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Shooting At Shadows
By Forest McMullin
Genre: Thriller
Synopsis
A photograph can tell the truth. It can also get you killed.
Ethan McGuire’s relentless pursuit of explosive stories has cost him his family, his integrity, and now–possibly–his life. While documenting the rise of white supremacist movements in Western New York, Ethan encounters a world of neo-Nazis, heavily armed survivalists, rogue FBI agents, and violent criminals, all with something to hide. But when a crew of ruthless bank robbers starts hunting him for photos he doesn’t even know he has, the stakes turn deadly.
As his enemies close in and his family becomes a target, Ethan must expose the truth–before it buries him. Shooting at Shadows is a relentless thriller and chilling cautionary tale, inspired by the author’s real-life experiences as a photojournalist. It exposes the darkness lurking beneath the surface of American extremism–and the cost of bringing it to light.
“One hopes that McMullin has further adventures planned for his unlikely hero.” –Kirkus Reviews
“…a provocative thriller exploring highly pertinent themes in American culture today…” –Fredrick Soukup, author of Blood up North
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Enjoy this peek inside:
Someone outside began pounding on the truck in time to the chant and within moments it sounded like everyone who could reach the sides was pounding too:
“BOOM BOOM BOOM! BOOM BOOM BOOM!
“KKK! GO AWAY! KKK! GO AWAY!”
It was deafening, like being inside a giant bass drum. The thin metal walls of the truck amplified the beating and Ethan could
feel the horrible reverberation in his chest. Everyone moved toward the center of the bed as if the walls could come crashing in on them at any second. The two holding the rear gate down were fighting the door as people outside tried to raise it.
Suddenly the pounding stopped and Ethan felt the truck moving. The crowd was so loud he hadn’t heard the engine start. But how could they get through that mob without running anyone over? Maybe if Kevin went slowly enough, they’d let the truck pass. Surely the police would be able to get there and see to their safety. Then he realized it wasn’t forward motion he felt. The truck was swaying side to side. The chanting changed too. “O-VER! O-VER! O-VER!” They were trying to turn the truck on its side. Ethan didn’t think it could be done, but with this many people it was impossible to know for sure.
Everyone inside moved away from the center and put their hands against the sides to steady themselves. It was like trying to stand in a boat on choppy seas. Back and forth, back and forth the truck rocked, gaining momentum every time. Ethan saw the men holding the door down lose their balance and fall. The door rose and blinded them with brilliant sunlight.
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About Author Forest McMullin:
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Forest McMullin is a writer based in Atlanta, Georgia. Earlier in his career, he was a photojournalist who specialized in photographing fringe social groups. Today he writes both long and short form fiction, Shooting at Shadows is his first novel.
What if the man
stalking you worked in IT—at the police department?
“Think it couldn’t happen to you? Think again. Read. This. Book.” —John
DeDakis, Award-winning novelist, writing coach, and former editor on CNN’s
“The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer”
This true crime case is told with brutal honesty,
exposing the silent terror of stalking. Gripping details of kidnapping,
intimate partner abuse, and surveillance using everyday tools engrained in
society—and most households—uncovers systemic blindspots. From
overlooked police reports to exhausting court battles, it’s a story of a
woman’s resilience in the face of relentless fear. A must read for fans of true
crime, survival stories, and psychological thrillers.
Stalkers don’t just
hide in the shadows. Some log in.
Kathryn meets Todd, a charming IT expert for the police
department. He coaxes her into a brief relationship and turns a normal breakup
into a reign of terror. Todd isn’t just obsessed—he’s inside Kathryn’s home
network.
He doesn’t have to be in her house to watch her. Or hear
her.
He sees her text messages—on his screen.
He can follow her car without ever leaving his house.
And he even tells her why: “You are mine. And I don’t
share.”
When Todd asks Kathryn if she wants to see death coming, she
tells him no. Now she waits for it every day. Dismissed by officers, Kathryn
builds a case police can no longer ignore. But the more she learns about Todd’s
past, the more she suspects he might be tied to the unsolved murder of a woman
she has only one thing in common with: Todd.
And if she’s right, she might be next . . .
“A powerful, riveting
account about a woman being victimized by a modern-day monster.” —Kirkus
Reviews
“Urgency of feeling
pulses throughout . . .” —BookLife
“An inspiring story
of survival . . . the horrors of stalking and its devastating effects on the
mental health of those targeted . . .” —Chanticleer Book Reviews
& Media
“The specificity of emotion, the
physiological response to trauma, and the intellectual clarity . . . give this
book its power.” —Independent Book Review
“Unfollow Me kept me on the
edge of my seat from beginning to end. Caraway’s will to get justice in her
case and her composure through it all shows a resilience that not many
possess.” —Memoir Magazine
* 2024 Grand Prize Winner in Narrative
Nonfiction (Journey Award, Non-Fiction Overcoming Adversity)
* 2024 1st Place Winner in
Thriller/Suspense (Clue Award)
* 2024 1st Place Winner in
Non-Fiction Cover Design
Kathryn Caraway
thought a conviction would end the nightmare. She was wrong.
Todd Bennett is getting out of jail—and he hasn’t forgotten
her. The government offers her a lifeline: new name, new life, new country. But
freedom comes at a cost and safety is an illusion.
U.S. Marshal Wes Kade doesn’t care about feelings. He cares
about results. Cold, disciplined, and relentless, he has built a career on
keeping people alive. But something about this case doesn’t add up. He realizes
this isn’t personal—it’s war.
With nowhere left to hide, Kathryn must face the terrifying
truth that some nightmares never end.
A gripping
psychological thriller where survival isn’t just about escape—it’s about
fighting back.
Wow! I have absolutely DEVOURED this book, and Kathryn
Caraway has become my new favorite author! He Follows Me is the fictional
follow-up to Unfollow Me, and it does not disappoint. What starts as a
semi-cozy read turns into a tense thriller with an absolutely explosive ending!
Give this one a read, especially if you have read Unfollow Me! – Goodreads reviewer
The man who stalked me was convicted. On paper, the story looks over. But in real life, it lingers. It never really goes away. A conviction doesn’t erase the obsession. It doesn’t guarantee my safety.
Well-meaning people might say, “He’ll move on. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”
But there’s plenty I worry about. When he asked me if I wanted to see death coming, I never realized how that split second answer would define the rest of my life. I answered “no” and have waited every day since for a death I won’t see coming.
A conviction is not closure. A sentence completed is not guaranteed safety.
A job application being rejected because of his criminal history could incite him.
A woman he is interested in who learns about his past and pulls away could put me back in his crosshairs.
Or maybe, one day, he will simply wake up and decide I ruined his life.
The truth is, he doesn’t need a reason at all. That’s why I remain vigilant about my anonymity and my safety. I don’t see it as fear; I see it as survival. As I traversed the publishing process, I’ve been asked variations of the same question that I’m sure readers will have once the book is commercially available:
“Since he was convicted why can’t you just publish under your own name?”
“If your story is true, why can’t you use real names in the book?”
For me, the answer is simple, though it’s not always understood by others: publishing my true crime memoir has the potential to enrage him. To lead him straight back to me.
Sometimes they come back.
By my count, I am his sixth victim. The seventh was a witness in my stalking case. So even though he moved on to another, he still circled back to me. It happens.
That’s the thing about stalking. It is not a neat, contained story. I don’t consider myself a survivor of stalking. In fact, I fear the moment that I let my guard down, he will resurface.
Maybe it’s been years. Or a decade has passed and a feeling of safety returns. The joy of simple things eases their way back into my life like going to the grocery store and not scanning every vehicle in the parking lot or every face in the aisle.
I’ve moved on, but I can never be certain that he has. Maybe he is waiting for me to slip online. Maybe he is waiting for a moment of vulnerability—a relative’s funeral announcement that lists my name along with the date and time of service; or a birthday party or wedding details posted on social media that he thinks I will attend.
And, just like that, I will suffer a death I won’t see coming.
Being a victim of stalking influences every decision I make—right down to the name printed on the book cover. I keep my circle tight. I stay aware. And above all, I will not apologize for protecting myself.
If you’re among the 1 in 3 women or 1 in 6 men who have experienced it, you know that’s the thing about stalking—it never ends.
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Kathryn Caraway lived life as the target of a stalker for years.
After her perpetrator’s conviction, Kathryn founded the Unfollow Me Project to raise
education and awareness of the debilitating effects of stalking, as well as to
offer support to those being stalked. For more information, go to https://unfollowme.com.
She comes home to mourn her father. She stays to uncover the shocking truth.
When college student Berry returns to her family’s small Southern California farm after her father’s sudden death, she believes she’s coming home to grieve and reassure her mother that she’ll soon be back for good to run the farm. With farming in her blood, she is eager to bring new life to the failing farm through modernization and sound financial management after receiving her degree in agricultural economics.
It doesn’t take long for Berry’s plans to collapse, as she discovers all is not well in the surrounding farming community. A foreign-owned agribusiness, Happy Sun Farm, is taking over all the small farms, something her father had resisted.
As she delves deeper into the company’s campaign of coercing farm sales, Berry suspects they may have been responsible for her father’s death. She learns that Happy Sun Farm is far from a happy place. Their strange farming practices don’t make sense to her, and the unexplained deaths and secrecy surrounding the farm leave many questions unanswered.
With help from law enforcement not forthcoming, Berry sets out to explore what she can, but soon finds her own life in danger. Not knowing whom she can trust, she uncovers a diabolical plan of mass proportions no one could have imagined.
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Praise for Happy Sun Farm: Behind the Facade
“I haven’t read a thriller so brilliant, creepy, and compelling in years.” ~ Readers’ Favorite
“Happy Sun Farm is an unputdownable read packed with realism and high-stakes intrigue.” ~ Indies Today
“Happy Sunny Farm: Behind the Façade by Deven Greene is a genre-bending tale that wears many disguises. At times, it feels like a Stephen King narrative rooted in small-town unease; at others, it channels John Grisham’s legal-tinged suspense.” ~ Literary Titan
“The blend of farming insights, thriller, and murder mystery builds intrigue and political confrontation to create a satisfyingly absorbing story that’s hard to put down.” ~ D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
Book Details:
Genre: Thriller
Published by: Panthera Publishing Publication Date: October 22, 2025 Number of Pages: 356 ISBN: 978-196462008
Fog rolled in as the sun set on the verdant hills, silent but for the small animals carrying out their daily tasks of finding food and safety while caring for their young. Below in the valley, the mist-shrouded a smattering of primitive structures—the permanent home of twenty-thousand guests of Hwasong, the largest political prisoner camp in North Korea.
All the inmates—men, women, and children—were serving a life sentence for anti-revolutionary activities or being within three generations of a person convicted of that same high crime, so-called guilt by association. Those imprisoned solely because they were related to a convicted enemy of the state lived separately on the grounds, never allowed to see their denounced relative again. Their living conditions were horrible, but not as horrible as those who had committed a serious offense.
A group of a hundred men, women, and teens wearing orange jumpsuits, tired after a long day of hard labor, shuffled into the large auditorium, hurried along by shoves and baton whacks from the guards. Already seated was an equal number of prisoners wearing blue jumpsuits, men, women, and teens who had arrived by bus a half-hour earlier from a nearby housing block. The inmates dressed in blue were emaciated, their skin loosely covering the bones underneath, while those in orange were thin but without signs of starvation. The people in orange were silent as they glanced around and sat in the vacant seats between those in blue. If the two groups of prisoners had questions about why those in orange and blue were intermingled in this way, none dared to speak up. Ten guards armed with guns and batons stood around the room’s perimeter. After all the inmates were seated, one of the officers stepped to the front of the room and commenced the evening ritual of indoctrination. The session of self-criticism would be next. Prisoners who occasionally slumped forward from exhaustion were struck with a baton. He or she would either straighten up or fall to the floor before being pulled by their arms out of the room, never to be seen again. As the officer droned on about the greatness of the country and their Supreme Leader, Kim Jong Un, the guards around the perimeter continued to look straight ahead. None of the convicts seemed to notice the fine aerosol being emitted from nozzles that had poked through small holes in the ceiling high above. The mist silently spread to all corners of the room for several minutes before the apertures closed, and the spouts crawled back into the ceiling. A short session followed in which several prisoners were required to admit to recent shortcomings, such as not working as hard as they could have or eating more than needed to survive. The other prisoners responded by agreeing that the behavior described was shameful. When the meeting appeared to be over, the inmates in orange looked around, ready for the usual order to file into the cafeteria for a small meal. However, the doors remained shut, and all were told to stay seated. The lights dimmed, and a movie began, showing scenes of happy North Koreans at parades and concerts, playing sports, and attending school. For eleven hours, during which time the guards were replaced by a fresh batch, one film after the other played as the prisoners were forced to watch. One of the prisoners in an orange jumpsuit began to moan. In the dim light, the officers exchanged knowing looks. The sounds of distress became louder and deeper as several more inmates, all wearing orange, began to groan. The guards started to place buckets at the feet of the prisoners in orange. Within three hours, almost all those wearing orange were groaning, doubled over in pain, as they vomited into buckets. The vomit became increasingly tinged with blood as the night turned to day. Blood and stomach contents spewed onto the floor as the prisoners became unable to control their forceful retching. Soon, the sounds of explosive diarrhea filled the air. Unable to exert any control over their bodies, the sick fell to the floor as bloody bodily fluids from both ends of their gastrointestinal systems streamed out of them, into their clothes, down their pant legs, and onto the floor. Blood oozed from their mouths, noses, and eyes. At first, the convicts wearing blue sat still in their seats, fear drawn on their faces, but without suffering physically. At some point, one, then another, abandoned their seats and stood near the back of the room. Seeing that there were no repercussions, others followed. Within eight hours of the start of vomiting, two prisoners in orange had died. The deaths began to mount as those in blue looked on in horror, wondering if they would be next. Two buckets were placed near them for their own hygiene needs while they waited. Seventy-two hours later, the doors opened. The prisoners in blue, still emaciated but as healthy as they were when they had entered the building, were escorted outside into waiting buses to return them to their housing block. All of the prisoners in orange lay on the floor—dead.
Chapter 1
I handed my driver’s license to the airport security agent at the Indianapolis airport and scanned the boarding pass on my phone. As I had come to expect, the gray-haired man looked up at me and smiled. “I ain’t never seen that name before. Kinda takes me back.” “I know,” I said. “I get that a lot.” My dad was only two when John Lennon was killed, but his parents indoctrinated their son on everything Beatles. He, in turn, spent countless hours listening to Beatles music with my mom. I think they got stoned a lot when they were doing it, but they never admitted it to me. Given that their favorite Beatles song was “Strawberry Fields Forever,” I strongly favored that hypothesis. When I was born, they couldn’t resist naming me Strawberry. Oh, and my last name is Fields. Now you know why people often have something to say about my name. I’m a run-of-the-mill blond, not a strawberry blond. I think that would have made my life unbearable. I pulled on the cuff of my long-sleeved shirt, grabbed my driver’s license, and was about to walk off when the man said, “You must be a student at Purdue. Going home to visit the folks?” “Something like that.” I was in no mood to talk. I know the man was trying to be pleasant and make his day pass more quickly with small talk. The large P on the front of my baseball cap was known by all in the area to signify Purdue University, where I was, in fact, a student. I forced a weak smile and adjusted the shoulder straps on my backpack before walking off. After passing through the luggage check without incident, I headed toward my gate. First class was already embarking, but I still had to wait a while before my boarding group was called. I had bought my ticket the previous night and was in the last group, my seat near the back of the plane. Fortunately, the flight to Bakersfield, with one stop in Phoenix, wasn’t in high demand, and almost a quarter of the seats in the rear were empty. With ample space in the overhead bin, I lobbed my backpack in and took my aisle seat. The man sitting next to the window glanced my way and nodded. I nodded back, glad he didn’t want to chat. I remember taking off, but not much after that until I heard a male voice asking me if I was okay. I must have dosed off and wasn’t sure how much time had passed. I opened my eyes to see the concerned look on the flight attendant’s face, a pudgy middle-aged man who was bent over, his face close to mine. We were cruising at altitude, and tears were running down my face. Embarrassed, I tried to wipe them away. “Sorry,” I said. “I was dreaming about my dad. I’m on my way to his funeral.” “So sorry, dear. If you need anything, just let me know. I’ll comp you a drink if that will help.” I declined but thanked him for his offer and reflected on my mother’s hysterical call the day before. She had come home after spending all afternoon with a friend shopping and going to lunch when she found my dad dead on the kitchen floor. She had often confided in me that she felt terrible going places without him, but since he refused to leave the farm, she’d been doing things independent of him for quite some time. He’d been in good health—physically, that is—so his death was a big shock. I reflected on the situation, different from what I had planned for before my dad died as the plane sat on the tarmac in Phoenix. I was all too aware that it was too late. I was heading home, ready or not. Hardly the family reunion I had anticipated. I started to study a book on the economics of short-run decisions. After reading the first paragraph three times and still having no clue what it was about, I shut my eyes as the plane took off for the last leg of my trip. I’d be landing in Bakersfield in a little over an hour. My rest was short-lived. The flight attendant came by with a cart and asked me if I would like vanilla, raspberry, or peach yogurt. I looked at the available items—individual servings of Happy Sun Farm yogurt. I’d had their yogurt before, and it was delicious. “You’re lucky,” the attendant said. “Happy Sun Farm has donated a ton of yogurt to be served on our flights all week.” I decided it was probably no use trying to sleep and chose the peach flavor even though I wasn’t hungry. As I started to eat, my mind wandered to Happy Sun Farm. I had never heard of them until about a year earlier when their dairy and agricultural products began popping up all over. The company heavily advertised on TV. They boasted about all their products being non-genetically modified, or non-GMO. I didn’t have a problem with genetically modified food myself but knew that a lot of Americans did. All the produce my dad grew was non-GMO because he suspected all genetically modified food to be part of a government conspiracy. A conspiracy to do what, I didn’t know. Although I didn’t have time to watch much television, when I did, it was hard to avoid the Happy Sun Farm commercials featuring wholesome families frolicking and picnicking in a green meadow. The smiling sun logo served to reinforce that warm and fuzzy feeling emanating from their commercials. I wondered if they had a model I could follow to pursue success for my family’s farm. I’d noticed their rock-bottom prices, which was surprising since they must have spent a ton on ads. What I wouldn’t give to find out the secret to their success. *** Excerpt from Happy Sun Farm: Behind the Facade by Deven Greene. Copyright 2025 by Deven Greene. Reproduced with permission from Deven Greene. All rights reserved.
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About Author Deven Greene:
Deven Greene enjoys writing fiction, most of which involves science or medicine. She has degrees in biochemistry and medicine, and practiced pathology for over twenty years. Her other works include The Erica Rosen MD Trilogy, Ties That Kill, and The Organ Broker.
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A relentless thriller that explores the unbreakable bonds
that transcend time.
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What Goes Around
by Michael Wendroff
Genre: Thriller
‘Relentless and gritty, Wendroff
expertly weaves a narrative that begs, “just one more page”.’ J.D. Barker, New York Times bestselling
author
EVIL HAS MANY FACES Chilling murders terrorize a town and bring together two detectives to face
the hardest tasks of their lives. Jack Ludlum, who relies on his brawn to get
things done, is now paired with his archenemy, Jill Jarred, a brilliant
investigator with keen intuition. As they delve into the secret world of incels
and white supremacists, and conflict between local authorities and the FBI
rages, a media frenzy further complicates the mission.
Is there a serial killer on the loose? Or something entirely different? Will
the detectives’ clashing personalities be their undoing, or can they unite to
stop the killer before they kill each other?
What Goes Around is a
dynamic thriller that examines the intricacies of love, loss, and the
unbreakable bonds that transcend time. With its pulse-pounding pace,
captivating characters, and a revelatory twist that challenges the boundaries
of life and death, this novel will keep you hooked from the first page to the
last, and thinking long afterwards. ‘Starts off at a breakneck pace and doesn’t let up until it reaches its
unexpected conclusion.’ Lisa Black, New
York Times bestselling author of the Locard Institute thrillers ‘An adrenaline-fueled novel, the action breathlessly driven by two
detectives relentlessly pursuing the bloody trails left by a serial killer with
a dark sense of justice, deadly groups of white supremacists, and one lonely,
alienated boy caught up in the violence.’ Kathleen Kent, New York Times bestselling author ‘Fast-paced propulsive thriller that doesn’t let up – highly
recommended!’ Lori Brand, author
‘I could barely put this book down! The
twists and turns. The references to current political climate and the
unanswered “who dun it” questions kept me engaged until the last page. Great
read. Fast paced and an unexpected ending. Kudos for Wendroff’s debut novel!’ –
Amazon review
‘I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story
keeps you on the edge of your seat. He is a colorful writer and the characters
just come to life. They become very real, and the interplay between them is
really intriguing. I highly recommend this book.’ – Amazon review
**Paperback
edition just released Oct 7, 2025 – Get it now!**
“It was midnight in the garden-less apartment. Good and evil were still at odds.
A cold wind whipped by, rustling the leaves while he was wrestling with his thoughts.
He hadn’t slept at all the prior night and couldn’t think straight now. He didn’t want to be
there but ended up going along—mostly to make sure things didn’t get too out of hand.
He and Dylan had watched Jose enter the basement apartment a few minutes
earlier. They checked their supplies one more time under the moonless sky. They peered
at each other, dressed in black, faces covered in charcoal powder, the whites of their eyes
the most evident part of their visages. A cat screeched in the distance. An owl fled to the
heavens. Dylan nodded to him.
He took out his hammer, and with one loud crash, he smashed through the window,
pieces of glass exploding around him.”
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When did the title “What Goes Around” come to you?
I have to admit that it came from my publisher, not me. My name had been “Perennial.” My publisher came to me and said that for a thriller, they thought they could do better. Now, in my marketing career I would often have ad agencies come in and show me a number of ads and I would normally end up having them make revisions or come back with new ads. I thought the same thing would happen here, but it didn’t. As soon as they suggested What Goes Around, I knew that was it! Not only does it sound like a thriller, but it totally ties into the entire book’s theme. Plus I also think the potential reader that sees the title completes the phrase in their own mind, so I’ve already made a connection with them.
Described as relentless and gritty and about to go into second print…what do you want us to know about the book?
It’s actually now into its third printing, I’m proud to say. It was published in the USA,UK and Australia in hardcover. You can get it at The Island Book shop in Venice. It is also available on Amazon in eBook and audiobooks. I’m amazed how popular audiobooks have become. And to my surprise, my agent sold foreign translation rights in Japanese, Hungarian, and Italian.
You mentioned, “relentless and gritty,” and I was thrilled to see that the author who said that has now made it to #1 on the bestseller list. In fact, JD Barker’s full quote was, “Relentless and gritty, Wendroff weaves a narrative that begs, ‘just one more page…'” And that’s exactly what I wanted to achieve–a page turner that the reader can’t put down.
Promoting the book is a challenge but with an MBA in marketing and your background in the publishing field in a literary agency you may’ve seen what it takes. And now that you’ve achieved a lifelong goal of writing your own book, what’s next?
I always wanted to write a book and it was really the pandmic that got me going-there was that periodof time when you couldn’t do anything, couldn’t even play tennis or go to the beach. So I was out of excuses and went at it. Rightnow, I’m spending a lot of time promoting it. Authors have to realize that today, writing is only 50% of their time, the other 50% is marketing. I’ve done a lot of podcasts, been reviewed by a lot of bloggers (I’m really happy the reviews have been great), and attend a lot of events, including book clubs. The bookclubs sem to really enjoy having a real writer at their meetings, providing insights about the novel as well as the writing and publishing process. In fact, I’d be happy to join any of your readers book clubs (contact me at wendroffm@gmail.com).
My next goal is to write my second book. I’ve plotted it and researched it, so now time to start writing! It will be another thriller and feature the two main characters from What Goes Around, as publishers tend to like series. It’s like building a brand.
What inspires you to write and tell us about your process. Do you write at a certain time, place…You mentioned your office and pool area.I notice you recently enrolled in the Citizens Police Academy in Venice to learn to shoot a taser….what are other things you enjoy researching for your stories. Do you feel it worked for you starting with an outline?
I love writing, and my process is plot, research, write, and edit.
I usually write in the mornings, when I’m freshest, either in my office or at the pool. The water inspires me, that’s another reason Venice is great-beaches, ponds-I don’t even mind the alligators staring at me. I usually sit at my pc to get the story going, and not worry about things like grammer or the specific words, I just want to get the writing flowing. The next morning I will reread what I’d written, and try to make it real writing. Make sure every word fits with the others, make sure each sentence fits with the others. Add the analogies and metaphors. After that’s done, I’ll start scribbling out the next party of the story on my pc, which will be re-written the next day. That process of write then rewrite continues everyday, until I can write my favorite two words: The End
But before I actually start the writing itself, comes the plotting. There are actually two types of writers-plotters and pantsers.Pantsers simply sit in front of their computers and write by the seat of their pants. They have no idea where the story is going. That’s not be. I have to know everything upfront, so after ideating I write a detailed plot outline. I need to know not only what the ending will be, but where I’ll plant the red herrings, and where I’ll put the twists and turns. Nut it’s not like things won’t change. Once I became really attached to one of my characters, and the plot called for the character to die, but I couldn’t do it. I had to change the plot. Another time I did kill off a character I loved, but my wife yelled at me because I was walking around for a week in depression. She said “They’re not real!!.” But to an author, they are real!
The other thing I do before writing is the researching. Sure there’s Google and Chat GPT, but what I found is best is talking to people who do the types of things that are in your book. Living in Venice, I had a lot of resources. I’d come to know FBI agents and police officers and chiefs. And the Venice Police department is great. It was important for my book to talk to a female detective and they put me in touch with one of their own, Courtney Zak. She was great, and a lot of her insights are in the book. The Venice Police Department actually runs a “Citizens Police Academy” where you can learn about all the different facets of the things they do, and I just finished it, which I highly recommend for anyone.
So talking to people for research is critical. Now, I don’t think I spoke to any serial killers…
Anything you want to share about family, kids, upbringing? I like that quote your mother said when you were born, “Nice to see you again.”
My mother was an editor at major New York City publishing firms. I distinctly remember her on a weekend sitting cross-legged on her bed, manuscript pages, strewn about, and red pen in hand writing editorial comments all over the pages. So at least I was prepared for my editor’s comments on my book. They weren’t in red pen, but the comments in the margins of the word document were as instructive. But I wasn’t surprised.
She remarried a literary agent, who had many thriller and mystery writer clients, so I probably got my love of the genre from reading all those books, free! Unfortunately he’s no longer with us, but I think still had an impact. My agent had been shopping around my manuscript to publishers, which takes a lot of time. But the very next day after my stepfather died, my book was sold! So I think I had a little help from above.
Is there an anecdote you could share about authors you ran into when growing up?
Actually, I’ve got one for both!
My stepfather was a literary agent and one of his clients was the bestselling author, Robert Ludlum (many know him for the Jason Bourne movies with Matt Damon). Once I got to stay at his winter home in St. Thomas. I remember waking up one morning, going into his living room and seeing him on the couch writing on a yellow legal pad with a pencil. That’s how he wrote his 450 page novels, by hand! While I admired Ludlum’s plotting and prose, I couldn’t do that! Thankfully, when it came time for me to write What Goes Around, I had a PC!
Regarding Capote, I grew up in a bit of a literary milieu, then went to NYU for business. It was when writing my MBA thesis that I was able to marry my love of books with my new love of marketing, as my thesis was on “Marketing in the Publishing Industry.” In fact, the industry’s trade journal, Publishers Weekly, excerpted my thesis in 3 editions, and paid me. That was the first time I got paid for my writing–I liked that!
During the research for it I interviewed a lot of publishing executives. One time I was waiting outside the office of the Editor-in-Chief for Simon& Schuster, and finally the door opens, and I’m ushered in and who do I meet–Truman Capote! As a thriller writer, meeting the author of In Cold Blood was amazing! And he looked exactly as you’d imagine.
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Believe in yourself and never give up.
Write every day, even if it’s only 10 minutes.
Learn your craft–there are so many opportunities! Online courses (I took courses on BBC Maestro from Lee Child and Harlan Coben). Conventions-Thrillerfest in NYC puts on great craft seminars. There are writing groups too. Read in your genre and never stop learning.
What advice would you give to your neighbors about life?
Wow,that’s a big question.
But I guess it boils down to be nice. Because, What Goes Around, Comes Around!
Michael Wendroff
is the author of What Goes Around, a
debut thriller published by Bloomsbury, which bestselling author Eric Rickstad
calls a “brilliant debut,” and bestselling author Lisa Black says, “starts off
at a breakneck pace and doesn’t let up until it reaches its unexpected
conclusion.” Plus, #1 bestselling author J.D. Black says, “Relentless and
gritty, Wendroff expertly weaves a narrative that begs, ‘just one more page…’”
The book was
inspired by what his mother said to him the second he was born: “Oh! How nice
to see you–Again!”
Michael has an MBA
in marketing from NYU, and was inducted into their Hall of Fame. He is a global
marketing consultant. He shares his time between New York City, Sarasota,
Florida, and Lake Garda, Italy. He is married and has three wonderful children.
His mother was an
editor (watching his mother scribbling in red ink on manuscript pages at home
on weekends prepared him for his own editor’s comments!). She remarried a
literary agent, so Michael was friendly with many authors, and even spent a
vacation with Robert Ludlum. Watching Ludlum hand-write his 450 page novels on
yellow legal pads didn’t dissuade Michael from trying to write a novel (though
he’s thankful for his PC).
What Goes Around was launched in the USA, UK, and Australia,
and foreign language rights have been sold in Italian, Japanese, and Hungarian.
The hardcover went through 3 printings, and now the trade paperback is
available (along with audio book and e-book).
Fun fact:
Michael’s great-grandfather was brought over by Thomas Edison from the
University of Copenhagen to work with him. He holds a number of patents,
including for plastic buttons. Michael proudly wears button- down shirts
whenever he can.
WHEN POWER CORRUPTS,
JUSTICE TAKES AN UNEXPECTED TURN
When Florida investor and real estate developer Dylan Tomassi attends the opening of a major addition to a private Connecticut school he funded through his charitable foundation, publicity from the event draws the ire of a powerful teachers’ union leader determined to extinguish all forms of private school expansion. While she forges an unlikely alliance with a corrupt environmental activist to embezzle funds earmarked for education Dylan becomes the victim of a series of mysterious attacks against him and his business interests.
After being shot at and brutally assaulted, Dylan decides to disappear with a former flame who has unexpectedly reentered his life, while his lawyers and the police investigate. The couple rekindle their relationship as they explore various corners of the country from California to the American heartland. As the investigations unfold, it appears the culprit may never be discovered until a series of events within the alliance result in a shocking turn of events.
Two Lefts Don’t Make a Right is a highly entertaining tale of corruption, mystery and reprisal.
Why did you start writing later in your career and why do you write fiction?
I retired from the practice of law in 2017 and prior to that work and family had occupied much of my time. After retirement I coached college athletics and then COVID shut down the sports programs and the entire campus. I suddenly found myself with a lot of time on my hands and decided to start writing. I wanted to have fun with it, something that would entertain readers and provide them with an escape, so I chose to write contemporary fiction. The first book in the Dylan Tomassi series, PAPERBOY, a coming-of-age thriller, was published in 2022.
Are any of the characters in the series based upon real life people you have known?
The short answer is no. All the characters are derived from my wildly vivid imagination, although some of the books’ villains share characteristics with people you may be reminded of and that was done intentionally as part of the extrapolation feature of the writing.
Are you sure Dylan Tomassi is not based on you?
That’s probably the most frequent question I get from readers, and the answer is no. Dylan is tall, handsome, smart, and extremely well-grounded. He came from a hardscrabble background and became incredibly wealthy and successful. Along his journey, he is guided by an unrelenting work ethic and strong moral compass and his somewhat naïve outlook allows him to view the ways of the world through an apolitical perspective of common sense and reasonableness. He’s almost too good to be true, and I am far from that.
Is there anything that you and Dylan have in common?
We both grew up in Connecticut, had paper routes, and relocated to Florida after graduating from college. We also both enjoy sports and fitness. The similarities pretty much end there.
What is your proudest moment so far since you began writing?
When PAPERBOY became an Amazon number one best seller.
Your books often go into detail on the background of various subjects. Where do you get that information and is it all fact based?
Some of the subjects that are weaved into the plots, including the newspaper industry, college athletics, and the criminal justice system, involve areas where I have worked at various times in my career and I rely a great deal on my background and experience. I do extensive research on all the other subjects I write about where I have no specialized knowledge, such as the banking system, climate change, and education. All the story lines themselves are fictional, but I do try to be factually accurate when describing the fundamentals of the various institutions.
Where can we find more information about you and what can we expect to see in the future?
The best source of information is my website at authordanromanello.com. TWO LEFTS DON’T MAKE A RIGHT is the third book in the series and the fourth book, MED MAL U, is in the works and set to be released sometime next year.
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Meet Author Dan Romanello:
Dan Romanello is an Amazon #1 Best Selling Author. He worked in the newspaper industry before attending law school at the University of Florida. After serving as an assistant state attorney, he spent more than 20 years as a partner in a boutique firm, running the trial practice group. An accomplished trial lawyer, he has litigated cases in courtrooms throughout the state of Florida. After retiring from the active practice of law, he wrote the first book in the Dylan Tomassi series, Paperboy. He resides on Florida’s gulf coast.
byStuart Heinrich Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 474 pages Genre: Sci-fi, Mystery, Thriller, Scientific Publisher: Endless Tree Books, LLC Release date: July 31, 2025 Content Rating: PG-13. My book is rated PG-13 for some religious profanities, violence involving firearms, as well as mature themes such as global warming and ecological collapse.
Book Description:
The world is on the brink of an apocalyptic climate crisis and quickly spiraling out of control into a dystopian nightmare. As everything collapses around them, two scientists struggle for relevance in their quest to build the world’s first practical quantum computer. They discover so much more: a mystery of physics that goes deeper than they could have ever imagined…
Stuart Heinrich holds a PhD in computer science and a passionate interest in the fundamental nature of reality. The Quantum Revelations is his debut novel. connect with the author: website ~ goodreads
Will her life philosophy, “Do right, fear no man,” get her killed?
A string of bad luck has left former Army helicopter pilot Dot Ybarra with a serious case of wrecked nerves and a need for peace and solace at her family’s Idaho ranch. Instead, she encounters a desperate mother who stumbles onto their land, begging Dot to rescue her kidnapped daughter.
There’s a bounty on the kidnapper’s head, and fugitive recovery agent T.J. Roman is not about to let that paycheck slip through his fingers. Together, he and Dot rescue the child.
But their actions set off an explosion of secrets in Euskadi. The sheriff is slinking around with a new shady sidekick, Dot’s friends are stabbed, and armed mercenaries attack her ranch, forcing her to use her hunting and archery skills to defend her family. Cornered by the unknown enemy’s three-pronged attack, Dot and her charges retreat deep into the Payette National Forest. Isolated in the mountainous forest, separated from T.J. and any help, Dot must make a hard choice: fight or walk away?
Will her first recovery job be her last?
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Praise for Ride a Dark Trail:
“With sharp characters you’ll want to stand up and root for, Winter Austin creates an eye-popping Idaho setting for us to enjoy with Ride a Dark Trail.”
“Echoes of Yellowstone meets Magnum P.I. come together in a chilling Idaho plot you’ll want to get to the bottom of.”
“After reading Ride a Dark Trail, you’re going to hope there’s a real-life Dorothy Ybarra out there in today’s world.”
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MY REVIEW
Talk about intense. This mystery thriller kept me focused and feeling anxious to know how the characters could overcome so much adversity and survive to live another day.
There are a lot of characters to keep track of which can slow down the reading experience. It didn’t slow down mine. It ramped it up. I wanted to know how they all crossed paths and what their roles were, good or bad.
There are many engaging characters. Dot stood out the most. I like a strong, heroic female protagonist who’s also got some chinks in her armor. Leaving the military and giving up her role as a helicopter pilot had to set her back. But when a stranger pleads for her help in finding her daughter, she can’t ignore a call to action. When things got tough, Dot got tougher and once again trusted her instincts. And when I got to know her mother, I knew where she got her mojo from.
There’s also an opportunity for romance when a man from Dot’s past shows up. TJ is also working the young mother’s case, but from a different angle. Dot and TJ decide two heads are better than one and work together to find the missing child. This is where they start to connect romantically. I liked them together but was glad the romance was downplayed and not a main part of the story.
For mystery and thriller fans, this is a must read. There’s a whole lot of bread crumbs to follow and conspiracy and danger rear their ugly heads. Sure did keep me turning the pages.
It’s always a good thing for me to try a new author and series and enjoy the writing and the story. This was a good choice.
4 STARS
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Book Details:
Genre: Modern Western Thriller
Published by: Tule Mystery Publication Date: August 18, 2025 Number of Pages: 310 ISBN: 9781967678082 (ISBN10: 1967678081) Series: Bounty of Shadows, Book 1
His ghost always joined her for the final drag on an Ave Maria Dark Knight cigar.
He started appearing two months into her newly formed habit. Always in his sweat-stained, gray Open Road Stetson and wool-lined coat with a few less wrinkles in his face. Here, in the goats’ lean-to, where she’d taken to hiding out to have her smoke so as to not offend her mother’s senses.
At his first appearance, she swore it was a hallucination. The second time, she flipped out. With each appearance since she became more belligerent, while he grew more persistent.
“Biloba, why do you keep doing this thing?” She blew out the smoke. “Go away, Aitonatxo.” Her grandfather shook his head. One of the goats meandered through his transparent legs, disrupting his stern reproach. Aitona turned his withering look to the red-brown doe munching on hay. “Goats. She just had to get goats.” A smile twitched at the corners of her mouth as she drew on the cigar for the last time. One year after her grandfather passed, her mother had sold the last of the sheep, turned the ranch into an outfitter and hunting business, bought horses and mules for it, then goats just for the hell of it. The small herd had come in real handy in keeping the overgrowth of underbrush and weeds under control, saving the ranch a time or two from wildfires. The milking goats also made convenient pack animals when there was need for nourishment up in the mountains. Aitona didn’t roll over in his grave. No, he came back to fucking haunt her and complain about the goats. “Dorothy Ybarra, where are you?” His specter vanished with her last puff of smoke. Before her mother could barge into the goats’ lean-to and give her hell for smoking in the building, Dorothy ground the butt into the bottom of her boot. One disapproving familia was enough, even if Aitonatxo was an apparition of her mind. Angela Ybarra rounded the edge of the lean-to’s weathered support post, her pack of mutts in tow. The goats scattered, except for a leggy dark brown female who’d taken a liking to Dot and exuded copious amounts of stubborn. That doe would not be deterred by no dog. Exactly twenty years older and just as whipcord lean as her daughter, Angela Ybarra was the polar opposite when it came to Dot’s tornado in a trailer park personality. But that didn’t stop Angela from pulling the matriarch card every chance she got. Angela wrinkled her nose and gave Dot a pointed look but held her tongue. Dot hadn’t burned down any buildings. Yet. Her mother reached out and scratched the doe’s withers. “I’ve got a new elk hunting party coming in later today. We’re taking them out to that nice valley for their hunt. I need to grab a few supplies for the trip. In the meantime, would you round up your gear and check it over?” “You sure you want me up there with you?” “I need you, Dot. This is a new group to me.” In other words, Ama wasn’t comfortable being on her own with this bunch. Most of the hunters Angela outfitted were longtime customers she had built a strong rapport with and trusted. She took on new clients only if there was a long lull between her regulars and funds were tight. Since Dot’s return to the ranch, she’d been her mother’s backup when one of the local sheep herders wasn’t available to ride out with Angela. Dot’s presence on hunts was a good deterrent for wannabe suitors or general dickheads. Not that Angela Ybarra couldn’t hold her own—she was Samo Ybarra’s daughter after all and had sent many a man intending ill-intent back to civilization with a limp and severe damage to his manhood. Dot, on the other hand, was less accommodating. The pervs usually woke up in the hospital, cuffed to the bedrail. “Ama, you don’t need to earn the extra cash. I can spot you.” “No.” Angela sliced the air with a disapproving finger. “Your army and pilot funds are yours. Don’t waste them on my business.” “Come on!” “I’ll hear no more of it.” Angela checked her watch. “I’m going. Be ready.” She slipped from view, her canine pack following. Dot’s guard goat gave a very goat-like nicker as she munched on weeds bold enough to dare grow in their pen. It might have been a year since the crash. She might have been released from physical therapy with a clean bill of health two months ago. And she might be in the best physical shape of her life since basic training and flight school. Still, Dot hadn’t spent more than two hours horseback in the last six months. Riding into the foothills of the Payette National Forest and getting to that valley her mother spoke of meant at least an eight-hour ride. Probably longer if this new hunting party wasn’t used to long hours in the saddle. Dot groaned. Good thing she loved her mother. She rose from the goats’ favorite climbing stump and vacated the lean-to. At the corner, she glanced back at the spot where Aitona had appeared. He’d died while she was away at training. It ate at her for years that she hadn’t been here to see him crossed over to the other side and be with his beloved Dorothy—Dot’s namesake. Though somehow he hadn’t quite left the ranch. He wanted to know. Or maybe she was using his specter to ask herself the question. Why did she do this thing? She was hale and hearty, ready to get back in the air. God knew the forest service hadn’t stopped calling. Yet she couldn’t pull herself away from her current predicament. Why? “I’m doing it for Ama,” she said to the air. *** Excerpt from Ride a Dark Trail by Winter Austin. Copyright 2025 by Winter Austin. Reproduced with permission from Winter Austin. All rights reserved.
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About Author Winter Austin:
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Winter Austin perpetually answers the question: “were you born in the winter?” with a flat “nope,” but believe her, there is a story behind her name. A lifelong Mid-West gal with strong ties to the agriculture world, Winter grew up listening to the captivating stories told by relatives around a table or a campfire. As a published author, she learned her glass half-empty personality makes for a perfect suspense/thriller writer. Taking her ability to verbally spin a vivid and detailed story, Winter translated that into writing deadly romantic suspense, mysteries, and thrillers. When she’s not slaving away at the computer, you can find Winter supporting her daughter in cattle shows, seeing her three sons off into the wide-wide world, loving on her fur babies, prodding her teacher husband, and nagging at her flock of hens to stay in the coop or the dogs will get them.
Luna Rosati found acceptance and comfort with her childhood foster family, but when she became pregnant at sixteen, she gave the baby up for adoption and left without a word. Now a CIA counterintelligence officer, Luna wants to reconcile her fractured sense of self by finding the only blood family she has–the teenage daughter she’s never met. As Luna closes in on learning the girl’s identity with the help of her mentor, Stryker, she prepares to meet him in her old neighborhood–the last place she wants to be. Then Stryker is captured.
AN INESCAPABLE PAST
Special Agent Corbin King changed his last name to escape the shadow of his convicted father serving a life sentence. When he runs into Luna, the object of his failed teenage romance, the two must put their pasts aside and work together to expose a secret that someone’s willing to kill for.
A DEADLY THREAT
But when they encounter a kidnapping, missing bodies, and murder, the secrets Corbin and Luna are keeping from one another are only the beginning of the threat they face with more than their own lives at stake.
A gripping Christian romantic suspense thriller with CIA intrigue, second chances, and found family. Perfect for fans of clean thrillers, faith-based fiction, and emotional page-turners by Lynette Eason, Colleen Coble, Jessica R. Patch, and Charles Martin.
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Praise for Kate Angelo:
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“Kate Angelo skillfully unveils the savagery of greed under the pretense of good.” ~ DIANN MILLS, bestselling writer
“An exciting story that will capture readers’ emotions while also taking them on a pulse-pounding, suspenseful roller coaster ride they won’t soon forget.” ~ NANCY MEHL, author of the Erin Delaney Mysteries
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Book Details:
Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense Thriller
Published by: Revell Publication Date: September 23, 2025 Number of Pages: 336 pages, Paperback ISBN, Pbk: 9780800746636 (ISBN10: 0800746635) Series: The King Legacy, Book 1
“What are you doing here, Luna?” The honeyed tone he’d used on the waitress morphed to granite.
“Since when does the FDLE investigate missing persons?”
“Since when do you talk to Stryker? Or any of us, for that matter?”
“Why do you keep answering questions with another question?” Although she knew good and well she’d started it.
The squiggle of a blue vein bulged at Corbin’s temple, and she kind of enjoyed it. “Since we gave our baby up for adoption. Since you cut me out of your life.” His finger stabbed the table to punctuate each sentence. “Since you left town without a word and never looked back.” Another crack formed. His words knifed her heart. Images of a teen beggar girl on the streets of Pakistan played through her mind. The one with dark hair and eyes that mirrored her own. The girl’s striking resemblance to herself had brought Luna back to the time when she held a tiny life in her arms. The baby girl she’d given up—not because she wanted to, but because she refused to let her child suffer the life she’d had. The daughter she’d brought into being was somewhere out there in the world, and she needed Stryker to tell her where. The pang cut deep, but Luna gathered her composure and locked her emotional armor down tight. She wasn’t the only one who’d walked away. “You broke up with me, Corbin. You told me you didn’t want to be a father. You made that choice. I just made sure our daughter had a future.” The skin around his collar flushed crimson. She could see his neck straining. “I can’t believe you—” A sharp glint of light flashed through the storefront windows. Whatever Corbin was saying faded into nothingness. She watched Stryker emerge from his rusty old Jeep parked across the street. His hair, a blend of salt and pepper, hung in a knot at the nape of his neck. Aside from the silver strands, he looked like the same athletic man she’d known when she was a teenager. Years melted away. She saw the man who’d seen the good in her, even when she was a mess of anger and bad choices. The man who’d taken a lost and confused girl and forged her into something stronger, something more. He’d pulled her back from the edge, shown her a different path. And somehow, against all odds, the rebellious girl who’d once cursed every cop in sight had become a government agent. He’d challenged her, pushed her, never let her give up on herself. And she hadn’t. Would he still recognize that girl in the woman she’d become? A black SUV slammed to a halt outside. Doors flew open. Three dark figures jumped out, faces swallowed by masks, bodies muted by black tactical gear. Guns. They had guns. Luna was on her feet before she knew what was happening. Her brain put it together on the fly. Outside. Help Stryker. Corbin’s chair scraped back. Clattered over. He was on her heels. Stryker wouldn’t go down without a fight. With his reflexes, he could disarm a shooter and break a few bones faster than she could blink. His resistance would buy them the priceless seconds they needed to get outside. One man pointed a Taser at Stryker and squeezed the trigger. Two barbed probes shot through the air and embedded into the back of Stryker’s neck, sending fifty thousand volts of electricity screaming through his body. The other two men caught him under the arms before he hit the sidewalk and hauled his limp body into the back seat. Luna and Corbin burst outside. Shouts. A woman screamed. But Luna’s eyes were laser focused on the dark vehicle. The doors slammed shut. Corbin had his gun out. “Police! Stop or I’ll shoot!” The SUV’s engine roared. The vehicle lurched forward, tires shrieking, grabbing traction. It fishtailed, sideswiping two parked cars. Then it swerved back on course, speeding down the street. It blew through a stop sign and disappeared around the corner. Bits of red and yellow confetti littered the street and sidewalk. Luna crouched and used her fingernail to scrape up a few of the tiny round dots. Corbin sprinted half a block chasing after the vehicle before he stopped. Feet set shoulder width apart. Knees flexed. Arms extended and ready to fire. She marched over and slapped her palm on the muzzle of his gun to shove the barrel down. “Put that away. You can’t shoot into a busy street at a fleeing vehicle.” He was breathing hard. “No plates. They wore masks. Should be able to get surveillance footage and interview witnesses.” Like her, Corbin was already thinking of the next steps. She had her phone out, thumb hovering over the screen. The secret code used to send secure cables to the Agency wouldn’t work on this plain smartphone. The only person whose number was stored in this one had just been kidnapped. Corbin muttered something Luna couldn’t hear. He had a hand on his waist. The tail of his blazer was pushed back, showing the gun in its holster on his hip. He rattled his name, badge number, and their location into his phone. “I’m reporting a confirmed kidnapping in progress. Requesting immediate backup and notify detectives.” With Stryker gone, she had no reason to stay. Time to start searching for him. She did an about-face and went back inside. Angie was on the phone in hysterics. It’d be a wonder if the dispatcher could make sense of the gibberish behind her sobs. Luna marched to the table and picked up her purse. Paused long enough to drain her lemonade and toss a twenty on the table before heading back outside. Corbin fell into step beside her, phone still pressed to his ear. “Where are you going?” She kept walking. “Hey, you can’t leave a crime scene.” He grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. She caught his hand in a wrist lock and rotated his forearm until his knees buckled. “You’ve gotten slow in your old age.” She flashed a thin smile and shoved him, releasing her hold. Corbin stumbled a few steps. The look on his face was almost worth the agony of seeing him again. She turned and headed for her car. The last person she’d ever wanted to see was Corbin King. Not here. Not now. Not ever. “Luna! You can’t just walk away. Luna!” Stryker was not only her mentor but a father figure. She wouldn’t stand by and let someone hurt him. Besides, he was the one who’d arranged the adoption. Handled everything himself, outside the system when she was too young and emotionally wrecked to question the details. Back then, she hadn’t wanted to know. Convinced it was better that way. But that had changed. Now, without Stryker, she had no way to find the only blood relative she had left. And after everything she’d lost in Pakistan, she could not afford to lose anything else. The weight of it all didn’t matter. She would save Stryker. She would find her daughter. And she would do it without Corbin King. *** Excerpt from Girl Lost by Kate Angelo. Copyright 2025 by Kate Angelo. Reproduced with permission from Kate Angelo. All rights reserved.
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About Author Kate Angelo:
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Kate Angelo is the Publishers Weekly bestselling author of Hunting the Witness, Selah Award winner of Deadly Holiday Hijack, and Amazon Top 100 Bestseller of Driving Force. Kate works alongside her husband championing stronger marriages and families. Her journey from foster care to bestselling author fuels her fast-paced romantic suspense, where flawed characters discover hope and healing through life’s fiercest trials and relationships. When she’s not putting fictional people through the wringer, she’s out creating real-life happily-ever-afters at conferences and events nationwide. .
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A fast-paced techno thriller that brings a gripping
conclusion to the E&A Investigations series as Mari Ellwyn faces her past,
her nemesis, and a web of high-stakes crimes.
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Switch
E&A Investigations Book 3
by Lisa Towles
Genre: Mystery Crime Thriller, Suspense
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A body vanished
from the morgue. A coastal town gripped by bank heists.
The only link is a
past that someone will kill to keep buried.
In Book 3 of the E&A Investigations series, Mari Ellwyn
and Derek Abernathy return to track a string of unsettling bank robberies.
Their case takes a dark turn with the bizarre disappearance of a body from the
local morgue, a mystery connected to the vanishing of the previous Medical
Examiner, Dr. Camille Bota. Their investigation plunges them into the dangerous
world of a multi-national organization involved in suspected fraud and fringe
technology research. For Mari, the case ignites a personal quest, forcing her
to confront the long-unresolved disappearance of her father, CIA operative
Richard Ellwyn.
The deeper she digs, the more Mari realizes that both she
and her father are inextricably linked to their lifelong nemesis, the notorious
international crime boss Jacques Martel. The missing body and the secrets
surrounding Dr. Bota become entangled with her father’s shadowy past and
Martel’s deadly machinations. In a high-stakes collision of family secrets and
criminal enterprise, Mari must confront her father and their shared enemy
before they both become casualties in Martel’s lethal game.
REVIEWS:
“A taut, high-intelligence thriller with real emotional
teeth…” – The Prairies Book Review
Fast-paced, smart, and full of twists, this is a thriller
that delivers both heart and heat.” —Scott Olsen, San Francisco
Book Review
“A breakneck techno-thriller that crackles with smart dialogue, raw emotion,
and relentless tension.” – Literary Titan
This exhilarating, action-infused crime thriller deftly incorporates suspense
with harrowing drama to keep readers turning the pages. – The Book
Commentary
I peered at him behind my dark glasses. He couldn’t see my eyes; I liked it that way. It was the kind of leverage I learned from him — micro power moves that looked innocuous but were carefully planned, psychologically strategized to the finest detail, like showing up for a negotiation dinner twenty minutes early. Your opponent arrives flustered, while you smile with a half-full martini glass. They’re already late to the party. I’d used that one many times.
“Are you glad to see me?”
“You’re a bastard,” I said.
He recoiled an inch but recovered instantly. I loved this moment. I ordered a second gin martini and maintained my distance, still observing him observing me. Such theater.
“What do you want from me?” he asked, reaching up to loosen his collar, realizing it was already unbuttoned. I made him nervous. So he cared about something after all. I wanted to say my childhood back, the one he missed and wasted while he was off doing whatever spies did back then, pretending to be a simple businessman from a State Department corner office.
“What do I want from you? I have no idea.”
“Really?” he asked. “Like you haven’t thought about it? Come on.”
“I’m curious why you came.”
“You’re my daughter, that’s why. Now answer the question.”
I wanted to ask him about Jacques Martel, my nemesis. Maybe he was his nemesis more than mine. And I wondered if he’d ever loved me or my mother at all. If I lowered his aviator glasses right now, would his eyes be wet after seeing his only daughter again? I felt a vibration on the floor, his foot tapping. Ah, his signature tell, and the only manifestation I’d ever seen of fear.
“You’re a liar.”
“Yes. I am. What of it?”
“You are still active.”
He puckered his lips, deciding.
“And I don’t believe in fairy tales.”
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Salt Island
E&A Investigations Thriller Series Book 2
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“This
book is an intricate, immersive, and riveting thriller, with plenty of
surprising twists and turns.” — Readers’ Choice
In the heart-pounding international thriller Salt Island, Mari
Ellwyn, a former-CIA private investigator, finds herself thrust into a perilous
world of high-stakes corporate espionage and ecoterrorism. As her newly formed
partnership with Derek Abernathy is put to the ultimate test, Mari faces a
daunting challenge that forces her to confront powerful ghosts from her past.
When billionaire CEO Jack Darcy’s reputation and IPO deal are under threat,
Mari finds herself entangled in a web of secrets, lies and corporate fraud. The
disappearance of Jack’s glamorous wife, coupled with the unraveling of a dark
secret within his esteemed environmental startup, leaves Mari with unanswered
question and a thirst for Justice.
While Mari’s partner Derek goes undercover to investigate a series of
suspicious deaths on a local farm in California’s Central Valley, Mari grapples
with the haunting truth about her missing father—a man with a double identity
and secret agenda. Determined to uncover the depths of her father’s involvement
with her case, Mari embarks on a solo journey to the British Virgin Islands, a
hidden Caribbean refuge that holds the key to her own identity and future.
With Derek gone and time running out, Mari must decide whether to risk
everything to uncover the truth or succumb to the powerful forces that seek to
bury it forever. Get your copy of Salt Island now and brace
yourself of a relentless rollercoaster. Secrets can’t stay buried forever, but
now Mari is alone, exposed and fighting for her survival.
What readers are saying about the
award-winning Salt Island:
“An often engaging tale of money, danger, and family.” – Kirkus
“An intricate, gorgeously written, character-driven page-turner with some
shocking twists.” – Prairies Book Reviews
“An intoxicating read, hugely entertaining.” – The Book Commentary
“An exceptional thriller and a riveting work of espionage, wrongdoing, and
discovery.” – Midwest Book Review
Who killed Sophie Michaud? Stay up all night reading
this award-winning psychological thriller that has readers obsessed.
Shot in the line of duty, ex
CIA operative Mari Ellwyn is again chasing adrenaline, when she reinvents
herself as a private investigator on a quest to find the killer of college
student Sophie Michaud. Every door Mari opens proves to be more perilous than
the last, but she’s hell bent on bringing the killer to justice—for Sophie,
students, and all women.
Teaming up with seasoned
investigator and former detective, Derek Abernathy, the crime-savvy pair
discover Sophie’s journal, which is filled with names and controversial
secrets—listed among them is Mari’s own father.
What secrets was Sophie
hiding?
As they connect the dots
leading to Sophie’s death, the blackmailing of a federal judge, and Mari’s own
family, Sophie’s murderer is closing in for the next kill. Facing an adversary
like none she’s ever experienced before, Mari must find her missing father and
reconcile her broken past before she becomes the killer’s next victim.
A multiple award-winning
novel, Hot House is a page-turning psychological thriller
packed with tension, secrets, suspense, and surprises. If you like Blake
Crouch, Harlan Coben, and Lisa Gardner, discover Lisa Towles’ E&A Series
today.
· First Place Winner of The Book Fest 2022 Literary Award, Mystery &
Crime category
· Literary Titan Gold Award for Fiction
Escape into this devious mind
mystery by getting your copy of Hot House now, so you can
solve the puzzle of who killed Sophie Michaud.
“Memorable characters make for a winsome, absorbing detective tale.” – Kirkus
Reviews
“Towles does a fantastic job of pacing the
storyline so that the reader hangs on to every clue… I recommend this for
fans of crime fiction writers
Baldacci, Slaughter, and Gardner.” San Francisco Book Review
“Award-winning author Lisa Towles delivers again and again with
her gripping thrillers…” Sarah
Lovett, Bestselling author
“The plot is propelled
forward by the clever use of suspense,
measured action, and ingeniously written conflict. It is a
moving and delightful read with cinematic
scenes and characters that will stick with readers for a long after
they turn the last page.” – The Book Commentary
“Hot House is an intricate
maze of blackmail, surprise and suspense delivered by
quirky characters, pithy dialog and LOL humor. Another hit by my favorite thriller writer, Lisa Towles.”
– Ana Manwaring
“Fans of investigative thrillers and mysteries will be the audience for
Hot House, but its ability to craft a sassy, fun series of dialogues and
inspections… creates an exceptional
read with a powerfully unexpected
conclusion... This will attract audiences both within and beyond the thriller and mystery genres.” –
Midwest Book Review
“Towles has produced a
knockout novel with Hot House. Towles’s plot is as twisted and unpredictable… Nowhere will thriller fans find a more
engaging keep-you-on-your-toes read.” –
Literary Titan
“This meticulously
constructed, remarkable mystery deftly
explores people’s darkest flaws while revealing hard truths about the hidden
workings of the world. A fast-paced
and psychologically astute thriller.” Prairies Book Review
“Hot House is one of those books that pries your eyelids open and
doesn’t relent until you’ve reached the end. Good luck getting Mari out of your head!” – Benjamin Bradley
Lisa Towles is an
award-winning, Amazon bestselling crime novelist and a passionate speaker on
the topics of fiction writing, creativity, and Strategic Self Care. Lisa has 11
crime novels in print with her newest title Specimen freshly released in
November 2024. The first two books of her E&A Investigations Series (Hot
House and Salt Island) were both #1 Amazon Kindle Bestsellers. Lisa also writes
standalone thrillers, such as her 2022 political thriller, The Ridders, which
won an American Fiction Award. Lisa is an active member and frequent
panelist/speaker of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and
International Thriller Writers. She has an MBA in IT Management and works
full-time in the tech industry.
Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 450 pages Genre: Hard Sci Fi, Thriller, Political Thriller, Sci Fi Adventure Publisher: Phil Marshall Release date: Sep 12, 2025 Content Rating: PG-13:There is one suicide (distantly witnessed), and there are F words, and 47 million people die, but very little gore and no graphic violence.
Book Description:
Everyone said the sky could never fall. They were wrong.
In the year 2076, anti-gravity has ushered in a new era of peace, prosperity, and worldwide collaboration. Powered by the scientific marvel known as Persistence, aerial vehicles now replace roads, energy comes from ambient particles, and the world’s nations are connected by open skies and their reverence for The Fabric — the timeless, interconnected thread of all particles, past and future, that not only powers anti-gravity but redefines humanity’s understanding of the presence of God.
But on an ordinary October morning, the impossible happens: passenger aerials start dropping/falling from the sky.
For Jack Woods, a national security official and devoted father, this tragedy is more than a historic anomaly. His son Erik was airborne when the world stopped. As aerials freeze mid-air across the globe like ticking timebombs and chaos erupts below/the death toll rises by the millions, Jack races to uncover what went wrong… and who may be responsible.
Meanwhile, Brian Medlock, the scientist who discovered anti gravity, prepares to leave this world only to be pulled into a political and spiritual firestorm threatening to unravel everything he built.
Blending science, political intrigue, and the primal human emotions that keep us grounded/connect us, Taming the Perilous Skies is a haunting look at a future world/ riveting journey through a world reliant/dependent on technology, and the people who must fight to save it/will stop at nothing to save it when it begins to unravel/falls apart. And how easily it can all fall apart.
Buy the Book: Available for pre-order
release date: Sep 12, 2025 Amazon
add to Goodreads
.
Meet Author Phil Marshall:
Phil Marshall is a physician, scientist, and AI technology entrepreneur. Taming the Perilous Skies is his debut novel centered on his theory of persistence and a passion for how technology can transform our lives, and how it can go terribly wrong.
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