Embalmed - Latest in the Brad Frame series

My latest Brad Frame mystery has been out for about two weeks.

As a self published author, once I complete the writing process I share the manuscript with a line editor so that it is in the best possible shape on grammar and punctuation. I also share a "proof" with trusted beta-readers. They are the first people to discover the story from beginning to end (my critique group sees it in small pieces - one or two chapters at a time).

Those beta readers share their thoughts with me about the book. If they are confused about a particular scene, then I revisit that passage to eliminate the confusion. It is a process that has served me (and hopefully my readers) well.

For those of you who have read any of the Brad Frame mysteries, you are familiar with Nick Argostino. He is the Philadelphia police detective who is a friend and mentor to Brad Frame. In EMBALMED, Nick is in trouble and Brad and Sharon step up to help. Each story affords me the opportunity to expand upon Brad Frame's world and share new information and discoveries about those with whom he associates.

There is a bit of a Halloween vibe in the story, so it was great to get it published in October - although it can be enjoyed at any time.

I dedicated this book to my best friend, Kevin Filippelli. We met back when I lived in Harrisburg, PA and he was in nearby York, PA. He has since moved to New Jersey and later to Las Vegas. Thanks to e-mail and phone we are able to stay in touch. But this past weekend he was able to visit and we had a long weekend of catching up and enjoying trips to the various Disney World parks (including a couple he hadn't previously visited). His visit enabled me to hand him an autographed copy of the book.

Here's a link to the opening chapter of EMBALMED.

Florida Writers Conference

This past weekend I attended the Florida Writers Conference. It was held in a Hilton Hotel in Altamonte Springs, north of Orlando. There were four hundred writers in attendance, so we all shared the common goal of wanting to learn more in order to be able to improve our craft.

I've been a member of the Florida Writers Association since last October. It was through them that I located a writers' critique group that meets weekly within 10 minutes of where I live. Although I'm the only mystery writer among that small group, we help each other with common issues of communication... assisting us in bringing the best of our writing skills to the forefront.

At the conference, it was great to meet an even wider circle of people who write mysteries. A few were from among those I've gotten to know during my involvement with the Florida Chapter of Mystery Writers of America. Others I met for the first time. I'm sure we will continue the connections we established via e-mail.

The conference organizers deserve credit for a packed agenda. I'm an early bird, and they had "genre" tables starting at 6:45 a.m.

Each year, the Florida Writers Association gives Royal Palm Literary Awards in a variety of genres and for published and unpublished works. In February, I entered LADY ON THE EDGE in the published mystery category, and while it was a "finalist" (scoring better than 80% in the judging) it did not win a prize in the published mystery genre category.

Since I know that life is a mystery, it was fun to be at the same table with one of the writers in my local critique group who won a second place award for his historical fiction novel.

You can read the opening chapter of LADY ON THE EDGE here.

Also, starting this week, my latest Brad Frame mystery will be available on Amazon.com

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! :-)