The Great Shooters Blog Tour

Virtual Book Tour – February 1 – March 8 

February 1 – RABT Book Tours – Kick Off

February 2 – The Faerie Review – Spotlight

February 3 – Joss’s Corner – Spotlight

February 4 – Our Town Book Reviews – Excerpt

February 5 – The Indie Express – Review

February 6 – Crossroad Reviews – Spotlight

February 7 – Matters That Count – Excerpt

February 8 – Tea Time and Books – Spotlight

February 9 – A Life Through Books – Interview

February 12 – Nana’s Book Reviews – Spotlight

February 13 – Texas Book Nook – Review

February 14 – Momma Says to Read or Not to Read – Spotlight

February 15 – Book Junkiez – Excerpt

February 19 – Writers N Authors – Interview

February 20 – Book Corner News and Reviews – Spotlight

February 21 – My Bookmarked Reads – Excerpt

February 22 – Sapphyria’s Books – Spotlight

February 23 – Novel News Network – Review

February 24 – The Avid Reader – Interview

February 26 – Books Blog – Spotlight

February 27 – My Reading Addiction – Interview

February 28 – Lisa’s Everyday Reads – Spotlight

February 29 – Momma and Her Stories – Excerpt

March 4 – On a Reading Bender – Review

March 5 – Liliyana Shadowlyn – Spotlight

March 6 – Pay Fayo Reviews – Spotlight

March 7 – BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – Spotlight

March 8 – RABT Reviews – Wrap Up

Taxes, Friendship, and Life

A lifelong friend is a rare thing indeed. I have only a few and Peter Reilly is one of them. Peter and I met when we attended Xavier High School in New York City. We were introduced by another friend, Michael Oleske, because the three of us were devotees of Jean Shepherd’s weeknight radio program on WOR. Shep had a way of the promoting the exculsivity of his listeners which we were only to happy to embrace–the iconic phrase, “Flick Lives!” began appearing on blackboards throughout the school. When asked what it meant, the required reply was “You wouldn’t understand.”.

After high school, the three of us went our separate ways. I became a scientist, Mike became a lawyer and Peter became an accountant.

Now Peter has written a book based on his columns on taxes for Forbes, entitled “Reilly’s Laws of Tax Planning and Life” and has asked me to review it. Since he has graciously reviewed all of my Natalie McMasters Mysteries, how could I say no?

A CPA with forty-plus years experience, Peter has developed these laws based on his work with his clients and his incisive analyses of cases that have gone to the tax court over the years. As I am not an accountant, I am ill-prepared to speak to the accuracy of these conclusions, but I can speak to writing itself. Peter has developed a writing style reminiscent of Jean Shepherd’s snarky commentary which serves to make a subject that is very dry for most of us fun to read if not interesting, at least in some cases. As the book’s title suggests, some of these laws are more widely applicable than just to taxes.

My favorite is the first law – It is What it is – Deal with it. Ever since encountering it, that phrase pops into my head whenever I must do battle with the many idiotic, illogical and downright unjust situations that life continually presents us with. My initial tendency when such situations occur is to bitch about the great injustice of it all, which of course does absolutely nothing to resolve the situation. As painful as it may be, the solution is to take concrete, well-reasoned steps to mitigate the mess, and to know that I did my best if fallout still remains.

Other laws, like Don’t do the Math in Your Head (the 6th Law), Read the Instructions (the 7th Law) and Both Before and After Thinking Outside the Box, Look Inside the Box (the 8th Law) address the all-to-human tendency to take the easy way out, which leads to disaster more often than not. I was humbled and honored to see that I actually made it into the book, in the company of the august crime fiction author Karin Slaughter, in the exposition of the 8th Law.

My view of taxes is that Taxation is Theft. If you disagree, just note that we had plenty of roads in the U.S.A. prior to 1919 and that they worked pretty well. Regardless, I found Peter’s book entertaining and informative even though as a non-accountant, I was unable to appreciate the subtleties Read it with an open mind, even skipping past the parts that are too deep for you, and I’m sure you’ll find something useful–maybe even profound.

Shooters! is live!

The Kindle version of the 8th Natalie McMasters Mystery, Shooters!, launched on Amazon on Monday, January 8th, 2024.

Shooters! is easily the darkest Natalie McMasters Mystery I have written, and those who know the series will agree that thai’s saying a lot. It explores a lot of today’s hot button issues, such as abortion, mass shootings, transgenderism, male and female roles, the availability of guns, and other issues that people get all worked up about. I fully expect some one-star reviews as a result.

But if you’ve followed Nattie this far in her career, you can afford to miss this one. There are some life-changing events for Nattie and the fam.

The paperback edition will be available a week or two after the kindle launch. If you want a signed copy, eiother contact me directly or show up at one of my many appearences this year.

Author Interview

If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?
Scientist, writer, editor

Tell us 10 fun facts about yourself!
1. I became a professional author late in life, at 65.

2. My favorite place to visit is France.

3. I live with my wife and youngest son (16) in Wendell, NC. We have a four-year-old Cardigan Welsh Corgi and four cats

4. I went to high school in Manhattan, commuting from my home in New Jersey every day.

5. I have a masters degree in microbiology and have worked as a toxicologist. Comes in handy for plots involving poison.

6. I’m an NRA-certified rifle, pistol and shotgun instructor. Comes in handy for plots involving guns.

7. I speak, read and write French, and have spent two months in France.

8. I found my grandmother’s birthplace in Galway, Ireland and traveled there a few years ago to spend a wonderful day with my Irish family.

9. After college, I spent a summer with my best friend driving from New Jersey to Fairbanks, Alaska along the Alaska Highway.

10. The Natalie McMasters Mysteries began as a short story, Stakeout!, that you can read for free on my website. I tried to sell it to the mystery magazines and failed, so I wrote the first novel, Stripper!, and published it on Amazon.

 
What creature do you consider your “spirit animal” to be?
A cat, most definitely. Cats are elegant, independent, predatory survivors.

 
Did you want to be an author when you grew up?
Yes. I loved reading as a kid. I started with the Hardy Boys, then moved on to Rick Brant and Ken Holt. I also loved Edgar Rice Burroughs, Lester Dent who wrote Doc Savage, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. These guys were my heroes. I got away from fiction writing in high school and college, and severely curtailed my mystery reading for many years due to job responsibilities. I wish I had tried to make it as an author when I was younger, instead of focusing on making money.

 
What are your top 5 favorite movies?

1.      Moby Dick (1956) with Gregory Peck and Richard Baseheart

2.      Casablanca (1942) with Humphrey Bogart, Claude Rains and Ingrid Bergman

3.      Rocky (1976) with Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young and Carl Weathers

4.      The Karate Kid (1984) with Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue and  Martin Kove

5.      The Pearl of Death (1944) with Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Dennis Hoey and Mary Gordon

 
If you could dine with any literary character, who would it be and why?
It would have to be Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe. He has Fritz Brenner, one of the best chefs in New York City working in his home. I would also expect the dinner conversation to be exceptional.


What fictional character would you want to be friends with in real life?
The great detective, Sherlock Holmes, of course. Perhaps I could take Watson’s role on those nights he had to be home with his wife.

 
What fantastical fictional world would you want to live in (if any) given the chance?
The Dungeons and Dragons setting known as the Forgotten Realms, in the city of Silverymoon. Of course, I would have to be a high-level wizard.

 
If you could live in any time period, what would it be and why?
I can think of no time in human history better to be alive in than right now. We all have amazing potential to be whatever we want to – we just have to act to achieve it. Technology has contributed much to our lives, with more to come. This is the best time humanity has ever experienced.

 
What is your favorite genre to read?
Crime fiction, without a doubt. I love it all; cozy mysteries, hard-boiled detective stories, police procedurals and even paranormal mysteries. It gives an author great opportunities to explore the breadth of human behavior and allows for the creation of fantastic characters.

 
How long, on average, does it take you to write a book?
Six months.


How do you select the names of your characters?
They just come to me. I do check, however, that I do not use similar names in the same book, or even names with similar initials, or that sound similar, to avoid confusing the reader. I also like to refer to a given character in a consistent manner (e.g., first name, last name, title, nickname) in a single book to avoid ambiguity.


Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Writer’s block does not exist in this dojo, does it? Write, even if you think you’re writing dreck. You may find out later that you’ve done something great.

Sister! is a finalist for the Silver Falchion award!

The 7th book in the Natalie McMasters Mysteries, Sister!, made the short list in the action/adventure category for the prestigious Silver Falchion award. The winner will be announced at the Killer Nashville International Writers Conference Awards Dinner on Saturday, August 19 in Nashville, Tennessee.

The 6th volume, Killers!, won the award last year. Here’s hoping for a repeat!

Unfortunately, I will not be present at this year’s conference because my youngest son starts college that weekend.

Ten Steps from Baker Street – Sherlock Holmes as a forensics pioneer.

I did a presentation for Five Miles from Anywhere, an international scion society of the Baker Street Irregulars, on June 3, and it was very well received. The presentation was entitled “Sherlock Holmes as a forensics pioneer”, which is a theme of my latest book, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: Ten Steps from Baker Street. You can download the presentation here for viewing.

Ten Steps is available for purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Dr-Watson-Collection/dp/B0BW23B3QK

The Great Holmes and Watson Blog Tour

April is blog tour month for my latest book – Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: Ten Steps from Baker Street. Here is the tour schedule:

Virtual Book Tour – April 3 – May 5

April 3 – RABT Book Tours – Kick Off

April 4 – Book Reviews by Virginia Lee – Spotlight

April 5 – Liliyana Shadowlyn – Spotlight

April 6 – Writers N Authors – Interview

April 7 – Buffy Kennedy – Guest Post

April 10 – Nana’s Book Reviews – Spotlight

April 11 – Crossroad Reviews – Spotlight

April 12 – Paws. Read. Repeat – Review

April 13 – Book Corner News and Reviews – Spotlight

April 14 – Book Junkiez – Excerpt

April 17 – Sapphyria’s Book Blog – Spotlight

April 18 – Momma Says to Read or Not to Read – Spotlight

April 19 – Matters That Count – Review

April 20 – The Faerie Review – Spotlight

April 21 – Texas Book Nook – Review

April 24 – Books Blog – Spotlight

April 25 – The Mystery Section – Excerpt

April 26 – Kim’s Book Reviews and Writing Aha’s – Spotlight

April 27 – A Life Through Books – Interview

April 28 – Just Another Reader – Spotlight

May 1 – On a Reading Bender – Review

May 2 – Jav Bond Writes – Review

May 3 – Indie Author Book Reviews – Spotlight

May 4 – Our Town Book Reviews – Excerpt

May 5 – RABT Reviews – Wrap Up 

Please visit these sites and give the tour hosts some love!

New Sherlock Holmes book to be released 3/1/23 now on preorder

My new book of Sherlock Holmes stories is on preorder now on multiple sales channels. It contains ten new stories, written in the style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Read of Holmes’s first case after he arrives in London, as he becomes known as The Wizard of Montague Street. Follow Holmes and Watson in The Adventure of the Persistent Pugilist, as they investigate Another Case of Identity, encounter The Witch of Ellenby, and more. Expeirence the joy of reading brand new Holmes stories once again!

Here are some of the preorder links. More will be added in time.

The Great Sister! Book Tour Begins on January 2!

The latest book in the Natalie McMasters Mysteries, Sister!, will begin it’s virtual book tour on January 2. Each day, Sister! will be featured on a different blog. There will be excerpts, author interviews, reviews and more! Please visit each host listed below to show your support. And enter the giveaway to win a FREE copy of Sister!

Virtual Book Tour – January 2 – February 3

January 2 – RABT Book Tours – Kick Off

January 3 – Book Reviews by Virginia Lee – Spotlight

January 4 – Nana’s Book Reviews – Spotlight

January 5 –Book Junkiez – Excerpt

January 6 – Liliyana Shadowlyn – Spotlight

January 7 – Sue Wallace – Review

January 9 – The Faerie Review – Spotlight

January 10 – Momma and Her Stories – Excerpt

January 11 – Our Town Book Reviews – Spotlight

January 12 – The Avid Reader – Interview

January 13 – Momma Says to Read or Not to Read – Spotlight

January 14 – Susan’s Book World – Spotlight

January 16 – Paws. Read. Repeat – Review

January 17 – Books Blog – Spotlight

January 18 – Novel News Network – Review

January 19 – Book Corner News and Reviews – Spotlight

January 20 – My Reading Addiction – Interview

January 23 – Texas Book Nook – Review

January 24 – Crossroad Reviews – Spotlight

January 25 – Sapphyria’s Book Blog – Spotlight

January 26 – The Mystery Section – Excerpt

January 27 – Tea Time and Books – Spotlight

January 30 – On a Reading Bender – Review

January 31 – Kim’s Book Reviews and Writing Aha’s! – Spotlight

February 1 – The Indie Express – Review

February 2 – RABT Reviews – Wrap Up