Getting Ready

It's that magical time of the year.

The seasons change. Here in the Mitten State, days are getting longer. Which is an indication that the festival season is just around the corner. That means it's time start getting ready.

Here's my latest on writing, a sneak peek at one of my stories, works in progress, upcoming events, an interview with another author and some music.

Let's roll!

Gearing Up

I'm not referring to camping or fishing or hiking or any of that kind of gear. For me, it's all about the festival season. From the middle of April until at least the end of September, my car will look pretty much like this. I'll have my canopy, tables, a chair, banners and books. Gotta have plenty of books.

After doing this for a few years, I've developed a system. There will be primary bins for all the books, usually separated by each series. Then I have extra bins in there as well. Because I cannot predict which titles will be in demand. And it differs from one show to the next.

Last year at the Art in the Park festival in Holland, I sold out of "Rules of Desperation". Even my display copy was snapped up and there were still a few hours left in the show. My booth buddy, Heather Ashle, who writes the "Realm Riders" series, was also surprised when that happened. And she won't let me forget it! But like anything else, I considered this to be a learning opportunity.

"Rules" and "Why 319?" are often bestsellers. With that in mind, I purchased a couple of larger storage bins and proceeded to pack them with copies of these books. One is the primary. The other hangs out in the car, along with the other backups.

The quote above makes perfect sense to me. I've used it for years now and would not be surprised to see it in one of my books.

Gearing up for me also means stockpiling the inventory. I like to start the season with a large quatity of books on hand. Replacement orders can take anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks to arrive. There are times when I will be participating in events six or seven weeks in a row. So it takes some strategizing to make sure I've got plenty of books on hand or due to arrive shortly.

I never know exactly how many books or which titles will sell the most at any given show. Sometimes the Jamie Richmond series fly off the table. Other times, it's the Jefferson Chene books or the crime stories. I do keep track. That's where records from previous years for festivals that I'm returning to come in handy.

Gearing up has become part of my life. I really look forward to it.

The Sneak Peek

My first police procedural mystery was "Why 319?". This is where Jefferson Chene and the detectives from Squad Six began. While the stories are told from Chene's point of view, the cast of characters are integral to every tale. And for some readers, the most critical character is Captain Prescott 'Pappy' Cantrell.

Here's a scene from that book, which can give you some insight into the players.

Cantrell rolled an unlit cigarette across his knuckles. “We need to do this fast. Like the poet once said, timing ain’t waitin’ for no one.”

Despite his butchering of quotations, we all knew what he meant. We only had so much time to figure this out and find the guy before he struck again.

“We need to determine the common denominator,” Megan said. “There’s got to be something that all three of our victims shared. We just need to look at them closely and let them tell us what that is.”

Barksdale made a derisive snorting noise beside her. “Just how do we do that, McDonald? Call the psychic hotline? Break out the Ouija board?”

“We look at the evidence,” she said with a sneer.

“We look at the evidence,” Barksdale mimicked, waving his hands like a cheap carnival magician.

“Knock it off,” I said. “Megan’s right. We go through every bit of information we can find on the victims. That means reviewing the files, repeating every single interview. We take the investigation a step further. If the locals talked to three coworkers, we need to talk to six. If they interviewed one neighbor, we interview five.”

Barksdale turned his scowl to me. “So how are we going to do that before this pervert strikes again? We got other cases going.”

“Not no more, ya don’t,” Cantrell said. “As of right now, this un is your one and only. And Ah hate to ruin your Saturday, but there ain’t no days off until we crack it. Y’all need to break it down and find the pattern.”

If Cantrell expected any grumbling from the squad, he would be disappointed. Even Barksdale held his tongue for a moment.

“So how you figure we’re going to do this, Pappy? That’s a lot of territory to cover, no matter how you cut it,” Barksdale asked.

Cantrell shifted his gaze to me. “Whatcha think, Chene?”

“We could break it into sections. Laura could delve into their background. Barksdale could handle the autopsies. Koz could focus on the departments…” I stopped when I saw Cantrell slowly shaking his head.

“Y’all need to move faster.”

Laura spoke up for the first time. She was the newest member of the squad and still getting accustomed to Cantrell’s laid-back management style. “So how should we handle it, Pappy?”

“Y’all break into teams. Boy and girl on each. We got three homicides that we know of, so each team takes one. Y’all start from the ground up.”

Megan pointed out the obvious. “You realize we’re a girl short.”

Cantrell checked his watch. “Bloomfield’s offered up one of their detectives to work the investigation, so Ah agreed. She’ll be here shortly.”

This was highly unusual. Cantrell was adamant about keeping our investigations within the house. Once we took over a case, he didn’t give it back until it was closed. Then the brass would hold a press conference, explaining how the local department, working with the state police, had solved the crime. It made for great politics.

“When?” The anger in my voice surprised me. It was obvious to the rest of the squad that I didn’t like this sudden change.

“Maybe twenty minutes.”

Koz caught my eye. Without missing a beat, he pushed back from the table. “Guess I’ll grab a coffee while we wait. You did want to wait until the other detective got here before proceeding, right, Pappy?”

Cantrell tucked the cigarette into the corner of his mouth and snapped a flame with his lighter. “Yep.”

I waited until everyone else filed out of the room. Cantrell let his eyes close as if he were meditating. With the smoke curling up around his head, he looked like something out of a Tennessee monastery. The Art of Zen, courtesy of Jack Daniels.

“Well?” he muttered.

“When were you going to clue me in on this plan?”

“Y’all weren’t ready.”

I didn’t try to keep the anger from my voice. “Bull. I’ve been the lead on ninety percent of the investigations we’ve handled for the last three years. You know it. I know it. The whole freaking squad knows it.”

He took a long drag and pulled the cigarette from his lips. “But not everybody likes it.”

I didn’t even have to think about it. “You mean Barksdale. The guy’s a dinosaur.”

“Would that be a triceratops?”

I was surprised he was able to name one, but then, Cantrell could be full of surprises. Like this new plan. “So how do you see this?”

“We split into three teams, just like Ah said. We put Koz with Laura. Give them the oldest case, the Wayne County. You and Megan take the Macomb. Bloomfield will want their girlie working their crime. We stick her with Barksdale.”

“So why didn’t you tell me before?”

“You all right, Chene, but you ain’t no actor. Ah wanted everyone to know this was a surprise, even you. It made your reaction real. You gettin’ pissy ’cause Ah didn’t tell you about it first.”

I considered it for a moment. The old bastard had it down cold. Barksdale would have pitched a holy fit if I’d made the decision to split the team by case and assign him the outsider. He and Megan could barely stand each other. Laura was too new to stick with him. That left the Bloomfield detective. Since the orders were coming down from Cantrell, there was no way he’d argue it. Especially when it appeared that Cantrell did not trust me to make the call. It was a stroke of genius, pure logistical genius. I told him as much.

“’Tweren’t nothin. You might have figured it out in a couple of days.”

“Don’t be so modest, Pappy. You know how to manipulate him.”

“Uh huh.”

It took me a moment to admit the rest. “And me too.”

He nodded slowly. “Hell, Chene, if Ah can’t ever manipulate ya, y’all ain’t no good to me.”

Works in Progress

Is it possible for your characters to miss you? That certainly seems to be the case with mine. After numerous delays with other books, I've finally been able to focus my attention on the fourth Jefferson Chene mystery.

I've been jotting down scenes and connections for some time now. After reading what was already written, I moved some sections around so they make more sense and started filling in more detail. Several new scenes have been added. I've passed 20,000 words on this draft, which is about a quarter of the way through the story.

So far, so good.

Now I just have to keep up the pace. Chene is a patient man, but everyone has their limits. Even fictional characters.

Events

The festival season requires a lot of work. And it begins long before the actual events. I do a great deal of research, looking for new venues that may be a good opportunity to sell my books. After each show, I keep detailed records of everything related to that event. The number of books sold, cost for my space, support from the organizers, marketing and promotion efforts, even the weather are all important factors. If it's a festival I've done before, I'll also compare it to previous years.

Here's the details for my upcoming shows.

Thursday, April 23 2:00 to 7:30

Dorr Township Library

1804 Sunset

Dorr, MI

Saturday, April 25 10:00 to 5:00

Pulp & Press Lit Arts Fest

Depot Museum

300 N. Richardson

Vicksburg, MI

Saturday, May 9 9:00 to 3:00

Barry County Craft Show

Barry County Expo Center

1350 M 37

Hastings, MI

Saturday, May 16 10:00 to 3:00

Homespun Spring Market

St. Joe County Fairgrounds

5117 Ironwood Rd

South Bend, IN

Author Profile

Often at events, I have the opportunity to interact with other authors. That's the case here. At the Third Coast Author and Book Festival in Grand Haven last month, I met Rod Vick. Turned out we're both mystery writers and our tables were adjacent. Once the show got started, we were both busy chatting with shoppers and selling books. I heard enough of Rod's sales pitch to know he should be in the spotlight.

Let's learn more about him.

Everyone takes a different path to becoming a published author. What was your journey like?

You know those little guys who battled monsters and ultimate evil to toss a ring into magma at Mount Doom? Well, my journey was nothing like that. In fact, if one were to make a movie about my early days in publishing, the film would open with me watching my mailbox. This would go on for most of the film. And not the mailbox in my email, but the one on a pole near the road in front of my house, where I would be hoping to hear back from publishers I had contacted via snail mail.

Because that was the only option in those days, with the possible exception of going to a publisher’s actual home, breaking in, and holding his arm behind his back until he agreed to read your manuscript.

I started by publishing short stories in literary magazines (thankfully, without needing to engage in any home invasions) and moved into novel writing with a YA story called Kaylee’s Choice which spawned a seven-book series and sold more than 10,000 copies.

I self-published several YA series before moving into adult mystery and thriller literature with The Book of Invasions, which—along with the two other books in that trilogy— was traditionally published.

Are there any requirements you need when you’re working on a story?

Time and Coca-Cola. Mostly time. Because there are only twenty-four hours in a day, and since my wishing upon a star for benevolent fairies to come at night while everyone is asleep and take care of my yard work has not panned out, and there are grandchildren to play with, and My Lovely Wife Marsha needs occasional foot rubs. I also require at least six hours of sleep each night. This leaves me with approximately seventeen minutes a day for writing.

Do you prepare an outline before you start writing a story?

I usually write out about a dozen “chapter paragraphs” to give the story a spine. I’ll also jot out major character descriptions. Once I start writing, it’s like adding dry yeast to warm water and hydrogen peroxide: It just expands exponentially so that when I type that final period, it may have grown to fifty chapters. Characters have a way of taking on lives of their own that don’t always agree with my initial designs, so I have to follow them along their logical course.

Tell us about your latest book.

My latest novel is “The Book of Unforgivable Sins”, the third book in the Five Ancient Elements Series.

Who is left to stand against evil?

The sorceress Cessair is dead. But her cruel mentor, Shendjw—the last king of Predynastic Egypt—lives, having been made immortal by the power of the five ancient elements. He has dispatched his enemies, and now, after thousands of years, he hungers to rule the modern world. Yet five words whispered in a tomb fifty centuries ago stand between him and the enslavement of humanity. Words whispered to a dying woman by a woman already dead. Words that lead to a mysterious library of the arcane.

And to a small town in the American heartland where doom is promised and the clock is ticking.

“The Book of Unforgivable Sins” is the final chapter in the Five Ancient Elements Series, in which Celtic myth and Egyptian mysticism collide in a battle to decide the fate of the world.

Please share a scene.

          The following is from the third chapter. Jabari, a university student working the Tarkhan dig at the alleged tomb of Shendjw, the Crocodile King, has pulled a living woman, who says her name is Ricky, from a tomb supposedly sealed for 5,000 years. Enroute to hospital with her late at night, one of the dig’s guards, Rah, overtakes the duo and fires a gun from point-blank range at Jabari.

          He woke in a bed. A real bed. Not a camp cot. Not in a tent. In a room. A hotel room. A reasonably nice hotel room.

          I’m alive.

          Jabari sat up suddenly, and saw Ricky sitting at the desk, the room’s only light coming from the small lamp in front of her.

          “How? I was…I was shot!”

          “You fainted,” said Ricky. “Somehow, the dumb fuck missed you completely. You’d think he’d never shot anyone before.” He noted her speech was much improved. His eyes traveled the room. “Where are we?”

“Hotel room, obviously. I dragged your ass up to the truck, put you inside. The big guy with the Glock had enough money for the hotel.”

“Rah? Where is he?”

“I think Maat is weighing his soul about now.”

“What?” said Jabari hoarsely. “Maat?” Then he made the connection. “Rah is dead?”

“Get over it,” said Ricky sternly. “He tried to kill you. Didn’t blink an eye. Just pulled the trigger.”

“You killed him?”

“He thought I was dead,” explained Ricky. “Or maybe he just thought I was unconscious. Either way, he let his guard down and I grabbed his gun.”

“And shot him?”

“It was faster than watching him die of old age. Remember: He. Tried. To. Kill. You.”

Jabari spent a few silent moments attempting to process this information.

“Why would he do that?”

“I was going to ask you.”

Again, Jabari was lost for a minute in his own thoughts. “I thought you were dead. There was so much blood…” At this point, he noticed that Ricky was dressed in different clothes. She noticed his gaze, smiled.

“Stopped at a Circle K. Got one of their red, souvenir t-shirts.” She pointed to herself, feigning pride. “And a pair of black sweatpants. While you were out cold, I showered five thousand years’ worth of tomb shit off me and washed my hair.”

He saw she had also purchased a black oval patch for the left eye. It was remarkable how different she looked now from when he had first pulled her from the sarcophagus. Could it even be the same woman, he wondered? That woman had been frail, sinewy, like carrying a weighted blanket. This woman’s skin was smooth, and she now presented the healthy muscle tone of an athlete. Auburn hair fell in curly ringlets onto her shoulders. If not for the scar and the eye, she might have been a model.

“Are…are you going to kill me?” asked Jabari.

“Only if you ask stupid questions like that.”

He was silent again for a few moments. Then: “Why did Rah try to kill me? I…I thought he was my friend.”

Ricky sighed. “Like I said, I’m not one hundred percent clear on that. But if this were Vegas, and I had to lay down some Benjamins, I’d bet it was because he was hired to make sure nothing was alive in that tomb.”

Jabari’s mouth fell open. “But…you were in that tomb.”

“Yeah. In retrospect, I think that probably disappointed him.”

Jabari thought it over. “So someone thought you might be alive? But they weren’t sure?”

Ricky nodded. “I’m guessing.”

“Why would someone think that? And how are you alive? When I opened the sarcophagus, you were a freaking mummy! And now…now you speak English like an American and know Vegas. But you said five thousand years’ worth of tomb shit! It makes no sense!”

          “Calm down. It’s kind of a long story. Do you want the version where I don’t tell you everything and it only sounds a little crazy, or the version where I tell you the whole story and you vow to have me committed?”

“I want to know it all,” said Jabari.

Ricky sighed. “I figured as much.”

What’s next?

I’m also releasing another new book, The Last Genie. Details and order info are available on my website.

Any upcoming author events?

I’ll be one of the featured authors at Milwaukee’s Irish Fest in August.

Here are some links to learn more about Rod.

Website: www.rodvick.com

"The Book of Unforgivable Sins:"

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6R7BD4

Music

Lately I've been hearing a lot of Billy Joel tunes on the radio and the streaming services. Joel has been entertaining fans with his songs since the mid 1960s. An accomplished singer, songwriter and pianist, he has won multiple Grammys, has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Joel has sold more than 150 Million records and he is one of the most popular and respected entertainers in the world.

In 2014, Billy Joel began a residency at Madison Square Garden, performing once a month.

Here are my top five favorite songs from Billy Joel.

A Matter of Trust: https://youtu.be/6yYchgX1fMw?si=IkShNWtxHYgRURBz

Still Rock N Roll to Me: https://youtu.be/5eAQa4MOGkE?si=ACMp_huRPEhOC8XL

River of Dreams: https://youtu.be/hSq4B_zHqPM?si=2m7WsYKJj_3pUTcg

Keeping the Faith: https://youtu.be/xBUj8TPWE9E?si=kCoVg6TQ3tG5-bUE

Only the Good Die Young: https://youtu.be/qaS6-meMDdE?si=iq0ttX2RNFriVy2n