable. I also try to price my books as affordable. The opening book in my Brad Frame series is FREE to those on the Kindle Unlimited program, and 99 cents for everyone else. My other books are $2.99 for Kindle or Nook. Even the trade paperback versions are less than $15.

I know some people bristle when they hear BSP. It takes all kinds of people to make up our world, and all kinds of characters to populate the pages of a mystery novel. That's why I've been saying for more than a year, "Life's a Mystery."

Thanks, as always for visiting. Tell your friends! :-)

What Informs My Writing Most

Write what you know! Isn't that the advice given to every writer?

From a "big picture" perspective, I've had the advantage of a very diverse career that began working with juvenile delinquents, evolved to larger aspects of working in criminal justice (police, courts, probation), teaching in a college setting, working as an arts advocate (which put me in contact with so many creative people), and administering a national human services association. I've had a lifetime of coming in contact with such diverse groups of people, that it has been a blessing for me in terms of creating characters to populate my books.

On a personal level, I've done lots of theatre, which as an actor involves taking an author's words and creating a character. As a writer, I'm coming up with the words a character might believably say. For TRANSPLANTED DEATH (pictured here) I developed the plot idea while spending lots of time in the hospital when my wife received a kidney transplant.

In UNFORGIVING SHADOWS, the opening chapter depicts an execution by lethal injection. I've never witnessed one of those, but have been to the prison in Pennsylvania where the death penalty is administered.

In BLOOD PORN a juvenile corrections facility is the scene for illicit pornography. The fact that I had worked in juvenile corrections permitted me to create realistic settings.

On a micro level, my books are filled with elements of interaction and stories I've heard over the years. When I go back and re-read my books, nearly every chapter reminds me of a small episode in my life - whether it occurred in my college years or since I've been retired.

Just the other evening I was having dinner with a friend. We were talking about my books and he shared a story. I confided in him that he might see it used in a future Brad Frame story.

Research is another critical element that informs my writing. Thanks to the Internet, it's possible to find out a wealth of information about nearly any topic. And to take a photographic or video journey to further learn about a particular topic. And I'm not afraid to reach out to experts, such as lawyers when I wrote FINAL JUROR, or a funeral director to help me with my upcoming novel EMBALMED.

Help continue the conversation... share what informs the things you write about.

What I'm Working On

As soon as I finished FINAL JUROR earlier this year I started work on my 6th Brad Frame mystery. It is called EMBALMED. Brad and Sharon are once again working on dual cases, this time as a joint effort.

For those familiar with the series, you'll recognize the name Nick Argostino. Nick is a Philadelphia police detective and a partner in Brad's detective agency. Nick is in trouble in this story, having been accused of assaulting a fellow officer. Nick is bummed and his life needs focus, which he is getting with Brad and Sharon's help.

At the same time, they've been contacted by a bank's trust department on behalf of a woman with Alzheimer's who used to work for Brad's father. Her brother is missing and Brad is charged with finding him.

Thanks to the help of my local writers' group, which keeps me on target by expecting a new chapter of the story to critique each week, I'm nearing the end of the 65,000 word novel and hope to have it published in the near future. Please don't pin me down on what I mean by "near future." :-)

While taking breaks from this writing project I've begun on a new "standalone" novel of suspense. The title of this newest book is COLD OATH. I suspect it will take me the better part of a year to finish it with publication before the end of 2016.

I love working with Brad and Sharon and finding new adventures for them, but I'm equally excited at the prospect of bringing a new story to life.

You can check out all of my books and short stories at www.rayflynt.com. Tell your friends. The first Brad Frame story is only 99 cents for Kindle or Nook.