COLD OATH

Here's my latest writing project. It's about half written, with lots of editing and re-writing facing me when it is completed. But I'm excited about this story. It is a standalone suspense novel, not part of my Brad Frame series.

Ryan Caldwell is a freshman journalism student at Brandell College. He's not your typical freshman since he spent five years in the army, including assignments in Afghanistan, before enrolling. He's even landed a job as a reporter for the Bugle, the student newspaper.

Early in the story, the longtime president of the college dies. Ryan makes a bit of a name for himself when he writes a tribute for the former president. But in the aftermath, Ryan finds himself in the middle of the campus struggle to choose the next president.

I don't want to say much more, but as with any good suspense story, you can expect that quite a lot will affect Ryan's life.

For anyone who has ever attended college, campus life is filled with so many memories. It is a time when young people can begin asserting their independence, and they begin to find their way in the world. While college can offer a bit of protection, it is not immune from the same stresses experienced in the rest of the world. I'm hoping that journey for our protagonist will captivate the attention of the reader.

I'm guessing this book will be finished in the summer of 2016. But as we know LIFE IS A MYSTERY. If you have any favorite revelations from your college days that you'd like to share, we would welcome your comments.

Audio books

I've been having conversations with a friend of mine, Matt Dooley, about producing audio versions of my novels.

The truth is that a lot of people are too busy to sit down in front of a book, Kindle, or other electronic device and "read" one of my novels. Putting them in audio format would allow people to hear them.

As you can see, I already have a "prospective cover" for the audio version of UNFORGIVING SHADOWS, but we are at least a few months away from this project being finished.

When I have a sample, I'll be sure to share a link.

I'd be curious to hear what you think about audio books. How frequently do you choose to listen to a book as opposed to reading it? Do you find it suits your busy lifestyle? Are you able to follow a book by listening to, for example, twenty minutes at a time?

Do you have preferences when it comes to the style of the reader? Perhaps, more simply, I could just ask what turns you on or what turns you off about audio books.

Whether I'm reading or listening to a book I prefer large chunks of time in which to digest the story. My favorite time to listen to an audio book is in the car on a long trip. I find it helps take away the tedium of the drive.

As always, I'd like to hear what you think. Because LIFE IS A MYSTERY, so please share your thoughts in the comments section.

Oh... and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

When You Wish Upon A Star

It's that time to reflect on the year past and look forward with hope to what the new year might bring.

I was telling a friend just the other day, "Life is good." I'm happy, have friends, and my health is good. Nearly anything on top of that is gravy. I keep busy with my writing. I'm convinced it keeps my mind alert, since keeping complicated plots straight in my brain takes a lot of effort.

Life is a mystery, since we never quite know what might be around the bend for us. It's probably best that way... but it adds excitement and trepidation at the same time.

As 2015 began, I was facing major surgery to correct a hernia I'd had since emergency appendix surgery in 2010. All went well, and I've recovered nicely. I visited with my mother (in the Pittsburgh area) a few times, got up to Minnesota to see my sister and her family, had several visits with my brother and his family, visited with my father-in-law as well as sister- and brother-in-law. I had a few visitors to my Florida condo, including my best friend who came for a whirlwind couple of days at Disney World. I made a couple of improvements to my place, including adding new carpet. It feels like home. I also had the chance to visit NYC and take in a couple of Broadway shows.

In my writing life, I published two more Brad Frame mysteries this year - FINAL JUROR and EMBALMED. I wrote a new Christmas short story. I attended a conference sponsored by the Florida Writers Association where my novel LADY ON THE EDGE was a finalist for a Royal Palm Literary Award. I've also become active with a group of Central Florida Mystery Writers who meet monthly for discussions about the craft of writing, as well as the business of writing. Several of us formed a critique group, which I appreciate as well as my local critique group in Celebration, Florida.

What will 2016 hold for me? A good question. I'm working on a new standalone suspense novel. It's called COLD OATH. I'm excited about it, but it's not even half done, so stay tuned.

In July, I will be performing my one-man Ben Franklin play at PACA in Erie, PA. I'm excited about that and am pursuing other performance possibilities for the play.

For more specifics, keep reading this blog. :-)

Best wishes to each of you for what I hope will be an exciting 2016.