Finding a needle in a haystack is a child’s game compared to finding readers through Amazon’s algorithms. Or connecting with readers on so-called Social Media, which, in my books, is more an Antisocial Media — if not worse.

That’s why it’s a joy to meet authors who can help one another promote their work and spread the word. I recently came across two interesting – and wonderfully eccentric – writers whom I include in this newsletter.

Interesting authors

The first is Mike Player, whose novel Utopia is set in 1856. ‘In 1856, a gay gunslinger, a lesbian doctor disguised as a man, a boy pulp-fiction writer, and a wannabe assassin become mismatched colleagues in search of the fabled town of Utopia.’ If that little blurb doesn’t get you interested, I don’t know what will. Go and have a look on Amazon.

And if you’re into freebies, Morgan Klein has written short stories available as an eBook. His collection is called Blurred Lens, and its stories cast a glimmer of rainbow light into the darkness. Get his short stories for free here.

Cathy made my day

Last Friday, I had a meeting with my ever-so-generous and excellent proofreader, Cathy. She has eagle eyes and a big heart – no typo or stumble in grammar escapes her. But she doesn’t just fix mistakes; she reads deeply, and our conversation was the highlight of the season. She brought summer with her.

It was a relief to discuss The Birthmark Murder with her because I trust her judgement and taste. The book is now ready for readers. The final version has been uploaded to Amazon, and come the sixth of December, it will be available.

Beta reader’s comment on The Triumvirate Murders

And you can get my 12,000-word short story for free

Here is the download link to this prequel about Pekka Wall – and the reason he left Finland for the Cotswolds in 1991. In the story, you’ll meet Pekka when he was still a young man (35), as well as the young police recruit, Baguette, and Pekka’s first true love, Hermione.

It was great fun to write about those early days when Mr Wall wasn’t yet an accomplished editor and translator, but merely a nobody – at least according to Kari Varassuo, whom you’ll meet 26 years later on the pages of The Triumvirate Murders.

I dug out all my old notes on Pekka and the others and enjoyed diving deeper into their past, revealing hints readers will find across the three books – and the remaining three I still need to write. So be prepared to discover some Easter eggs.

Here is the download link.

A big change in music

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the music in The Triumvirate Murders, but there has been a crucial change. Thank heavens I searched again and realised that Andrea Bocelli’s Con te partirò was released in 1996. That made it the essential song for the book, and therefore available to one of my new characters in 2017, when the story takes place.

Sometimes, in the middle of writing, you forget to double-check and rely on a false memory. I’ve loved this song ever since I first heard it, but somehow I thought it came out after 2017 and couldn’t be used in the novel. I felt like an instant idiot when I realised my mistake. Luckily, I could correct it, and in the final version you will indeed hear Con te partirò.

Please enjoy your copy of the free backstory, and do have a look at the works of my colleagues as well.

Cheers,

Janus

Janus Lucky
www.januslucky.com

Get my books from below: