Reviews!

I am still having a difficult time concentrating on reading a book, I hope to get back into it at some point. Still doing book promotions just not reviews Thank you for your understanding during this difficult time. I appreciate all of you. Kathleen Kelly July 2024

20 October 2021

The Choices: A Treasure Hunt Thriller by Alan L. Moss Book Tour and Giveaway!

The Choices: A Treasure Hunt Thriller
Alan L. Moss
Publication date: October 15th 2021
Genres: Adult, Thriller

Sixty-six million years ago, the Chicxulub asteroid crashed into the Yucatan peninsula. Its heat and dust killed the dinosaurs and most other species on the planet.

Based on newly generated NASA measurements and a unique theory, a Ph.D. geology student concludes the Chicxulub asteroid created a fortune in hidden diamonds. When she discovers her business partner and financier is of questionable character, she escapes to Canada to plan an expedition to mine the stones.

Gary Levin arrives in the same Canadian village to mourn the loss of his wife, senselessly murdered during a white supremacist shooting. He soon finds a wounded golden retriever and a flash drive of unknown origin.

Puzzled by information on the flash drive, Levin learns the data could guide mining the fortune in diamonds from Mexico’s Yucatan cenotes (underground water channels). Although there is danger diving/mining the waters and evidence of opposition plotting their demise, the lure of the diamonds and the opulence they represent are too much to resist.

Levin and his companions crisscross the globe in a race to obtain the diamonds before the spurned financier and an approaching hurricane can disrupt their efforts.

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

Without warning, the cabin door burst open, and three men entered. One, with a full beard, wearing a black flight jacket, slammed the door shut. It popped back open and remained that way.

Mia dove for her pistol. Another man slapped it out of her hand. He held her against the wall, his hand around her neck.

“Hello, Mia, it’s very nice to see you at last. We met with Cornell, and we know the data we’ve financed is on a single flash drive. Azeer will forget your transgressions if you give it up. If you don’t, I promise, the suffering you will endure will make you wish you had.”

A tall man with a gray ponytail delivered the words in a calm and calculated manner. The look in his eye screamed enforcer.

Gracie bared her teeth, growling menacingly. Knowing the men wouldn’t think twice about doing away with the dog, Mia said a few soft words, and Gracie calmed, although she still looked concerned. Mia looked at the men, fighting to appear confident. The drive, worth billions of dollars, was in the right-hand pocket of her jeans. She bluffed.

“You think I’m stupid enough to have the drive with me? It’s hundreds of miles from here in a safe deposit box. If you do away with me, no one, including Azeer, will ever see it.”

Although she was no athlete, Mia, thanks to Adrienne, had a jogger’s trim, fit appearance. The man with the full beard wasn’t impressed. He grabbed Mia and slammed her against the wall. She bounced off, falling into Gracie’s water bowl next to the dish of fresh dog food. Recognizing this would not end well, Mia slipped one of the dog’s treats she carried in her pocket along with the flash drive into the dish of food.

Despite concern for her master, the treat was too much to resist. While the bearded bully dragged Mia away by her hair, the dog gulped down the contents of the dish, including the data storage device.

From her knees, Mia spotted her pistol. She picked it up from behind a chair and got off a shot, barely missing the man with the ponytail. Then she delivered a desperate punch to the bearded man’s crotch. He doubled over in pain. The ponytailed man panicked, ignoring the combatants.

The Choices by Alan L. Moss


Excerpt


Without warning, the cabin door burst open, and three men entered. One, with a full beard, wearing a black flight jacket, slammed the door shut. It popped back open and remained that way.


Mia dove for her pistol. Another man slapped it out of her hand. He held her against the wall, his hand around her neck.


“Hello, Mia, it’s very nice to see you at last. We met with Cornell, and we know the data we’ve financed is on a single flash drive. Azeer will forget your transgressions if you give it up. If you don’t, I promise, the suffering you will endure will make you wish you had.”


A tall man with a gray ponytail delivered the words in a calm and calculated manner. The look in his eye screamed enforcer. 


Gracie bared her teeth, growling menacingly. Knowing the men wouldn’t think twice about doing away with the dog, Mia said a few soft words, and Gracie calmed, although she still looked concerned. Mia looked at the men, fighting to appear confident. The drive, worth billions of dollars, was in the right-hand pocket of her jeans. She bluffed.


“You think I’m stupid enough to have the drive with me? It’s hundreds of miles from here in a safe deposit box. If you do away with me, no one, including Azeer, will ever see it.”


Although she was no athlete, Mia, thanks to Adrienne, had a jogger’s trim, fit appearance. The man with the full beard wasn’t impressed. He grabbed Mia and slammed her against the wall. She bounced off, falling into Gracie’s water bowl next to the dish of fresh dog food. Recognizing this would not end well, Mia slipped one of the dog’s treats she carried in her pocket along with the flash drive into the dish of food.


Despite concern for her master, the treat was too much to resist. While the bearded bully dragged Mia away by her hair, the dog gulped down the contents of the dish, including the data storage device.


From her knees, Mia spotted her pistol. She picked it up from behind a chair and got off a shot, barely missing the man with the ponytail. Then she delivered a desperate punch to the bearded man’s crotch. He doubled over in pain. The ponytailed man panicked, ignoring the combatants.


Author Bio:

Alan L. Moss is a unique and emerging voice in the thriller genre. His novels spin sophisticated tales of conspiracy, love, sex, and subterfuge.

In his latest work, The Samoa Seduction, two strong willed individuals are haunted by their love for one another while manipulated by a deadly conspiracy.

Alan's writing draws upon Ph. D. research capabilities and many years in Washington, D.C. as a federal Chief Economist, Congressional Fellow, and Adjunct Instructor at the University of Virginia's Northern Virginia Center. In 2002 he put his government career aside and moved to the Jersey Shore to pursue his writing.

He has penned six published books, four novels and two nonfiction works. After years of politics and bureaucracy, Alan has found the freedom of writing fiction an intoxicating and satisfying calling.

Distinguishing features of Alan's novels are involvement with significant national and international issues and spectacular locations. His new novel, The Samoa Seduction (October 2015 by A-Argus Books/W & B Publishers) is an eye opening thriller that combines the action of a drug company conspiracy, industry efforts to suppress wages, and government corruption with murder and a steamy affair. Settings include Samoa's lush scenery, the Central Canterbury Plains of New Zealand's south island, a resort on Hawaii's Molokai Island, the TranzAlpine Railroad, and tuna fishing vessels on the Tasman Sea.

Alan’s previous work on The Insidious Deception Saga chronicles how a pre-med student and brilliant college professor become entangled in conspiracies hatched by al Qaeda and a ruthless CEO. The two resulting novels include: Insidious Deception (Whiskey Creek Press 2013), and the sequel, Surviving the Endgame (Whiskey Creek Press 2014), in which a presidential election becomes a deadly contest between the international conspirators and those seeking their destruction. Rob Taylor, the series' protagonist, finds the love of his life and struggles to protect her from the conspiracy's violent tentacles.

Turning to Alan's nonfiction work, in May 2008 Praeger Publishing released Selling-Out America’s Democracy. The book shows how special interests, through their lobbyists and the U.S. system of campaign financing, have denied a majority of the American population the policies they seek and have led the nation into a period of decline. The book includes telling interviews of Washington insiders and a four-part plan to restore the U.S. democracy. Copies are available at www.amazon.com and other web book sites.

Alan is a member of the Authors Guild, International Thriller Writers, and the American Political Science Association.

For more information about Alan and his writing, see www.alanlmoss.com.

See Alan's BLOG columns at www.alanlmossmyview.com.

Website / Amazon / Facebook


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A Sacrament of Sin by Matthew Angelo New Release Blitz!

Title: A Sacrament of Sin

Series: The Midnight Agency #4

Author: Matthew Angelo

Publisher: Self-Published

Release Date: October 15th, 2021

Heat Level: 1 - No Sex

Pairing: No Romance

Length: 30k

Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction, Paranormal, shifter, urban fantasy

Add to Goodreads


Synopsis

Working as a paranormal private investigator has its trials. I’m busy, which is excellent, but there are more people, alive and otherwise, after me than ever before. The Other Side has stepped up their game. The Fallen are trying to strong-arm me into joining their ranks; they feel I’m the perfect person to aid in their eventual rise to world power, and they don’t give a damn what I have to say about it. Then there’s the Catholic Church. Apparently, they’ve painted a giant bullseye on my back. That keeps you looking over your shoulder, I’ll tell you.

Oh, and did I mention the bastard who abandoned my mother and me when I was born wants to repair a relationship we never had in the first place?

Just another day in the life of Rian MacCaren—that’s me, by the way. I solve mysteries, and I see things… things other people don’t. First, dreams plagued me. Now they’ve escalated to visions. Aside from keeping myself alive, my next step is to use my gift, or curse however you want to look at it, to figure out who killed the woman we just discovered in the basement of an abandoned house. Who was she, and why is she dressed in a wedding gown?

Excerpt

I heard laughter from the other side of the screen. It wasn’t the kind that speaks of madness, but the evil supervillain type. While I love the sound of truth, this sound chilled me to the bones and left me unclean.

“Sister Catherine…I should’ve known. As for you, my little angel, I’ll send you back to heaven.”

“Not today, buddy.”

A ripping sound hit my ears as a clawed hand burst through the screen and wrapped around my neck. It pulled me through the wall that divided the confessional. I tried to struggle out of its grip, but the preacher held on for all he's worth. Yeah, that’s gonna leave a mark.

I kicked at his face in the hope he’d release his hold over my throat. “Sorry, but choking isn’t my thing.”

The priest slammed me against the wall, knocking what air I did have out of my lungs in one exhale. I switched the safety off my gun and tried to raise it. Let me tell you that trying to fight for your life while being choked wasn’t that easy. I tried, though. Look at me being all optimistic and shit.

The father saw the gun. His eyes widened in anger as if the weapon was an insult to the sanctuary of the church. I may have had a gun, but I wasn’t a pedophile molesting kids and stealing their life force from them. Nope, I was a simple angel trying to get by in the world. By get by, I mean shoot the bad guy and rescue the children, thereby being the hero that saves the day.

Whoever the priest had become gripped me harder and threw me through the confessional door with one movement. The cracking of the wood against my back hurt, and the sound of screaming reached my ears. What hurt the most was hitting the floor and sliding across the carpet. I also heard the sound of my gun as it fell from my hand, bumping into something.

Movement from in front of me caught my attention. I attempted to get up, but the ceiling above me spun like a top, and vertigo kept me from moving too much. Massaging my neck, I could breathe easier, but the joy of still being alive didn’t last long.

There he stood. The possessed priest looked like a devil out of a bad CW series. Both his arms stretched longer than natural and ended in clawed, veiny hands. The skin on his face looked tighter and a bit like leather. The look someone gets after they tan in one of those cancer coffins too long.

Purchase at Amazon

Meet the Author

 

Matthew Angelo is a part-time writer, dog trainer, and photo enthusiast in the Northern Colorado area. In his free time, providing he has any, he practices Krav Maga, reads, and continues writing. He has written fantasy, science fiction, and urban fantasy stories amongst others.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | eMail | Instagram

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19 October 2021

Traitor’s Knot Quest for Three Kingdoms By Cryssa Bazos Blog Tour and Excerpt! @CryssaBazos @maryanneyarde @cryssabazos @coffeepotbookclub #HistoricalFiction #historicalsuspense #TheKnot #StuartAge #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub

 


Book Title: Traitor’s Knot

Series: Quest for Three Kingdoms

Author: Cryssa Bazos

Publication Date: 1st October 2021

Publisher: W.M. Jackson Publishing

Page Length: 450 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction/ Historical Romance



England 1650: Civil War has given way to an uneasy peace . . . 

 

Royalist officer James Hart refuses to accept the tyranny of the new government after the execution of King Charles I, and to raise funds for the restoration of the kings son, he takes to the road as a highwayman.

 

Elizabeth Seton has long been shunned for being a traitors daughter. In the midst of the new order, she risks her life by sheltering fugitives from Parliament in a garrison town. But her attempts to rebuild her life are threatened, first by her own sense of injustice, then by falling in love with an outlaw. 

 

The loversloyalty is tested through war, defeat and separation. James must fight his way back to the woman he loves, while Elizabeth will do anything to save him, even if it means sacrificing herself.


 

Trigger Warnings:

Violence, animal injury/death.


Buy Links:


Universal Link: https://books2read.com/TraitorsKnot

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09J1SY8VD

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09J1SY8VD

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09J1SY8VD

Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09J1SY8VD

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/traitors-knot-cryssa-bazos/1140328380

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/traitor-s-knot


Cryssa Bazos is an award-winning historical fiction author and a seventeenth century enthusiast. Her debut novel, Traitor's Knot is the Medalist winner of the 2017 New Apple Award for Historical Fiction, a finalist for the 2018 EPIC eBook Awards for Historical Romance. Her second novel, Severed Knot, is a B.R.A.G Medallion Honoree and a finalist for the 2019 Chaucer Award. A forthcoming third book in the standalone series, Rebel's Knot, will be released November 2021.

 

Social Media Links:


Website: https://cryssabazos.com

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/CryssaBazos

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cbazos/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cryssabazos/

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/cryssa-bazos?list=about

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B072871QB3

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35489304-traitor-s-knot

Excerpt!

Traitor’s Knot, by Cryssa Bazos



Elizabeth pushed through the knot of women pressing to take her place at the stall. “Excuse me,” she gasped, and they cleared the way for her and the ugly yellow ribbon. 


Just as she reached the last matron, a demon in the form of a Puritan Roundhead materialised in her path.


“Good morning, my dear,” Hammond drawled.


She pressed her hand to her chest. “Lieutenant—you surprised me.”


“A pleasant one, I trust,” he said. “I’m glad I found you. There is something I thought you might find of interest.” Without waiting for a reply, he took her by the elbow and led her away from the haberdasher’s stall. “A godly woman does not gild herself with laces and frills.”


Elizabeth’s expression hardened. She had every right to visit any shop she desired. Next he would criticise her for frequenting the bookseller’s. Would they hang her for choking a constable with a mustard-coloured ribbon? 


“I would lower your voice, Lieutenant. Mistress Rathbone will not thank you for your comments.” 


Hammond led her to the draper’s with bolts of broadcloth laid out in display—various shades of grey, charcoal, black and mud brown. He held up a corner of the wool. “Plain, simple fabrics—these are pleasing to the Lord. We must not draw attention to our corrupt body.”


“And what of your russet feathers, Lieutenant?” Elizabeth pointed to his coat. “Methinks that this colour draws sufficient attention to the material world.” 


Rather than take offence, he smiled. “A banner for the godly. My lord Cromwell has seen fit to garb us in this fashion. Come.” 


Hammond led her away, but to her relief, he did not head for the Chequer. “I should tell you that I’m leaving Warwick for apace.”


Elizabeth choked down her excitement. “Indeed? The town will not be the same. Are you returning to London? I recall that you missed it keenly.” 


“Nothing of the sort,” he said. “I shan’t be leaving the county. Sir Richard has entrusted me to oversee a particularly delicate enterprise.” 


Elizabeth’s instincts prickled. This sounded ominous, and anything that made Hammond look smug as a cat in cream could not be good. She feared it might have something to do with James. “Might I enquire as to the nature of this business, Lieutenant? I hope it shan’t be a dangerous enterprise?”


“Your concern warms me a great deal, my dear.” 


The softening in his expression made Elizabeth squirm. She hated to encourage the man, but if it could protect James . . .


“Unfortunately, I’m not at liberty to explain,” Hammond said. “Suffice it to say that if we are successful, a mortal blow will be struck to the Commonwealth’s enemies.”


Elizabeth’s worry increased. The only enemy to the Commonwealth that she knew had stolen her heart. She had to warn James. “I wish you joy in your mission, Lieutenant. I must take my leave of you. My aunt wasn’t feeling well this day, and I’m anxious to return to her side.” 


“But you haven’t seen my treat.”


“A treat?” The hairs on the back of her neck lifted.


Hammond led her down a side street lined by a row of town houses and away from the din of the market. A waiting company of dragoons clustered around the glover’s house. Hammond watched her as though savouring her reaction. 


“Why are we here?” 


“I promised you something of interest.” 


One of the dragoons presented himself to Hammond. “Everything is secure inside, Lieutenant.” 


“Very good.” Hammond looked around. “And the wagon?” Before the man could answer, a conveyance with thick bars turned the corner and rumbled to a halt before the house. “Excellent timing.” 


“Why is the gaol cart here?” Elizabeth asked.


 “Patience is a virtue, mistress.” 


A piercing shriek and shattering glass broke the expectant hush. Barked commands drowned out a series of angry shouts. The front door flew open, and a pair of dragoons burst from the house dragging a young woman. Tears streamed down her face, and she clutched a sheet to cover her nakedness as the soldiers marched her to the cart. Elizabeth recognised her as the glover’s maid. 


The woman stumbled and spilled to the sidewalk, exposing small, quivering breasts. “Please!” she cried as they hauled her to her feet. 


Shocked, Elizabeth watched them push the naked woman into the wagon. One of the soldiers tossed the sheet back to her. 


Next the dragoons marched out the second prisoner—the glover. The man stumbled out of his home, clad only in a shirt. The garment barely covered his naked loins. Normally fond of gawking at the young maids, he no longer leered.


“Distressing, isn’t it?” Hammond said. 


Elizabeth started. “What—?”


“Adultery and fornication,” he replied. “They will spend time in the arms of the stocks. We must prepare to don the mantle of the New Jerusalem. There is no room for heretics and the ungodly in this new order.”


Elizabeth’s stomach turned. By now, a small crowd had flooded in from the market. A few of the bolder men hovered near the wagon to get a good look at the prisoners. Laughter and jeering rippled through the crowd. Elizabeth found it difficult to watch. “What of mercy?” 


“Mercy? Would that please you?” Hammond’s smile widened. “I have shown them mercy. Had we arrested them in another fortnight, they’d both be in the gaol.”


Tour Schedule Page: https://www.coffeepotbookclub.com/post/blog-tour-traitor-s-knot-quest-for-three-kingdoms-by-cryssa-bazos-cryssabazos





Festive Mayhem 2 (Seven Holiday Culinary Cozy Mysteries) Book Tour and Giveaway!

Festive Mayhem 2 (Seven Holiday Culinary Cozy Mysteries) by Paige Sleuth, Francelia Belton, Angela Henry, Rhoda Berlin, Carolyn Marie Wilkins, Barbara Howard, and Stella Oni

About Festive Mayhem 2

 

Festive Mayhem 2 (Seven Holiday Culinary Cozy Mysteries) 

Culinary Cozy Mystery Anthology 

Independently Published (October 1, 2021) 

Number of Pages: 215 

Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09HLZCXSZ 

Seven crime writers of color have teamed up for the second year running to offer you the gift of escape this holiday season. From Thanksgiving to Christmas, Halloween to New Year’s, cozy mystery fans are bound to find a favorite holiday represented in this limited-time collection of exclusive, never-before-published seasonal short stories.

  Author Links 
  Paige Sleuth: http://www.marlabradeen.com/ 
  Francelia Belton: https://Francel.Be/Writing-Stories 
  Angela Henry: http://angelahenry.com 
  Rhoda Berlin: https://rhodaberlin.com
  Carolyn Marie Wilkins: https://www.carolynwilkins.com 

  Purchase Links - 



TOUR PARTICIPANTS
October 15 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
October 15 – Novels Alive – SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE
October 15 – Christy's Cozy Corners – SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE
October 16 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW
October 16 – Cassidy's Bookshelves – SPOTLIGHT
October 16 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
October 17 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 17 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT
October 18 – Brooke Blogs - SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE
October 18 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
October 18 – Jemima Pett, Author - SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE
October 19 – Celticlady's Reviews - SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE
October 19 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT
October 20 – Novels Alive – REVIEW
October 20 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
October 21 - Cozy Up With Kathy - SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE
October 21 - Sapphyria's Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

Have you signed up to be a Tour Host? 

 

The Encanto LA Fog Part 1 by Arthur Swan Book Spotlight! #lafog #theencanto

 


An ancient Mayan artifact, smuggled into Los Angeles, unexpectedly alters three lives in bizarre ways.

Gray, an aspiring artist struggling to provide for his family, Claire, Gray's insomniac wife, and Ashley York, a wealthy socialite striving to make it as a real actress, find their paths crashing together, their dreams and their very identities threatened.

Meanwhile, Saul Parker, a detective and hobbyist magician who is self-conscious about his weight, strives to solve a strange case that seems impossible to comprehend.

Only Wayob, a mysterious chameleon-like killer, has a grasp on the dangerous power that has consumed his life and now infiltrates the others.

The Encanto, Book 1 of the LA Fog series, is an intricately woven, character-based mystery the choices we make informs our identity.


Read an excerpt!


Would a cloud be too much to ask? The afternoon sky had thinned out and surrendered to the relentless sun. Saul parked on Lincoln Boulevard near the mob of looky-loos pressing in around the barricades on the sidewalk. Behind the crime scene was a carwash with faded fin-toppers that might have looked stylish in the sixties.

He left the engine running for the AC. In front of him was a pink van advertising “Topless Maids $99” and then a squad car. Beside it, Hernandez was talking to the uniforms. She was five foot two and lithe. She only saw him as a partner, but Saul was hoping for more. 

He couldn’t bear for her to see him heave his huge belly out. If she would just get in here with him, they could crank up the AC and talk like human beings. Forget all the politics and procedure of the LAPD.

He motioned her towards his car, but she looked away.

He flashed his lights.

Useless signal against the sunlight. He sighed. Grabbed his trench coat from the backseat. Climbed out of the car and put it on. It did little to hide his girth. If anything, the coat made him more conspicuous.

Instantly sweating, he tried to ignore the murmurs from the crowd, the mouths gaping open, all the phones pointing at him as plowed his big belly toward Hernandez. 

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye but continued joking with the uniforms, as if unaware of his approach. Her skin was perfect. She would look twenty-five if not for the clump of gray hair always falling across her forehead.

“What’s the status?” he asked.

“Where you been, Barker?” She trotted out her Chicana accent, pronouncing the P in his last name like a B. She was pissed.

“Traffic’s a bitch,” he said.

She pointed inside his coat. “Is that the evidence you were looking for?”

He glanced down. A dollop of ketchup stained his shirt. He hadn’t noticed it escape his burger. He should have told her he was going to the Castle for lunch. She knew he belonged to the clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts, but she had no idea how much he loved going there. The ornate wood and crystal chandeliers. The deliberate lack of windows which made it feel like stepping out of LA and back in time to an alternate world where the air seemed to spark with possibility.

He’d only lied because Hernandez was working through lunch, and what if, like his ex, she hated magic?

He buttoned his coat over the stain. They needed to focus on the case. At least Saul did. Not that Lieutenant Levy had actually told him in so many words, but she’d called Hernandez with the assignment instead of Saul when he was the lead detective, or he was supposed to be. If Levy had demoted him, she should have at least told him, but Saul wasn’t surprised. She was passive-aggressive and still held a grudge against him for the Brown shooting. Although he’d been cleared of wrongdoing, the fallout had stalled her career.

Hernandez led him away from the uniforms to the black-and-white on the curb in front of Checks Cashed. In the backseat, a middle-aged man with a shaved head, stared at the crowd with a sour expression.

Hernandez turned toward Saul and combed back her shock of white. “Look. I don’t care if you take a long lunch, just let me know where you’re at, okay? We’re partners. We’re supposed to trust each other.”

Her eyes caught the sunlight like honey. Saul tried to memorize every detail. He could gaze into them for hours. “I went to the Castle. If you want to come next time—”

“Hollywood is too far for lunch.”

Was she suggesting somewhere else? A real sit-down meal instead of their usual takeout. Or maybe dinner? The Castle would be ideal for dinner.

Before he could ask, she slapped the roof of the squad car. “We’ve got the bastard dead to rights, and get this: he can’t move his legs.”

“He’s a paraplegic?”

“Exactly. His wheelchair’s in the trunk.”

Saul peered through the back window of the car. The man inside had a potbelly. His arms were cuffed behind his back. He looked up at Saul, his face blank and his eyes, shadowed by a massive brow, just dark hollows.

Saul shuddered. 


Q&A with Arthur Swan

   Where did you grow up /live now?


     I grew up in Wilson, a small tobacco town in eastern North Carolina. I now reside in LosAngeles.


   As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? 

            As a very young child, I had plethora of career ambitions ranging from garbage man (the guy who rides on the back of the truck, not the one who has to drive it) to veterinarian. I also recall wanting to be a biologist for a few years and a musician

 What is your education/career background?

            Math Science

  What first inspired you to write?

 In fifth grade,“volunteers” were selected to read our writing assignments aloud to the class. I was deathly terrified. I nearly passed out the first time I stood up there in front of the whole class, everyone staring at me as I tried to discern the slop I passed off as handwriting. After I stuttering through the first paragraph, a miracle happened—the kids laughed at my joke. And hearing their laughter, the ones who weren’t paying attention suddenly perked up. It was a transformative experience. Now the whole class was suddenly ready to hear what came next. They wanted to be entertained. They yearned for it. And I wanted to give it to them. After that, the writing assignments became my highest priority pieces of homework. I learned to type them up, so I could read them more easily, which I’m sure my teacher appreciated, as well.



 Where/When do you best like to write?

     I like to write at 5:30 in the morning before doing anything else. As the sun comes up and the days starts, I like to be writing. Then no matter how crazy things get later on, at least I know I got some writing done

What do you think makes a good story?

    A character who readers identify with, who must undergo a transformation.


   What inspired your story?

            All the people in LA who lead socially isolated lives because they are so focused on their careers, and, often, moved to LA from somewhere else, with no family or friends or local support network. I started thinking how some isolated person’s life could go totally off the rails with no one else even knowing. Even things that get reported on often get boiled down of a catchy headline. Often, so much is left out that people come to the wrong conclusion. And more often the truth is even more unbelievable than what you hear.

            Also I wanted to write about the difference between people who can believe in something without knowing it’s true and those who can’t.

    How does a new story idea come to you? Is it an event that sparks the plot or a character speaking to you?

            Character. I do like the idea of starting from an event, but without a character who is changed by the event you don’t have a story.

  Is there a message/theme in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

            I want readers to think about the choices they’re making, if they’re really getting where they want to go. And to think about all the misunderstandings that occur when people communicate, all the misperceptions and incorrect assumptions

What was your greatest challenge in writing this book?

            Getting it done. I thought it would be fun to write a horror suspense novel where I could play with spooky images. Something quick and easy. But now here I am after six years, finally launching the first installment of a quartet.

 On a Friday night, what are you most likely to be doing?

            Friday night represents a transition from my day job to a relaxing weekend of writing peppered with outdoor activities. I like to start it off with a good meal, maybe a burrito from Aroma Coffee and Tea. Then, either read or watch a show. I love Black Mirror, but sometimes it’s just too dark and too close to reality. Right now, I’m excited about the new season of Ted Lasso.

What do you like to do when you are not writing?

            Read, swim, hike, paddle board, and just sit outside and stare at the horizon.

Who are some of your favorite authors?

            James Lee Burke, Michael Connelly, Andre Dubus III, Stephen King, Donna Tartt, John Kennedy Toole, Kurt Vonnegut.

Whats the best writing advice you have ever received?

      “We have to remember that the greatest triumphs and the greatest tragedies of the human race are nothing to do with people being basically good or people being basically evil. Theyre all to do with people being basically people.” - Neil Gaiman.

  What was your favorite book as a child?

    The Little Prince

What is the one book no writer should be without?

    Writing the Block Buster Novel by Albert Zuckerman. Currently, my favorite book on writing.


 Is there a character you identify with more than any of the others?

        I identify with every one of them. When writing, I imagine I am that character. What it would be like if, for example, I weighed three hundred pounds? I do know what its like to want to eat even when I know its bad for me or I’m not hungry.  When possible, I read something by someone with that experience, or talk to them. I have a friend who’s overweight and I’ve seen the effect on his self-image.

            Ashley is probably the character I have the least in common with but I understand her feeling of social isolation caused by ambition, and living in LA. I’ve seen how isolated some people have become by their own wealth. I understand how living with another persons family seeds this longing she had for one of her own.

What will LA FOG part 2 be released?

            Wayob’s Revenge is currently in the editing phase. Expect it in April or May, 2022.

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