Category: RV Maintenance
An Exciting Winter!

An Exciting Winter!

By | 
Location: Tucson, Arizona

This winter has been a roller coaster ride, yet neither of us threw up! Not even once. Put Kay on a real coaster, however….

In this lifestyle issue:

  1. Roughing It
  2. Two New Books
  3. RV Rally & Seminars
  4. Maintenance of Animates & Inanimates
  5. 2024 Annual Voyager Flute Festival

1. Roughing It

Those of you who follow our misadventures on Facebook know Kay and I survived for three months this winter without refrigeration. But wait, you might ask, don’t you live in a camper? So, what’s the big deal?

Folks, we live in a motorhome, with emphasis on the syllable HOME. This is our only home. All the time. We are not camping at this stage of our lives. For those of you who are sticks-‘n-bricks dwellers, imagine no working refrigerator in your house for one-fourth of an entire YEAR. And then ask your question again.

Don’t get me wrong. We got by just fine. Borrowed an ice chest from our daughter Michelle (thanks, Hon) and fed it, on average, four sizable bags of ice per week to tuck around our food. One saving grace: our motorhome features a small chest freezer in the “basement” (accessible via storage-bay doors outside, below “the house”).

So I’d go “shopping” in the cooler and freezer outside, sometimes in the rain, often in rather cold weather, three times a day at mealtimes. And because we are a vegetarian and a vegan, we needed to shop for our bulky fresh organic produce every other day (ten miles into town). That became our routine. And it worked.

But imagine what a luxury it was when the parts finally arrived to repair our seven-month-old refrigerator/freezer! Yeah, kids, it’s the little things in life we take for granted that we shouldn’t!

Our 7-month-old fridge on the fritz crashed the party! Notice the blocks on top wedging it in place so it wouldn’t topple off this hydraulic cart. High design!
The parts came, and all was then right with the universe once more!

So, for 3+ months we “enjoyed” a non-working fridge/freezer plopped in the middle of our kitchen-slash-living room. Then, ahhhhhh….

2. Two New Books

Yup, it’s been a busy winter in addition to myriad distractions. Tom Kasprzak, my writing partner and I, cranked out two more exhilarating Sam Travis Adventures. Firing on all cylinders out here, kids. We’ll launch one this summer and another in the fall. Crazy, huh?

If you haven’t checked out book one of our Sam Travis series, click HERE. Look for LETHAL TRAIL (book two) in late May or early June, and a few months later, LETHAL BOUNTY (book three). Our early (pre-publication) readers proclaim these are our best yet in this genre. Watch this space for these outdoor adventure stories that will keep you turning pages and staying up past your bedtime.

Grab your sneak peek at the cover art for both books below (from left to right: back cover, spine, and front cover of each):

Here’s a peek at one scene from LETHAL TRAIL:

May 20, 1988

Framingham, Massachusetts

* * *

Sam Travis hadn’t visited the Massachusetts Environmental Police Academy a half-hour west of Boston in years. But he was ordered to appear. He knew by whom and why. The academy’s commandant and he needed to finish something together. Trust didn’t come easy these days, not even within law enforcement. So they treated this like an off-the-books operation. Both knew how to do that all too well. But their unfinished business had nothing to do with the academy. 

Travis hadn’t forgotten this place: the painted brick buildings, the sense of excitement and anticipation in the air… so thick he could almost smell it. If it hadn’t been for the discipline this place instilled in him, his life might have gone in a very different direction. Not a good one.

A gilded sign of gold, black, and green, with white letters near the facility’s entrance gate and guardhouse announced this was a military-style installation:

Environmental Police Academy

Framingham, Massachusetts

Some of the old-fashioned buildings on the campus looked even more old-fashioned with pillars and porches. Groups of cadets marched with drill instructors counting cadence. Memories—mostly pleasant—flooded Sam’s mind at the sights and sounds. How long had it been since he was a cadet? He felt as old as some of these structures. He’d dragged his mind and body down some hard roads since then. Approached an ordinary door on the main floor of the administration building. The sign on the door read:

Captain L. Jamison, 

Academy Commandant

Sam knocked and entered the outer office. His smile was a mask to cover what was going on inside. What was his secretary’s name? He pretended he remembered until he got close enough to read the name plate on her desk. “Ellie, so good to see you again. Remember me?”

Ellie blushed. She had passed her prime a decade earlier, but she was still a beautiful woman and a force of nature. “Officer Travis, it’s good to see you, too.”

“I’d come around more often, but I’d hate to make your husband jealous.” He winked. 

Ellie’s blush blossomed even as she smirked. “Like you have a shot, young man.”

They both chuckled. As expected. She said, “Go right in,” and she winked back at him. He shook his head from side to side. Too much woman for him, anyway. 

One quick knock later, Sam swung open the door to Jamison’s office. “Sir.” Neither man smiled. They were about to discuss how they might bring down a corrupt federal agent from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, or USFWS—a fed—and likely another high-level conspirator or two in the bargain, maybe within their own organization, as well. Sam would do whatever it took to both disguise the venomous hatred he nurtured for both of these criminals, and to go to any lengths to see these dirtbags in prison, or preferably, in the ground. He ensured his neutral mask did not crack.

“Sit, Sam. Let’s get right to it. How the hell did Mason slip away?”

***

Look for LETHAL TRAIL Early Summer 2024

And how about the first historical scene from LETHAL BOUNTY

(before the story jumps forward to 1989):

Charlestown, Massachusetts 

June 17, 1775

Ankle-deep in the blood of their dead and dying compatriots, he and his aide crouched behind a redoubt—one of the earthen barriers his men had hastily constructed on the ridges during the night. Still visible through the dense clouds of smoke in the stagnant air that stung their eyes and burned their lungs, the sun now hung high in the early afternoon sky. It was an otherwise brilliant day. 

Despite an incessant hail of musket balls, they bobbed their heads up to risk yet another glance down the hill from their impromptu command post at the advancing British troops. The redcoats were at least double their own numbers, and possessed superior training. Ten yards away with fire in their eyes, the reckless British bastards leapt over mounds of their fallen and advanced with ruthless abandon. Like they have for the last six-and-a-half hours. These were battle-hardened professional soldiers of the realm. The young colonel now doubted the wisdom of holding these hills against such a force with the now-dying or already dead farmers and shopkeepers in his own ranks. This is madness.

Most of his troops, twelve-hundred strong at the onset, were raw civilians, but harbored a passion for freedom from the oppressive Crown. That passion pounded in their hearts. Those who still lived, anyway. While this battle had only been joined at sunrise this day, they were now thrust into the third bloody month of this brutal siege on their own city. They fought to take back their own neighborhoods, their own homes. The new Continental Army dared not relent as long as their families and friends remained in the clutches of tyrants. Worse, the Crown’s considerable occupying force now terrorized all of Boston, Middlesex County, and beyond. He shouted over the din of musket fire, now growing more sporadic from their side, “Lads, they’ve already paid dearly, far more than we. In the future, they’ll think twice before—”

“Sir, sorry to interrupt,” his aide gasped. “Runners are reporting in. Squad leaders report their surviving men have little or no powder remaining. What are your orders, sir?” The aide stood shoulder-to-shoulder with one of the runners. The runner’s face of crimson blinked against the blood dripping from his brow into his eyes. 

Colonel William Prescott was a man of action, and valor, but also of conscience. He nodded as he wiped the sweat from his brow and addressed his fanatically loyal aide, “The rest of our militia dies here along with General Warren and the others if we do not now retreat. You’ve done well, boys.” He glanced around at his youthful command staff that had mustered in haste. “They’ll not soon forget this battle here atop Breed’s and Bunker.” Then, to the runner and to his aide, “It is time to muster elsewhere and abandon these wretched mounts to the King’s ruffians. Order retreat.”

His aide saluted. “Yes, sir.” At that moment, the left side of his aide’s face disappeared into a pink mist. 

***

Look for LETHAL BOUNTY Fall 2024

3. RV Rally & Seminars

I presented two writing/publishing seminars at the 106th FMCA (Family MotorCoach Association) International Convention in Perry, Georgia a year ago. They asked me to return to do the same at their 108th Convention. That’s one of the reasons we’re now here in Tucson. This rally was smaller than Perry. “Only” 1,200 RVs here vs over 3,000 in Perry. A helluva lot of fun and a beautiful desert venue.

No way I was ever gonna FILL this huge room. Grateful for every attendee.
Tried out a new seminar on how to craft the classic mystery. I enjoyed meeting and hosting a small but very interested group of attendees.

4. Maintenance: Animates & Inanimates

Moving from city to city makes it a challenge to not outrun healthcare. So, we go like hell to get all our doc appointments, tests, eye exams, and hearing aid appointments in before we move on. Same with motorhome “health care.” Biggest issue here is waiting on parts. Yup, both animates (us) and inanimates (our motorhome) require regular care and feeding.

Kay found some doctors here in Tucson she really likes, and as a disabled vet, I’m able to leverage Veteran’s Affairs here (and elsewhere). If they can’t help me on some specialty, they refer me to a local civilian medical facility they trust. Good healthcare here, and more accessible than Florida.

Northwest Medical Center Houghton, Tucson, AZ, one example of good healthcare (our benchmark is still the Mayo Clinic in our hometown of Rochester, Minnesota)

Finding an RV service center we trust AND can fit us in is always a challenge on the road. We needed oil/filter changes on both the main engine and the generator. We also needed the chassis lubed (pretty important on a 40,000-pound bus), the rooftop A/Cs and diesel boiler serviced, rooftop caulking inspected (since I’m no longer allowed “up there” after my fall two+ years ago, now), a bathroom fan replaced (as stuff ages out, we replace it), and a few other tidbits (aren’t there always other tidbits?).

Our trusty old bus at Freedom RV, Tucson (a Newmar Platinum service center)

Then, there’s waxing, going to a local Jack Furrier Tires for four new tires on the drive axle in a week or so, and we will outrun one part we couldn’t get in time (one of five heat exchangers for the furnace), so we’ll get that done in the San Francisco area where we’ll stop for a few weeks (Petaluma). It never ends. Keeps life interesting.

5. 2024 Annual Voyager Flute Festival

The season is winding down here. Another reason we’re in Tucson this time of year is the Annual Flute Festival organized by my friend Paul Surhoff at the Voyager RV Resort. This festival draws talent from all over the Southwest, and is an annual celebration of music and heritage of our country’s indigenous peoples and their culture (the rest of us are just immigrants!). I am enamored of the Native earth “religions” (they merely think of considerately connecting with all that is around us, including each other). This remains their proud heritage.

We enjoyed being entertained by an award-winning flautist, vocalist, and storyteller, Shelly Morningsong and her talented husband Fabian Fontenelle. They’ve been performing traditional Zuni/Omaha dances and playing traditional music since they were children. Shelly and Fabian still live in Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico, celebrating the tribe’s traditional lifestyle every day, and they travel to entertain and educate.

The audio isn’t great, but what a feast for the senses! If this interests you, check out Shelly’s website in the link above (click on her name). She offers CDs of their music as well as her own custom Native clothing & accessories, all handmade. A delightful couple, Shelly and Fabian. And their performance is so… atmospheric.

And then there’s JP Gomez, a talented young man who’s been through so much, expressing and healing himself through his flute music. Says it transports him. JP is also a talented flute maker.

That’s it! So, until next time, and wherever….

Let’s roll!

Gene

A blast from the past – after retirement but before
I gave up my “stuck-in-the-sixties” persona
(and before I lost 65 pounds).

P.S.

Oh, allow me to share a recent watercolor painting I’m rather proud of as I seek to rediscover my neglected painting skills. Below is a street scene from the Caribbean Island of St. Lucia in the Windward Island chain a few hundred miles off the coast of Venezuela and Trinidad. Kay and I sailed through there many years ago with our dear friends Doug and Marti. A wonderful memory. I’m striving to achieve a loose but vibrant painting style (yeah, I have a long way to go):

Representing author GK Jurrens
What a Year!

What a Year!

By | 
Location: Mesa, Arizona

They say you’re healthier if you are driven by purpose. Not to an unhealthy extent, of course, like me, maybe? It’s not as if I have a choice, even though I tell myself I do… at 5 AM each and every morning as I pound away on my laptop!

Reflecting on 2023, like all of you, I’m sure, Kay and I have spun through a tornado of activity this past year. And we’re just an old “retired” couple (fifteen years, now)! Let’s see….

In this issue (a gaggle of short cameos):

  1. Condo Gone
  2. RV Rally
  3. Motorhome Facelift
  4. Minnesota Summer
  5. South Dakota Residents. What!
  6. Month in Yellowstone
  7. Arizona Winter
  8. This Writer’s Continuing Education
  9. 1st Sam Travis Adventure
  10. 2nd Aubrey Greigh Mystery
  11. Thanksgiving Up North
  12. New Flutes
  13. Character-Building Exercise
  14. Moving On
  15. Artificial Intelligence Rant
  16. Writer’s Competition
  17. Book Sale

1. Condo Gone

Well, we sold our lovely Southwest Florida home of twenty-two years in March and moved into our beloved bus to continue pursuing our dream as full-time itinerant land-yacht voyagers.

We’ve been indulging in this lifestyle three-quarter-time for eight years already, having lived in 42 states for a few weeks to a few months at a time.

It hasn’t been all that difficult moving from a 2,000-square-foot condo to a 300 square-foot home on wheels, but we do miss our Florida friends and neighbors. However, we’re now making lots of new friends and refreshing old friendships out here on the road, as they say.

2. RV Rally

Kay and I attended America’s largest RV rally in Perry, Georgia . 3,500 RVs in attendance with at least twice that many people at the Georgia State Fairgrounds in Perry, Georgia.

Quite a party!

I presented a series of writing/publishing seminars and sold a few books, too. It was not only a party.

3. Motorhome Facelift

Visited our motorhome manufacturer’s factory service center in Indiana.

Had a new residential refrigerator/freezer installed in the bus, plus they addressed a host of other preventative maintenance items for us

While our motorhome was being worked on in Indiana, we bolted across the border up to Ontario in the Jeep to visit friends. We were close enough to Niagara Falls that we just had to stop and take a look. The horseshoe falls on the Canadian side.
The American falls as viewed from the Skylon Tower in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Too cold in March to get down onto the water, though.

4. Minnesota Summer

Our lovely granddaughter ready for the prom!
Graduation day for Ionee. Standing on her brothers, Isaiah and Beau.

Spent an utterly delightful summer in beautiful Rochester, Minnesota, our home town, with family and friends.

We were fortunate to bear witness to our granddaughter’s senior prom and graduation.

5. South Dakota Home?

New plates for both the motorhome and the “toad” (towed vehicle–or Jeep Grand Cherokee).
One more visit to Rushmore!

We changed our “state of domicile” (new drivers’ licenses, vehicle registrations, license plates, voter registration, mail forwarding service) from Florida to South Dakota.

Not that we plan to live there any time soon. Zero income tax state, and they only require us to spend one day in-state every five years (to renew our drivers’ licenses). Everything else (vehicle registrations, plates, voter registration, etc.) we can do via mail. AND it’s a darn nice state.

6. Almost a Month in Yellowstone

Spent almost a month exploring Yellowstone Park (Kay was in heaven, I captured some great images),

Old Faithful.
Mama and baby elk scurrying away from the damn tourists.

7. Arizona Winter

Hiking in Red Rock country near Sedona
Lake Powell (Wahweap Campground on tribal lands)
Kay and I rented a boat on Lake Powell and cruised some great slot canyons… some at speed!
Lunch aboard “our” 23′ boat in Antelope Canyon on Lake Powell.
Our ninety-foot pull-through at Val Vista Village in Mesa, AZ, our home for the last three months. Off to Voyager RV Resort south of Tucson in the morning to start the new year rolling down the big slab.

8. This Writer’s Continuing Education

  • I attended a delightful Writer’s Digest University’s Annual Conference on Writing Historical Fiction. This was a fascinating collection of speakers who offered some great tips on research, period characterization, and a variety of other historical fiction-writing subjects.
  • Enrolled and attending a BBC Maestro Masterclass on How to Write Popular Fiction taught by none other than Lee Child (the Jack Reacher novels/movies). Lee’s only sold 200 million books, so what does he know?
  • Old joke: What do you call someone who speaks three languages? Try-lingual. How about someone who speaks two languages? Bi-lingual. And someone who only speaks one language? An American. Why do I bring this up? Because I bought into a lifetime subscription of Babbel, the popular language education program. I have access to all language learning courses. Right now, however, Español is kicking my butt. I’ll get there. My objective is to write a short story in continental Spanish. Maybe a few poems, too. Crazy, huh?

9. First Sam Travis Adventure

Finished writing and published the first book in my Sam Travis Outdoor Adventure Series, Lethal Game at the end of July with my collaborator and friend, Lt. Tom Kasprzak, a retired Massachusetts Environmental Police Officer. And we’re putting the finishing touches on the second exciting book in this series, Lethal Trail, which should be out a week or three after the new year.

Coming January 2024

10. 2nd Aubrey Greigh Mystery

The second Aubrey Greigh Mystery’s audiobook edition
The first Aubrey Greigh Mystery’s audiobook edition

I published my second Aubrey Greigh Mystery, Dancing With Death (Sept. 2023), in print and ebook editions (free in Kindle Unlimited), and its audiobook edition (self-narrated) this month. I now have two audiobooks published: Voodoo Vendetta and Dancing With Death.

Give them a listen on Audible, Amazon, or iTunes! And don’t forget to leave a review! Please?

11. Thanksgiving Up North

From right to left, my little brother, Rod, my big sister, Carol, and Rod’s wife, Carolyn. Yeah, that’s me on the left.

Flew to Minnesota for Thanksgiving when we reaffirmed our deepest love of our family, including a heart-glowing family reunion, staying at our dear friend’s beautiful home in their absence (thank you, Nola & Robert!).

Even though we love summers “up north,” we reaffirmed Minnesota in the winter is not for us, even though we grew up there!

Unfortunately, Kay came down with one heck of a cold, so I represented us at a family reunion.

Net: we LOVE Minnesota! In the summer!

12. New Flutes

I’m within spitting distance of finishing two new Native American style flutes, both new designs I’ve struggled with (my first “big bore” flutes, that is, with a. bore diameter larger than one inch), including my first-ever double flute. Designed and worked on these in the woodshop at Val Vista Village in Mesa, AZ. I’ll finish them after we move down to Tucson (tomorrow). I’ll finish tuning, woodburning, and a few coats of varnish, inside and out.

The double flute (on the left) is a low E. The single on the right, a HUGE square bore at 1-7/16″ is a low C, actually my prototype for the double flute you see here. It took some trial and error to place the finger holes on the prototype which aided in placing the holes on the double. Also note the single flute’s the finger holes are not in a straight line–they are custom-placed for my playing style. A flute this large requires the finger holes to be placed farther apart. Not an easy instrument to play, but its throaty tone is magical. Yeah, I focused more on sound than appearance… so far, at least.
Of the seventeen flutes now in my quiver, I purchased numbers 1 & 12-17. I handcrafted numbers 2-11. Numbers 10-13 are “rim-blown” flutes and are difficult to play (well), including my composite Japanese Shakuhachi Yuu (number 13). \ I modeled the two black flutes (10 & 11) from “urban ebony” (PVC pipe). They are of an ancient Anasazi design and tuning, circa 620-670 CE. I thought it an amusing anachronism to craft the oldest known musical instruments in North America out of a modern material like PVC. Yes, I amuse easily.

13. Character-Building Exercise

As I have described for some of you on Facebook, our seven-month-old refrigerator/freezer failed while we were in Minnesota for Thanksgiving, and we’ve been living out of a cooler for the last month. Could be several more weeks before parts (new compressor, etc.) catch up with us after we move to Tucson. This has been an adventure in attitude, and we’re doing just fine living out of a cooler and small “basement” freezer in the motorhome.

We were getting around this monster sitting in the middle of our living area, but had to just have it reinstalled so we can roll down the road and wait for parts to catch up with us. It’ll get uninstalled again next Tuesday in Tucson so yet another Whirlpool tech can (re)diagnose and (re)order parts (yup, another 4-6 week lead time!). Couldn’t use the parts already ordered in Mesa… “unfortunately, per Whirlpool warranty protocol.” I keep repeating my mantra: “the difference between ordeal and adventure is attitude.” Ommmmmmmm…..
The Arizona Newmar (our motorhome brand) mobile tech reinstalling our NOT-WORKING fridge so we can roll down the road from Mesa to Tucson, Arizona. We SHOULD have parts before the beginning of the next millennia. Apparently, Whirlpool must manufacture the replacement compressor, and they’re waiting for a sufficient demand to justify a manufacturing run (partly speculation on my part… I DO write fiction!).
Yeah, that’s me “shopping” for our breakfast ingredients in the cooler outside before sunrise, or dinner goods after sunset. At least I don’t need my headlight to “shop” for luncheon groceries!
We don’t need no stinkin’ fridge in the house! Thankfully, we have a borrowed cooler (thanks, Michelle) and a freezer (right). We’re getting pretty good at buying ice for the cooler and swapping out “blue ice” to/from the freezer.

14. Moving On

Now, we’re winding up the last twelve hours of a three-month stay at the gorgeous amenity-rich Val Vista Villages in Mesa, Arizona on New Years Eve. My favorite amenity is the state-of-the-art woodshop. I come to Mesa to build flutes.

It’s rained just three times here in three months. This is what just a quarter-inch of rain does for the street in front of our site.

If you are of a mind to share in my latest rant of what I call Relevant Fiction, read on to the next section, brave soul….

15. Artificial Intelligence Rant

Artificial Intelligence? Computer generated- or enhanced-images? Sci-Fi come to life? Again? So what?

My latest novel, Dancing With Death, explores the pervasive use of AI & CG, but unlike the tired tropes of Terminator tech, or yet another take-over-the-world phenomenon, I’m distressed by what’s become a boring crutch to the entertainment industry (amidst mass mayhem and murder, of course) that exploits writers, artists, and actors while robbing viewers and readers of solid plots, fascinating characters, and authentic sets.

AI & CGI are dumbing us down!

Having just released the audiobook edition of “Dancing With Death,” I thought it might be appropriate to share with you the audio of my “Author’s Note” here within the audiobook’s closing credits. If it would amuse you, check it out below and do let me know your reaction.

And if you’d like to hear me really butcher a few different characters’ voices (yes, I am the voice artist), click play below, if you dare, and then wait for it….):

So, I had hoped to offer you the published audiobook edition of Dancing With Death before Christmas; however, a few RV snags along the way delayed me by a couple of weeks. It is now available. As always, I’d love to know what you think of the production (I’m becoming more efficient at recording and editing, but these audiobook projects still consume a ton of time and energy. If any of you are audio engineers and/or stage performers, you get it!

16. Writer’s Competition

While I have not focused on adding literary credentials to my name as an author in the past, I figured it was time to head in that direction. Toward that end, I threw my hat in the ring in a personal essay competition. You know, by starting small. Hopefully, I’ll hear how my entry fared before I die (time elapsed on these things drives me crazy). I should know by mid-January after submitting last October.

In the meantime, are you feeling bold enough to watch me bare my soul for all to see? If so, take a gander at this short essay, my submission I call Confessions of a Compulsive Believer. Just click once anywhere inside the box below and you’ll be able to scroll down to continue reading—if you dare:

WD_Personal-Essay_Compulsion-100223_1952-2Download

17. Book Sale

Call me crazy, but I’ve lowered the price of all my books as low as they can go. That means $2.99 for every one of my ebooks, and a few pennies above printing and fulfillment costs on all my paperbacks. I have less control on audiobook prices, but consider visiting my Amazon author page and do a little post-holiday browsing.

My current best-sellers.
And these aren’t far behind.

As Toby Stiler in the Dancing With Death audio clip above might say, stay in touch, for cryin’ out loud, will ya?

That’s it! So, until next time, next year, and wherever…

Let’s roll!

Gene

Grinnin’ in “the studio” (inside the motorhome) cookin’ up audiobooks AND podcasts… wherever we park the rig, while still finding time to “retire” and suck the juice out of every single day (and out of my newish MacBook Pro M3 that’s getting the workout of its young life)!

P.S.

Do NOT let this be you and me, please.
Representing author GK Jurrens
Sound Good, Yet?

Sound Good, Yet?

By |
Brand new release! My first audiobook edition, first of many, the Great Pumpkin willing. 
Location: Sedona, Arizona

Listen up! You ask for audiobooks? I listen. Now, so can you.

Keep reading for a special offer!

I’m on fire, kids! Less than three weeks since releasing Dancing With Death, and less than seven weeks since publishing Lethal Game, I bring you the AUDIOBOOK edition of my first Aubrey Greigh murder mystery Voodoo Vendetta on Audible.

Check out my affiliate link HERE.

And yes, I’m already recording the audiobook edition of my 2nd Aubrey Greigh Mystery: Dancing With Death (hopefully done before Christmas 2023).

Now the offer I hinted at above:

  • Already an Amazon Prime member? Get TWO FREE AUDIOBOOKS on Audible! Why not make Voodoo Vendetta your first?
  • After your two free titles, whether you’re Prime or not, get your own super Audible membership deal for just $5.95/mo for FOUR MONTHS (best deal ever).
  • Then, your membership is just $14.95/month for continued access to thousands of audiobooks.
  • Plus, they toss me a few bucks if you join Audible using THIS AFFILIATE LINK (enough to pay for a few gallons of diesel, anyway, for Miss Kay’s and my home on wheels).

But now, I also desperately need reviews!

So… take pity on a starving vagabond author-slash-voice artist? Get the book, listen to it, and let me know what you thought of my star-studded performance!

Still not sure? Listen to this sample of Voodoo Vendetta and decide:

You can snag a different audio sample by following THIS LINK (click on “sample” right under the cover art). Now available from Audible, Amazon, and soon from Apple iTunes. Ya know, I think I’m getting the hang of this stuff!

By the way, Voodoo Vendetta is composed of ninety-one two-to-fourteen-minute chapters (equivalent to 422 pages in its paperback edition). Total listening time: ten hours, fourteen minutes. Nicely digested a few chapters at a time, or a lot more in one sitting if you’re punishing yourself with a marathon cross-country drive and need to stay awake! Or walking and listen while you exercise.

That’s it. Now, you know what this old vagabond has been up to for the last several weeks (besides publishing two more novels, well into drafting two more, entering a personal essay competition, traveling through South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, communing in the Navajo-Yavapai Nation, and now wandering the Arizona desert en route to the Phoenix area for a few months (Mesa) before we meander farther south down Tucson way after New Years.

Oh, and we’re flying back to Minnesota for Thanksgiving.

Never a dull moment in this old folks’ rolling home, our beloved eight-wheeled touring wagon (plus, our four-wheel-drive “toad,” a.k.a. the Jeep we call “Gypsy”).

Big fun, right?

Stay in touch, for cryin’ out loud, will ya?

That’s it! So, until next time, and wherever…

Let’s roll!

Gene

Grinnin’ in “the studio” (inside the motorhome) cookin’ up audiobooks AND podcasts… wherever we park the rig, while still finding time to “retire” and suck the juice out of every single day (and out of my newish MacBook Pro that’s getting the workout of its life)!

P.S.

And maybe a few more pollinators (bees) ta boot?
Representing author GK Jurrens
It’s Time, Again!

It’s Time, Again!

By | 
Location: West Yellowstone, Montana

WHAT? Another new release? So soon?

Yup, just six weeks on the heels of Lethal Game, I bring you Dancing With Death, the second Aubrey Greigh Mystery. This new mystery/thriller is available for pre-order now. Both ebook and paperback editions are available September 11th!

Plus, for the first time, I’m making one of my novels available in Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited program. That means if you’re a KU subscriber, you can read this new book for free.

Check it out HERE.

In this issue:

  1. NEW BOOK: Dancing With Death (and a new mystery series audio trailer)
  2. NEW TRAVEL ADVENTURES: Up On the Yellowstone Plateau
  3. REMINDER: NEW PODCAST & FACEBOOK GROUP: Relevant Fiction is Available
  4. AUDIOBOOK NEWS: Voodoo Vendetta

1. New Book: “Dancing With Death: Who Will Die? Or Disappear?”

Pre-order now, and get this new mystery/thriller delivered to your devices automatically on September 11th. Its paperback edition will be available then, too.

Early readers are loving this book. Here’s what they‘re saying:

  • This is your best yet. Very exciting. I actually gasped when I read that— (spoiler redacted)! – Julia S, 
  • You really nailed the suspense, especially by including red herrings and plot twists. I like getting reacquainted with Greigh and McQ, and became fond of the new characters, too. Thought I would like ___ (spoiler redacted), but … big plot twist there. I love Butler, Greigh’s automated apartment security system and confidante, especially that you gave him Sean Connery’s voice. – Dawn S.
  • The novel moved at a good pace, was intriguing and engaging. I truly enjoyed it. – Judy R.
  • I like the concept, storyline and characters. An excellent read. Dialogue was also excellent as were pace, twists and turns. – Mark M.
  • All the double agents, various international agencies, and crime bosses were easy to follow, and added depth to the story. – Steve B, 
  • Great job!! Thoroughly enjoyed the book.  I hope this one reaches the “Best Seller” list. – Tom K.
  • I have nothing but praise for your writing! – Dave K.
  • Blown away by your choice of words and character descriptions as well as their interactions with one another. – Judy H.

By the way, I narrated and produced the following 3-minute audio trailer (short marketing description) of my Aubrey Greigh Mystery series to date, just for you. It includes a description of this new book. I also composed the music for this piece. Here’s hoping you enjoy it:

2. New Travel Adventures on the Yellowstone Plateau

Hard to believe we’ve been in West Yellowstone, Montana for almost a week, already. At 6,700 feet, this elevation takes some getting used to as I’m prone to hypoxia. I guess I need more oxygen than most.

Kay discovered this charming little 25-site RV park that’s owned and run by a family who also owns and operates this small tourist town’s IMAX theater (our park is right behind the theater). The place is always full.

The back of the IMAX Theater in front of our RV park (“Buffalo Crossing”) in West Yellowstone, Montana
Our bus tucked in the middle of the back row by the trees.

We’re spending three weeks here, so we can take our time to acclimate, and visit the park at our leisure. Right now, we’re enjoying this charming little town. And yeah, we’ll hit Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring, the Yellowstone Grand Canyon, maybe the Lamar Valley, etc. We have time.

Last week, we attended a local art festival in the town park called the “Wretched Mess Arts Fest.” I really enjoyed the chalk art competition (while Kay played with everyone’s dogs). Check it out:

I love the paint brush in the Bison’s teeth! I found the 3D effect startling.

Who doesn’t love 3D art created in a 2 dimensional medium?

So, we’re hunkered down in the town of West Yellowstone, Montana, near the west gate of “the park,” (red circle to the left below) as Yellowstone is referred to here.

A few pics from Mammoth Hot Springs (red circle upper center above):

A young elk and Mom avoid the tourists (like us).
What do you see in this formation? I see a bearded old wizard with a midieval serf’s hat smirking at me. But his hat has eyes, too!

And last night, we ventured out to the Playmill Theater in town to see the last live performance of one of our favorite plays–Foreigner.

We saw this performed a few years ago in Cedar City, Utah, during their incredible Shakespeare Festival. Foreigner was one of the funniest stage performances we’ve ever seen.

The performance was a delight. And we loved their vegan ice cream during intermission (the actors served everyone concessions in our seats!).

3. Reminder: Catch Our New Relevant Fiction Podcast – Ep. 1

In this debut episode of my new podcast, “Relevant Fiction: Stories with a Conscience,” I interview the real-life incarnation of my new book’s central character, Sam Travis. Lieutenant Tom Kasprzak (retired) is a guy you’ll want to meet. Lethal Game is the first in our new outdoor adventure series, available now.

In this episode, Tom describes what it’s REALLY like to be an undercover environmental cop, not to mention how dangerous that job was, and why illegal harvesting of wildlife is a global criminal enterprise involving some of the most unscrupulous characters on the planet.

You’ll also better understand why such a criminal enterprise is not only dangerous, but an unconscionable crime against nature. Scary and heartrending stuff that makes for entertaining fiction!

Meet “LT,” the real-world version of Sam Travis in Lethal Game.

If you haven’t already caught this episode (it’s free), check it out on one of the following podcast platforms:

In future episodes, I’ll explore compelling & socially relevant issues in some of my other books, as well as those of other authors. The common theme: social relevancy.

And check out the new Facebook group as an adjunct to this podcast: Relevant Fiction: Stories with a Conscience.

4. Audiobook News

I’m putting the finishing touches on recording and editing my first-ever self-narrated audiobook, the first in my Aubrey Greigh Mystery Series. What an incredible adventure! And it’s not over yet.

I’m targeting availability of Voodoo Vendetta’s audiobook edition before Christmas, hopefully in November. Still too many unknowns to be more precise than that.

This has been (and still is) a gargantuan learning journey. For most of you, I imagine your eyes will glaze over. If that’s you (and that’s okay!), feel free to skip this section. But at least be aware of all that’s involved in producing an audiobook, and appreciate the challenge. Read on if you suffer from morbid curiosity.

You’ll see in a moment why it would reasonably cost $2,000 to $4,000 per book if I were to hire this out instead of doing it myself. At industry-standard rates of $265 – $400 PFH (per finished hour) to hire a narrator and to produce an audiobook, with my book’s finished runtime (average time to listen to the finished product) in the neighborhood of 8 hours, 16 minutes, this book would have cost me $2,100 to $3,300 to hire out (text prep, voice recording, audio editing, proofing, audio mastering, and distribution), and likely a lot more when all is said and done. Times ten books? So, sweat equity, it is!

Messy and kludgy “studio” in our motorhome’s bedroom, right? Well, I don’t need a sophisticated (and costly) audio recording studio with fancy fixtures that would cost $50-$60 per hour (national average).
All I need is some good-quality portable gear, a lot of time to research, record, edit, and a SUSTAINED kick-ass attitude to do what needs to be done. Screw the aesthetics! Although I have upgraded to a high quality boom arm for my microphone since I snapped this photo. That makes longer recording sessions a lot more comfortable.
My 8-channel Yamaha mixing “board” provides “phantom power” to the microphone, enables various “effects” that I use for recording my flute and guitar music, and is the all-important analog-to-digital interface between microphone and computer.
I also monitor sound levels coming into the microphone through the “pre-amps” in both the mike and the board with meters on the board so as not to cause unwanted distortion. A precarious balancing act to ensure my voice is loud enough but not too loud.
The big plug (upper left) is the XLR (pro-caliber) plug from the microphone (yup, for audiobook recording, I only use one channel on this board).
So, sound goes from my voice into the mike to the board to the computer and into the DAW (see below). Simple, right? (sorry about the poor-quality photo above).
The nerve center of my “studio,” my MacBook Pro M1 with a solid state (ultra-quiet) drive (storage), is one helluva machine.
Runs my DAW (Digital Audio Workstation software = Audacity).
I keep a separate file for my production schedule and to-do list for each audiobook project (I currently have two book recording projects underway), and a very specific workflow to manage the various versions of thousands of files (yup, thousands) as I launch a separate audiobook project for each of my ten titles (roughly 500 files per book).
No problem at all with some try/fail cycles, and a pant-load of can-do attitude.

I confess that between learning, repeated equipment tear-downs & set-ups (every time we move the bus), recording, and editing, I already have invested more than two months of solid effort on this side-hustle (maybe two or three hundred hours? More? Doesn’t matter. It’s a(nother) quest).

The second book will go much faster as I gain experience and sort out how to automate some of the tedious editing operations I now perform manually.

Here’s just a high-level snapshot of the talent, time, attitude, technical skills and equipment required to produce an audiobook, and I’m now on the home stretch with Voodoo Vendetta‘s audiobook edition):

  • A “voice-over artist” (narrator) must perform every word, every pause, every inflection:
    • Choosing what each character and their attitude will sound like
    • Deciding when it’s appropriate for a sharp intake of breath, or gasp, or chuckle… and when those need to be edited out
    • Emulating each voice consistently throughout the entire book
    • Making each character “sound right” and unique in the context of the story
    • Switching smoothly between male and female voices while embodying the guts of each character in the sound of their (my) voice
    • Pronouncing and consistently sustaining dialects, both foreign and regional domestic
    • Pronouncing foreign words and accents appropriately (or not)
    • Representing the dramatic intent of each character’s voice
    • Knowing when to use pauses (and sensing how long should they be),
    • Using voice inflections and “verbal sound effects” (like the sound of gunshots or the click of a phone hanging up) without sounding corny and consistent with the characters’ roles in the story, as well as the setting for each scene
    • Adapting every word in the manuscript (script prep) to this spoken medium (I obviously don’t speak words like “he pronounced it as….” because I AM pronouncing it)
  • Effective and efficient file management: creating and managing (storing and keeping track of) one audio file for each of:
    • The cover art with its specific requirements, including its square 2400 x 2400-pixel dimension (different from rectangular ebook or print requirements)
    • The book’s trailer (short audio description for marketing purposes)
    • Audio Intro (also called opening credits = title, author, narrated by….)
    • Commercial sample: 1 to 5 minutes long
    • 91 recorded chapters for Voodoo Vendetta (one audio file for each chapter)
    • Audio ending credits (“The End,” you’ve just listened to, by author, & narrator was, source copyright year, production copyright year, etc.)
    • A project file on the computer for each of these to be processed by the editing software (Logic Pro, Studio One, Reaper… these are all overkill for audiobook production. I use Audacity for voice and GarageBand for music)
    • All of these files comprise many raw gigabytes of computer storage (a LOT) for each project that is recorded over WEEKS. So, ensuring I don’t lose or misplace any of these files, or clog up my computer, requires a reliable cloud account (stored outside my own computer in “the cloud” and accessible from anywhere).
    • File and version management: I have at least five versions of each file (i.e., each chapter):
      • An Audacity project file (AUP3 format) used by the DAW (editing software)
      • Rough draft in WAV audio file format (very large uncompressed file with best quality for editing)
      • Intermediate draft in WAV audio format (after all the time-consuming editing is done, but before compression & final audio diagnostics are complete)
      • Final WAV audio format (after all diagnostic tests are completed and inevitable errors are corrected in each file, but before compression and final mastering)
      • Final MP3 (compressed and fully mastered) audio format (required format by audiobook distributors). Oh, and did I mention these distributors require this conversion to be saved with their own very specific “resolution” at a constant bit rate of 192 kilobits per second? Yeah, you don’t wanna know.
      • I then need to track which files have been uploaded to the audiobook distributor, and after a final “listen,” (“proof”) which will need to be re-uploaded because of character voice inconsistencies or something (anything) else that just doesn’t sound right
      • Naming each recorded chapter to both recognize what’s in the file and what order it must be in
      • If I didn’t have a PRECISE workflow to manage over five hundred files and all these different versions, just for this one book, can you imagine the chaos?
      • Now multiply that for the ten books I wish to record. that’s over five thousand files in multiple formats (!) for various purposes. Oh, baby!
    • Technical audio quality requirements, especially since my own hearing is no longer what it once was, and what the diagnostic software analyzes after rough editing is complete (this is called “mastering”):
      • ALL tracks for a particular project (audiobook) need to be either mono or stereo, NOT a mixture of both
      • Peak volume (the loudest allowed) = -3.0dB (a measure of loudness (for example, -2.0dB, or deciBels, is too loud, and will be rejected)
      • Noise “floor”, also called “room tone” (requirements for the purity of silence) must be less than -60dB. That’s REALLY QUIET, which means I need to record in a very quiet room
      • Average volume (“RMS”) – not too loud (must be less than -18dB) nor too soft (must be greater than -23dB) – average between those two volumes across the entire file, AND consistent BETWEEN files (i.e., chapters)
      • Precise requirements for the duration of “room tone” at the:
        • beginning (“head”) of each chapter (between 0.5 & 0.75 seconds)
        • end (“tail”) of each chapter (between 2.5 & 5.0 seconds)
      • One dimension of how the mike’s sound is converted from analog (real-world) to digital (computer-world) is called a sample rate. Must be 44,100 samples per second during this conversion process (a compromise between file size and sound quality – beyond that, don’t ask!)
  • Equipment & environment (including recording location) and attitude necessary to achieve the desired/required audio quality across the entire project:
    • Soft surfaces in the recording “booth” that don’t reflect sounds which produce an unpleasant hollow effect (and doing whatever it takes to achieve this, no matter how silly it might seem to earthlings – that’s the attitude part): pillows, towels, clothes….
    • A good-quality large-diaphragm condenser microphone (pro-caliber) mounted on a boom arm that allows me to position the “mike” or “mic” precisely in front of my mouth – slightly above (an important factor often underrated or ignored). This was an important lesson for me that included lots of do-overs
    • An interface that converts the mike’s analog (real-world) signal into a digital (computer-understandable) form and allows me to control the “shape” of the sound before it’s sent to the computer in digital format (volume, gain, compression, effects, etc). Mine’s called a “mixer” or “board”
    • Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), a computer program that receives (records) and processes (allows me to edit or to perform some automated editing) the volume & sound of my voice in a digital form from the mixer that can then be made available to consumers by audiobook distributors (Audible, Apple, Findaway Voices, Soundwise, etc,)
    • This DAW (I’m using an open-source program called Audacity, popular in the production of audiobooks) also allows me to edit what I’ve recorded:
      • Eliminating me clearing my throat, lip-smacking, adjusting the length of pauses in my narration, listening to what I’ve recorded, adjusting volume, compressing, equalizing (“changing” & “shaping” the sound), converting my recordings from very high quality (but very large files) to very good quality compressed file formats (reasonable-size files required by audiobook distributors).
      • And the DAW must ensure technical consistency across all my chapters.
      • Using diagnostic software (multiple programs) to ensure that each file (across a hundred Voodoo Vendetta’s chapters, front matter & back matter files) consistently meets the precise technical requirements demanded by each audiobook distributor. I must run each of these hundred audio files through each of these diagnostic programs, and correct any deficiencies in meeting these technical requirements. Remember? Noise floor, average volume, peak volume, duration of lead-ins, lead-outs, etc)?

So what does all this mean? This was a fabulous learning experience, and takes me back to my roots as a recording engineer ~fifty years ago. Unimaginable how much has changed since then, but I’m finding this immersive experience a lot of fun.

And many of you have asked for audiobook editions. So, here we are!

Plus, this is an important reminder that “engineering,” even audio engineering, is a precise profession. For a reason. Just to bring you a pleasing audiobook experience. So you don’t have to worry about all this crap, or even be aware of it.

To achieve all this while living on the road, though, my motorhome’s bedroom becomes my “studio recording booth,” on demand, and a lot is makeshift. That requires the right can-do attitude.

I open mirrored closet doors to expose all the soft clothes hanging inside, and I hang a soft terrycloth towel over the hardwood bedroom door. The kingsize bed remains unmade (ruffled). I stand pillows up behind my microphone. Why?

Because soft and irregular surfaces absorb undesirable sound reflections. That’s good. That means killing subtle or not-so-subtle sound echoing around as it’s recorded to avoid the dreaded hollow (thin) sound. You might not even notice it, but the microphone will.

After all, I don’t want my recordings to sound like I’m sitting on a toilet in tiled (echoey) bathroom! Not very professional (try to unsee THAT image in your mind’s eye).

Some audio sins can be absolved in “post-production,” that is, I can edit out some sound problems in the DAW after I’m done recording, but that takes time, and just doesn’t sound as good.

But you knew all of this, right? Thank the universe within which you hatched that you don’t have to if you didn’t. You see, the world needs geeks like me for SOME stuff! Even when it’s self-induced.

But if you know me, you know I’m a control freak. ‘Nuf said?

Okay, so here’s where we REALLY dive down the rabbit hole. Feel free to skip the following, but some of you will find this audio engineering stuff perversely fascinating, if even just to superficially browse so you can delight in NOT having to know any of this crap yourself (but I love it, so). Most of you who might someday delve into audiobook production will simply choose to write a check or swipe a card. Understandable. Believe me! Especially after reading my tomb of audio misadventures.

Running initial diagnostics on Voodoo Vendetta (VV) “wave forms” after recording and processing them through various “effects” to get them to be loud enough, but not too loud, to remove unwanted noise, or to inject appropriate compression and equalization, etc. The learning curve on this stuff seemed… formidable, but doable.
So, for you geeks out there (my people!), above are the specific requirements for each file (e.g., chapter) as required by audiobook distributors like Audible (their standards are the most stringent, and the ones I will surpass). If any one of these criteria are not met for each and every file in a project, they reject the entire book. Okay, I can deal with that. Just gonna take some time. And if your first submission for a project fails, rumor has it you don’t get a second chance. We’ll see.
Here’s a report from another tool I’ve subscribed to (2nd Opinion, by Steven Jay Cohen) showing just one recorded, edited and mastered chapter (of the 91 chapters in Voodoo Vendetta).
Note I’ve already exported this file (VV Chap 1 in WAV format) to the final compressed file format (MP3) required by audio distributors/marketers like Audible, et al. Recall my working (uncompressed file) format was the WAV format.
Each of these parameters have to be met or exceeded according to the criteria above. This one passed (after some work). It’s getting easier and less time-consuming.

Big fun, eh, kids?

That’s it! So, until next time, and wherever…

Let’s roll!

Gene

Smilin’ in “the studio” (inside the motorhome) cookin’ up audiobooks AND podcasts… wherever we park the rig, while still finding time to “retire” and suck the juice out of every single day!
Representing author GK Jurrens
It’s Time!

It’s Time!

By | 
Location: Still Rochester, Minnesota

So, what’s up? Time? Time for WHAT?

The first book in our Sam Travis Adventure Series is now available, and we’ve already begun the second!

Early readers are buzzing:

“This is a fun, entertaining, shocking and thought-provoking read.”

As Lethal Game appears in all online retail outlets and library ordering services over the coming week or so, you’ll find this fun new book on Amazon NOW.

Check it out HERE.

This book also inspired a new Facebook Group called

“Relevant Fiction: Stories with a Conscience”

Consider joining this provocative discussion group about novels (fiction) with contemporary social relevance.

Huh?

Visit the group HERE for some posts you won’t want to miss as new members come onboard this brand new group.

Please, feel free to join in on the conversation if you see something that resonates with you.

It’s free. Don’t be shy.

Or be shy.

Your choice.

In this issue:

  1. NEW BOOK: Lethal Game is Available
  2. NEW PODCAST: Relevant Fiction: Stories with a Conscience (coming soon)
  3. NEW FACEBOOK GROUP: Relevant Fiction is Available

1. New Book: “Lethal Game: Bears Under Siege”

Based on a true story from one of LT’s undercover ops.

Some people are dumb, okay? And Sam Travis knows this better than most. In his neck of the woods in the gorgeous Western Massachusetts mountains called the Berkshires, he might see headlines like, “Hunters should take care to target only legal game, not bald eagles or German shepherds.”

Really, people?

In this new book, this guy Sam tends to tangle with unscrupulous characters as well as civilians who just make dumb mistakes. Some are downright stupid-funny.

But when somebody kills Sam’s long-time partner, an older game warden who was Sam’s mentor and partner, the gloves come off. “There’ll be hell to pay!” he says, and he means it.

Let there be no doubt: through the course of this book, the feces do strike the reciprocal mass… at velocity!

2. The New Relevant Fiction Podcast – Episode 1

You’ll also want to catch the debut episode of my new podcast, “Relevant Fiction: Stories with a Conscience,” to meet the real-life incarnation of Sam Travis, my partner in this outdoor adventure series, Lieutenant Tom Kasprzak (retired).

You’ll learn what being an undercover operative is truly like in this episode, and why illegal harvesting of wildlife is a global enterprise involving some of the most unscrupulous characters on the planet. You’ll also better understand why such a criminal enterprise is not only dangerous, but an unconscionable crime against nature.

Meet “LT,” the real-world version of Sam Travis in Lethal Game.

In this first episode, I’m excited to interview Tom Kasprzak, a.k.a. LT, retired from the Massachusetts Environmental Police Force. His stories will curl your toes until they cramp. And then some. Lethal Game is a novel, but it’s based on a few of Tom’s more cringeworthy true-life experiences. And he made damn sure I portrayed them in authentic clarity. He provides the stories, I provide the storytelling. You won’t want to miss this first episode of the Relevant Fiction podcast.

You will receive a link to the first episode of this new podcast by subscribing (it’s free) at GKJurrens.com, if you haven’t already done so, and you’ll be the very first to grab your free episode!

Coming soon to wherever you get your podcasts (as soon as I recover my voice to finish recording and producing)!

In future episodes, I’ll explore socially relevant issues in some of my other books, as well as those of other authors. The common theme: social relevancy.

3. New Facebook Group: Relevant Fiction: Stories with a Conscience

Check out the new group HERE. Its genesis sprung from the new podcast above. My intent? This would be a fun forum to engage in further discussion after each podcast, which I hope will be thought-provoking. But it’s already becoming a nice safe place to express any opinion relative to fiction, except for hard-core politics. Serenity is fragile, is it not?

We’d love to see you contribute your own wits to this community, intended for anyone who’s interested in fiction that not only entertains, but presents itself as relevant to our lives outside of fiction. Maybe. You determine that. Fun to discuss.

And, oh, I can’t do this alone, my friends.

That’s it! So, until next time, and wherever…

Let’s roll!

Gene

Smilin’ in “the studio” (inside the motorhome) now cookin’ up audiobooks AND podcasts… wherever we park the rig!

And below… I only snap pictures of bumper stickers I like. So, here ya go:

I love reading bumper stickers on OTHER PEOPLE’S CARS! My favorite here is “Non-judgement day is near!”
Representing author GK Jurrens
Blazing Summer!

Blazing Summer!

By | 
Location: Rochester, Minnesota

You’ll think I’m crazy! Maybe I am. But don’t tell my blushing bride!

ALL of my books are FREE the entire month of July on Smashwords

(eBook editions)!

Keep reading, and I’ll show you how to score your own copies of all eleven books….

In this issue:

  1. New Novel News (of course)
  2. Reminder: Hot New Adventure Coming in Four Weeks
  3. Time for a Memoir?
  4. Travel & New State of Residence?
  5. Audiobooks Next?
  6. Crazy Book Sale (is it a sale when they’re FREE?)

Whenever we visit the home of the world-famous Mayo Clinic, also our home town, we take care of as much of our medical business as possible. At our age, that takes some time and attention.

We’ve been enjoying family and friends while here in Rochester, Minnesota, as we are blessed to do so for a while almost every summer. We do love this part of the country… in the summer!

1. New Novel Progress

Well, what do you expect? I’m an author. I write books. If I’m not producing new books, I’m not bringing home the bacon. Interesting turn of phrase for a vegan, right?

In my last newsletter, I mentioned the second book in my Literati Mystery series, “Secret Swords,” and that I was toying with a different title: “Dancing With Death.” I asked for feedback. Some said, “The new title is much better, but not the series name. The word, ‘Literati’ doesn’t sing to me.”

Hey, you speak, I listen. This series is now “Aubrey Greigh Mysteries.” Unless I receive more feedback to the contrary, here’s what I envision for this new book (coming Fall 2023). Let me know any further thoughts, please. I even re-issued a new edition of Voodoo Vendetta with an updated cover for consistency.

2. Reminder: A Hot New Outdoor Adventure Coming In Four Weeks….

Lethal Game is the first book in our new Sam Travis Adventure series. Get yours in just four weeks!

This first Sam Travis Adventure is available for PREORDER NOW!

That means that you can buy it today at a reduced pre-publication price of $3.99 (USD) and Amazon will deliver its Kindle edition to any or all of your smart devices automatically on August 1st.

I am thrilled at the reaction from early readers/critics of this engaging and sometimes humorous adventure tale based on the real-life law enforcement experiences of my new friend, Lieutenant Tom Kasprzak (retired) from the Massachusetts Environmental Police. Has he got stories!

Tom “LT” Kasprzak, the real-world version of Sam Travis.

New news: LT and I are already working on the second Sam Travis Adventure. We envision the title to be Lethal Trail. I have no draft artwork of the cover to share with you yet, but we’re excited about the book’s premise (look for it before Christmas, with a little luck):

Something is happening in Sam Travis’s backyard, but with no clue as to what that might be. Yet.

Since 1974, thirteen people have disappeared while hiking or camping on the Appalachian National Scenic Trail—called the AT by locals and hikers. Some of these fell prey to foul play. Several hikers have disappeared within the previous year alone, and three of those were last heard from on the ninety miles of the trail that passes through the Berkshire Mountains of Western Massachusetts. 

Then, a fourteen-year-old girl is kidnapped, beaten and abused. She turns up on her own, bruised and bloody, after hiking down one of Sam’s mountains to a parking lot near the Massachusetts stretch of the AT. 

Sam has a reputation for finding people—alive or dead—and for wilderness tracking. In other words, a recovery expert. He’s called in to consult with the Massachusetts State Police and the FBI. It is critical they find where the girl was held. Amnesia is blocking her memory. 

Similar cases in four other states on or near the AT lead authorities to suspect some or all might be connected. But the kidnapped girl who was left for dead is the only victim found alive. She is the key to tracking and apprehending one or more serial rapists, or more likely serial killers who seem to be on a multi-state spree. And they are escalating.

Sam and his team are called in to work with the girl, and to participate in three searches spanning a period of two months and three states. The trick is to distinguish those hikers who disappeared because they succumbed to weather, disorientation, malnutrition, exposure, dehydration, wildlife attacks, OR from victims of foul play. That is challenging if no body is found after someone is reported missing, often weeks or months later.

But then a hiker is discovered in a shallow grave. His belongings are missing, and there is evidence of sharp force trauma—he was stabbed. A homicide is declared. These investigations now take a different turn with a sense of urgency. Travis and his unusual team are called in once more.

End-to-end, the AT reaches 2,193 miles. It takes at least three months to “through hike” from northern Georgia to Maine, though most folks take longer than that. More than three million people hike a portion of the trail each year.  Almost a thousand through-hikers walk its entire wilderness length annually. 

Changes in elevation are equivalent to Mt. Everest’s sixteen times over. It’s been called the most dangerous and longest hiking trail in the world.  

Injuries and fatalities occur, but the intentional human-on-human disappearances?  That’s where Sam, his quirky team of trackers, informants, and investigators help solve those crimes and catch the criminals—a juicy, and sometimes comedic recipe for adventure and intrigue. 

3. Time for a Memoir?

A friend who is a New York Times best-selling author once told me, “Geno, you’re never gonna make any of the best-seller lists if you keep hopping genres. You write historical crime fiction, fictional autobiographies (fictional memoirs?), murder mysteries, now outdoor adventures, and you dabble in futuristic paranormal romantic mysteries. Plus, some non-fiction…. What the hell?”

I told him, “I don’t care. I write what’s in my heart.” He didn’t say it, but I could feel his thoughts bludgeoning me: “Oh, you’re one of those!” He strictly writes for commercial success, and I’m very happy for him.

So, he tossed me a challenge: “Okay, smart guy, I challenge you to write a really solid book that nobody will buy!” Game on. I wrote a book of poetry for people who hate poetry (The Poetic Detective). And it’s selling! Not a lot. But that’s okay. 

Now, why not write a (non-fiction) memoir targeting readers who hate memoirs? “They” can’t stop me! In truth, who cares? Well, I’m hoping you will. How’s this for a working title: “Confessions of a Pathological Believer – In Science, Superstition, and Emotional Addiction.”

Am I crazy? I hope so! Most good authors are. Confessions should be an interesting read when I get around to finishing the damn thing. I’m hoping it will be available by mid-2024.

4. Travel & New State of Residence?

We’re hanging out here in Southeast Minnesota for another six weeks or so. Then, we’re off to the Black Hills of South Dakota (we love that area). But this time, we also plan to establish South Dakota as our state of domicile.

Now that we don’t plan to spend much time in Florida anymore (we’ll miss our friends, but not hurricanes!), we need a new official state of residence. What to do?

Of course, it’ll be important to choose the right plate for RV & toad (towed vehicle). Honestly, we don’t care.

This means we’ll officially become SD residents from a legal perspective. Why? Like Florida, no state income tax. Unlike Florida, however, where we’d have to physically reside for six months of every year (no longer our plan), we only have to be in-state once every five years (to renew our drivers’ license)! 

We’ll register our RV and cars there (then, we can get new plates by mail each year), and register to vote (they honor absentee ballots, and the mail forwarding service we’ll use (Dakota Post) forwards absentee ballots, unlike our other service in Florida. 

Yup, SD is by far THE friendliest state in the union for full-time RVers like us. Gotta think differently lacking a real estate address nowadays. 

5. Audiobook Editions?

I’m finally returning to creating audiobook editions of my manuscripts. As a DIY project, this is an aggressive undertaking. So much to learn. But I enjoy that.

Why create audiobook editions? I’ve asked so many folks, “Do you read books?” only to hear “Only ‘Books on Tape'” from some. Of course, they mean audiobooks. That means I’m missing a market. Like the old lottery player’s motto, “You can’t win if you don’t play.”

Being a control freak, and a cheap one at that, I can’t justify paying a professional voice artist four figures to narrate each of my books. Plus, many of the folks who enjoy audiobooks have said they prefer listening to an author narrating their own work.

I promise that producing and performing one’s own audiobooks is not for the faint of heart. At least three reasons:

  1. A good deal of technology (hardware) and technical (software/audio) knowledge must be mastered to avoid rejection by audiobook distribution channels,
  2. Requires an investment in hardware (an ultra-quiet “recording booth,” a quality microphone, an interface between the mike and my computer) and software (a digital audio workstation, a.k.a. DAW),
  3. New skills must be mastered that most might take for granted – that of a voice-over artist.

To the first point, audio computer file requirements and what each contains are exacting. I won’t bore you with the details.

Second, eliminating echoes, outside and ambient room noises require soundproofing a space within which to record (a “booth”). My Behringer phantom-powered pro microphone is crazy sensitive. I need that to record quality sound.

Plus, the DAW I use (recording studio software) must be able to record precise acoustical results and analyze them to ensure I don’t flunk #1 above without spending hundreds of dollars per hour renting studio time. Plus, did I mention I live in a bus?

And third, I am humbled by what it takes to effectively narrate a quality audiobook. I had no idea! Narrators don’t just “read the book aloud” as someone records their voice. They perform the book! Huge difference!

The heart of the matter: a Behringer Pro-1 twin large diaphragm condenser XLR “mike.” I chose to use a foam “pop” shield that slips over the head of the mike (not shown in this image).
Note the sophisticated soundproofing (wink) comprising pillows, bedspreads, etc.

To the left of the mike’s enclosure, note my 8-channel Yamaha mixing “board” that controls the mike’s sound level before it reaches the computer = a MacBook Pro to the right with a solid state 1 TB (big enough) “drive” = no noisy fan).

With the “board” I can also mix in music backing tracks or sound effects channels into the recording on the computer, but most audiobook distributors frown on getting that fancy.

The board also contains an interface that converts analog (mike) signals to digital (computer) signals.

So the mike is connected to the board, and the board is connected to the computer. Simple, but effective. The computer runs the recording software. I’m using a program called GarageBand right now, but am thinking of upgrading to a more professional DAW called Logic Pro (also an Apple product). SMOM (Small Matter of Money).

All this hardware packs into a waterproof Pelican (performance) case when we roll down the big slab.
You audiophiles will get a kick outa this. Elegant, huh?

As a practical matter, the foam pop guard you see fit over the mike’s head seemed as effective as the fancy anechoic chamber that I simply use as a mike stand in this photo.

I found standing as I “perform” gave me a fuller voice and performance range. The DAW enables me to eliminate most ambient noises, and should get me close to the exacting audio standards required by audiobook distributors like Audible, Findaway Voices, etc.

Note the mike itself is mounted in a suspension mount to isolate it from unwanted micro vibrations, and the whole affair sits atop a foam kingsize mattress (further sophisticated anti-vibration, noise-deadening measures).

I’d prefer even more soft surface areas to absorb unwanted noise bouncing, but one does what one must (like set my mike/stand atop Kay’s juicer box!).

To my ear, the results sound quite good. And FAR cheaper than renting professional studio time!
This is a screen shot of my current DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), if this sort of thing appeals to you. It’s called GarageBand and runs on my MacBook Pro.

While it works very well, it may not be up to the job of meeting the precise technical requirements of audio distributors (I can’t easily analyze my recorded tracks to confirm)
Logic Pro is a serious professional upgrade to GarageBand, also an Apple product, and one of the most popular professional DAWs in the industry.

Much more than I need, and not free like GarageBand, but more efficient.
Since it uses the same sophisticated audio engine and similar interface, that should minimize my learning curve (gulp!).

I’m still researching before spending $200, but next time you listen to an audiobook, you’ll appreciate more what its production encompassed.

Soooo, if you’re interested, I thought I’d share with you an audio draft of one chapter from Voodoo Vendetta (chapter 8). I have yet to scrub it for technical requirements, and while I never like the recorded sound of my own voice, I’m told that listeners just have to “not hate it.” We’ll see, right? If you have an opinion after listening to this 5-minute clip, shoot me an email at gjurrens@yahoo.com. Thanks in advance:

Listen to Chapter 8 of Voodoo Vendetta (not in context – sample of sound quality & performance):

6. Crazy Book Sale – They’re ALL FREE IN JULY!

Yup, that ain’t just hype. My entire set of eleven published works (so far) are free the entire month of July–all eBook editions on Smashwords, that is (an Amazon alternative). 

Here’s how to score my entire collection at no cost:
  1. Sign into smashwords.com or sign up for a new account (it’s free)
  2. Search for “jurrens” at the top of the window
  3. Click on “buy” for any or all of my books. 
  4. Don’t forget to scroll down to see all eleven books
  5. Checkout
  6. Choose payment method
  7. Optional: Subscribe to receive notifications of my new releases.
  8. Proceed to checkout
Easy. All I ask in return is a paragraph or three in reaction to each book you read (even if you don't finish it). Send your thoughts to gjurrens@yahoo.com. Tell me what you enjoyed or hated. Either way, I'll be grateful.

So, until next time…

Let’s roll!

Gene

Smilin’ in “the studio” (inside the motorhome)!
I just had to snap this pic outside the gym this AM. What’s your favorite? I couldn’t pick just one! Did you notice the rusty bumper hitch receiver center bottom? It IS Minnesota, after all !
No serious author can deny the truth of it… just try and stop me, though. Weird science.
Representing author GK Jurrens
Road Blitzin’!

Road Blitzin’!

By | 
Location: Various

Now we’re talking! Adventure at every turn.

Remember, “the difference between ordeal and adventure is attitude!”

In this issue – with attitude:

  1. The Big Show
  2. Cold Wrinkles
  3. Hot New Adventure Book This Summer
  4. Cool New Mystery This Fall

Take what you like… leave the rest. Thanks for being here!

Filling our thirsty bus from both sides in a truck stop taking on a gallon per second. Impressive. And thought-provoking.

After a crazy winter, March came thundering at us like a ravenous lion. We asked for a lot of it. Much we did not. But we now hurtle toward our fate with our eyes wide open, eagerly anticipating the next twist. We’re putting ourselves out there.

It’s our time to suck the juice from fickle fruit—bitter or sweet, and that damn lion is still thundering toward us.

Bring it on, you mangy cat!

1. The Big Show

After packing our most treasured relics from lives already well-lived, and after selling our last remaining piece of real estate, we aimed our forty-three-foot eight-wheel home northward. We left SW Florida in our rearview mirror and headed for central Georgia with adrenaline-fueled excitement coursing through our veins.

What happens when you cluster a mob of RVs in one place where lots of people with similar interests hunker down together? For most, that means fun and excitement.

During the week of March 15th, we set up our rolling home on the Georgia State Fairgrounds along with some two-thousand-one-hundred other RVs. That’s probably over four thousand folks who lust for life on the road, as do Kay and I.

Enter the 106th Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA) International Convention, and Perry, Georgia was hopping.

I presented two sixty-minute seminars to seventy-seven attendees. Their response was enthusiastic. I’ve already been asked to return to the next rally in Tucson, Arizona next March. It’s nice to be wanted.
Set up and ready to sell, sign, and spew stories of fiction and all that other stuff (facts?)

Seventy-seven folks attended my seminars on Inspired Creative Writing & Publishing. They received what I had to say very favorably.

In fact, FMCA has already asked me to present again next March at their Tucson convention. Let’s go!

I also spent ten hours over four days selling my books—I sold seventy-five. What that means to my lovely bride of fifty-four years—this month—is that we now haul just two cartons of inventory around North America instead of six, at least until I receive another print run for my next round of seminars and book sales in Minnesota this summer.

So to all of you who attended my seminars and/or bought my books in Perry, Miss Kay and I thank you.

2. Cold Wrinkles

The Newmar factory service center in Nappanee, Indiana is spectacular.

No, y’all, I’m not now whining about early spring temperatures, which were frigid, at least to us—we’ve long-since been “Floridated.” Rather, the freezer in our big old French-door residential fridge in the bus kicked the proverbial bucket.

They figure it was a compressor gone bad. But because this was a twin compressor unit—deluxe at its birth, circa 2010—the fridge continued to work fine. Just no freezer.

Built like a brick, the venerable old Samsung was a teenager—thirteen years old. What’s that in dog years? High time for an upgrade to something that works, top to bottom, even under the frequent earthquake conditions (a.k.a. crappy roads that shake our guts and our equipment).

That’s our bus, the “blonde” second from the left – yeah, we prefer lighter colors, especially for extended stays in warm climates, like the tropics or the desert or the beautiful Midwest… in the summer, that is.
This factory service center, adjacent to the factory where these busses are built, is huge! And spotless. And impressive.

Now, this might amuse you. We spent several days at the Newmar factory service center in northern Indiana (where this bus was built seventeen years ago), so they know what they’re doing. Quite the amazing facility.

Said they needed to take out a ten-foot row of cabinets over the driver’s side living room windows and remove a picture window, so four strong men outside could hoist the new twenty-cubic-foot three-door Whirlpool fridge/freezer up and in to two strong men inside! After they disassembled and hauled out “old busted” and hoisted in “new hotness,” that is. No big deal. For them. Just a SMOM (Small Matter Of Money)!

Yeah, it was time. And it happened, with less than a 1/32″ clearance!

The plan worked—the first time. Almost like they knew exactly what they were doing.

Out with “old busted….”
In with “new hotness.”

Now, since this was an unplanned remove/replace, the team ran out of time.

So we planned to return to Newmar after Spartan Motors serviced our chassis (everything below “the house” like the engine, drive train, suspension, air brakes, etc.).

Slightly smaller than “old busted,” our “new hotness” needs some trim now that we’ve returned to Nappanee.

We then drove to Ontario to visit some friends, then down to Cleveland to visit my dear sister, Yvonne. And back to Spartan in southern Michigan to pick up the coach.

Then we returned to Newmar in Nappanee to allow the boys to finish trimming out the fridge and install our new slide toppers. Those are heavy fabric awnings that cover our slide-out rooms when extended.

Piece a cake!

Now, let’s talk about slides—you know, mechanical room expanders. Also called slide-outs or slide-out rooms. We have four. Without four slide-outs the bus is very cramped and not as livable.

Two opposing slides in the bedroom make that a cozy space with plenty of room to walk around the king bed. Likewise, two opposing slides in the living room really open that space up. Very comfy.

On the other hand, when any of those four motorized slides don’t behave, well, think of losing about twenty percent of the dimensions of the room where you spend the most time.

Yup, our passenger’s side living room slide decided to grow temperamental on us in recent months. Well, we were in the right place.

They replaced the brake on that slide’s motor (which wanted to stay locked and not allow the motor to move the slide), and… mischief managed. We’re back in business! SMOM.

One more wrinkle that surprised us.

We’re vegetarians with a bad freezer whose fridge could have failed at any moment. That meant we resorted to provisioning with canned beans of all types as a major source of our protein.

Canned goods are heavy. We challenged the strength of every full extension drawer in our “pantry.”

Within the first two weeks of our new full-time RV lifestyle, three of four drawers in our pantry collapsed.

Remember, when we roll the house down the road at 65 or 75 MPH, we’re seriously wiggling the needle on the ole Richter scale.

Fortunately, it was a small matter for the Newmar techs to fortify our drawers so they wouldn’t drop our heavy larder all over the floor! Thank you, Newmar techs! (SMOM redux).

We took a road trip in the Jeep to Niagara Falls, Ontario. Illuminating.

While the bus was getting her yearly physical at Spartan Motors in Southern Michigan, we took a road trip in the Jeep to Niagara Falls, Ontario. Illuminating. More casinos and wineries in one place than we’ve ever seen (no wineries in Vegas).

The Canadian Horseshoe Falls

Oh, and our first view of the falls from 733 feet above ground level (the observation deck of the Skylon Tower) took our breath away.

The American Falls

We then said goodbye to our Canadian friends and headed to Cleveland to spend a wonderful weekend with family there. Delightful. Got word our bus was done at the Spartan chassis service center (annual maintenance), and returned to Newmar in northern Indiana to finish up there installing parts that had to be re-ordered.

And here we sit. Again. Comfortably.

3. Hot New Adventure Book Coming This Summer….

A reminder….

This next book will be available August 1st. A skilled team of pre-publication readers have been buzzing with enthusiasm about this first book of this new series.

I am thrilled at the reaction from these early readers/critics to the first book of an engaging and sometimes humorous adventure series based on the real-life law enforcement experiences of my new friend, Lieutenant Tom Kasprzak (retired) from the Massachusetts Environmental Police. Has he got stories!

Tom Kasprzak, the real-world version of Sam Travis.

The good news? LETHAL GAME CAN BE PRE-ORDERED IF YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW! That means that you can buy it today at a reduced pre-publication price of $3.99 (USD) and Amazon will deliver the Kindle edition to any or all of your smart devices automatically the moment it becomes available.

If you don’t own a Kindle device, no problem. Follow the link above to the book’s Amazon page. Directly under the price of the book, click on “Read with Our FREE App.” Download that app and you’ll be able to read any Kindle book on all of your smart devices (phone, tablet, computer….).

I offer you an excerpt of this new book here:

Lethal Game – Bears Under Siege

A Sam Travis Adventure

Saturday Morning, 

October 1st

Glenville, Massachusetts

* * *

These woods always reminded Frank Murdock of Christmas. The pine and hemlock trees that loomed over the log cabin stained its brownish exterior to somewhere between a weathered gray and the black of neglect. But it always smelled like Christmas. 

Out front, a sign nailed to a post announced, 

Environmental Police 
Regional Headquarters, 
Glenville, Mass. 

Frank swung open the cabin’s screen door. It banged against its stops as he stepped out onto the porch and filled his lungs. Sometimes he felt stronger than he himself expected. The truth? He had grown too darn old and tired for the job. But he’d admit that to no one out loud, not even to himself. 

He slapped away the cobwebs from the top corner of the screen door. They weren’t there last night. A few clung to the sergeant’s stripes on his right shoulder. Those stripes were less faded than the rest of his forest-green uniform. He scratched at the third-day stubble on his jowled neck.  

The grizzled game service veteran hobbled side-to-side out to his Bronco, a clone of the one that his partner, the promising young Sam Travis drove, though rustier. But for the sweet fart of fate, he’d have lost one or more of that truck’s Swiss cheese fenders behind him in a ditch on a country road. 

His left knee gave him trouble most of the time. Today was one of those days. Not the only thing that irritated him, though. 

These dents and all this grime? Past adventures, eh? If we get some budget, maybe the boss springs for a new fleet of Broncs… yeah, sure thing—come a hell a Sundays!

Frank grabbed the handle, swung open the driver’s door with a screech from its pair of rust-dry hinges, and hoisted his creaky carcass up into the driver’s seat. His eyes had grown bloodshot from filling out forms for the last hour. 

Blasted paperwork…two more years and I’m gone… gone… gone….

Twisted the ignition key.

Bam! 

The Bronco sputtered and stalled. Murdock slammed his fist against the wheel. The muscles in his jaw rippled. Didn’t mean to grind every single natural tooth left in his mouth. Probably chipped at least one, or worse. He was sure to put the dentist’s youngest boy through his freshman year at Holyoke Community College. 

Twisted the ignition key again. More sputtering. 

Fire up, you son-of-a-bitch! 

Finally, the engine took pity on the old woods cop. After a quick J-turn, Murdock drove past the cabin in a cloud of dust with sparks shooting from the exhaust pipe—actually, from the hole in the pipe in front of the rusted muffler. One more backfire, and the Bronco disappeared, leaving a pall of blue smoke in its trail. 

Murdock bumped along a remote dirt road that was more of a game trail than an actual thoroughfare. His chunky trail tires kicked out gravel. Clotted chunks of mud had caked inside all four wheel wells before the first freeze. Stayed all dried up in there, now, like gray concrete. 

Intermittent static issued from his dash radio. Then, the sultry tones of their female dispatcher offered a welcome respite from the noise that the radio’s antiquated squelch could not defeat. Murdock had been warned about his playful flirting. Like he had a shot!

“Unit twenty-one… unit twenty-one… please respond to a shooting complaint near the abandoned hotel at Wolf Hollow.”

Shit. Means another hike to the top of that wretched ridge.

He tried not to sound pissed at that silky voice washing over him from his radio’s speaker. Or too sarcastic. What was her name, again? “Unit twenty-one received. Thanks a lot!” 

“Sorry, Frank. You’re the only officer in that district. Complainant states she’s heard shots fired there for over a week now.”

“Received and en route.” 

A week-old complaint. Typical. 

Murdock pointed his Bronc up into the hills on the winding road toward Wolf Hollow. Clouds of dust swirled behind, but a fair amount of it filled his Bronc, too. Swiss cheese wheel wells’ll encourage that. 

Coming around a curve too fast, he slammed on his brakes. Dust engulfed him and the Bronc. Almost got jammed up on a fallen tree and half a dozen boulders. 

Great. A landslide. Just what I need. 

Murdock snatched the microphone from its hook on the dash. “Unit twenty-one on portable at Wolf Hollow.”

“Received, twenty-one.”

This trail’s a cuss-ed mess! 

Still muttering to himself, he climbed out of the cruiser, surveying the steep incline. Spotted the head of a foot trail he knew led to the abandoned hotel up top. 

Murdock chose his steps with care. Didn’t need a twisted ankle. Small rocks tumbled around his feet as he walked, rolling down the steep trail behind him, clattering in complaint. 

Frank stopped for a moment on the incline to do a quick three-sixty. A panoramic view of the countryside from the ridge reminded him why he chose this line of work. Breathtaking. He loved his Western Massachusetts mountains. 

The wind had picked up. Or more likely, it hadn’t, but felt like it up on the ridge. Leaves rustled as they took to the air, skittering across his path. 

And there it was—the abandoned hotel. Not much left other than its foundation, a concrete slab, and two camouflaged tents pitched there, all organized like it was a professional operation of some sort. He could guess. 

He approached the campsite, now on full alert, and still managed to step right into a still-steaming pile of dog crap. 

Shit!

He dragged his soiled boot over a pile of dead leaves that had accumulated up against a rotten log. Still shaking his boot every other step, Frank continued on into the campsite. 

Off to his right hung camo pants drying on a clothesline. There was a wire run for dogs, and the remains of a fire. Just a bed of ashes within an impromptu rock circle. 

Murdock soft-stepped up to a tent that was zippered shut like the other one. He unzipped it, bottom up, for a peek inside. Halfway up, he stooped, pushed aside the flaps, and faced a barking, snarling whirlwind of teeth, fur and blazing eyes, inches away. 

He flew butt behind heels onto his ass, stunned by the attack. 

Gee-ZEUS!

The dog choked against his now ribbon-tight chain to get at him from inside that tent. 

The hound relented, but continued to snarl in frustration as Murdock got to his feet. Then he noticed drops of blood glistening on dried leaves near where he had stumbled back. He stooped to run a finger over it. 

Still stooping, he sniffed—the drop smelled coppery. Eyeballed it up close. Rubbed it in a circular motion between his right thumb and forefinger. Yup. Blood. 

After his third three-sixty scan since entering the camp, he followed the intermittent blood trail. He often bragged he could track anything, anywhere, anytime. And he had. 

The trail led him to a clearing surrounded by… camouflaged netting? And a game pole constructed of two straight hardwood tree limbs driven into the ground ten feet apart. Someone had strung a rope between the poles eight feet off the ground. Guy ropes outboard of the poles ensured they would support tremendous weight. 

He saw four dead bears hanging by their necks. They’d cut off their paws at the wrists and stripped their hides down from their necks to reveal incisions deep into abdominal flesh. Still raw and bloody. And steaming. 

What the fuck? A crew of pro poachers!

* * *

The end of a rifle barrel poked out of the bushes just twenty yards away, brushing a limb and its dried leaves. The crosshairs of a scope centered on Murdock’s back. A finger tightened, and….

* * *

Murdock spun around, reacting to a sound any normal sixty-two-year-old pair of ears would have missed. At that moment, a bullet struck Frank three inches above and four inches to the left of his chest’s center. He sprawled backwards. 

* * *

The poacher walked toward the fallen game warden. Leaves crunched beneath his boots in the now deadly silent forest. 

Murdock’s voice wheezed, “Help. Please.”

A raspy laugh echoed in the silence. The poacher’s response to Murdock’s plea with the rifle pointed at his forehead? A blast that shattered the forest’s silence. 

The man with the mean eyes kicked the uniformed piece of meat at his feet as he drew in the sweet scent of cordite.

4. Cool New Mystery This Fall….

Also, look for the second book in my Literati Mystery series this Fall, Secret Swords (working title & draft cover art). I’m experimenting with an alternate title and cover: Dancing With Death. Which do you prefer? Let me know!

Synopsis (draft):

Someone is murdering Windy City movie stars a few summers from now. But a larger story launches from Denmark before carving its bloody path into the American Midwest.

Studio executives & politicians demand answers as the investigation flounders.

At first, Chicago Police Captain Lois Granger believes this is just another nasty serial homicide case complicated by the wild imagination of her pain-in-the-neck suspended Detective McQuillan, a.k.a. McQ, and celebrity Scottish author, a self-styled amateur sleuth, Sir Aubrey Greigh. But later, she’ll risk all herself to unmask a horrifying secret. 

Greigh recruits Chance McQuillan, on compulsory leave, to covertly investigate a series of murders as a civilian. Later, they labor to thwart a plot to incite international mayhem & mass murder with an alphabet soup of agencies. The cost of failure? Unthinkable.

Then, tough-as-nails police commissioner, Jack Roberts gets a call from Interpol. From that moment, everything changes. But not for the better.

Yup, we’re definitely blitzin’ over here in the bus!

So, until next time… and wherever you and I are, my friend…

Let’s roll!

Gene

P.S. The gear to tow a car behind the bus and two bicycles above all the tow gear? Nothin’ to it, right?

Feelin’ shiny in the motorhome’s “spare room” (inside my noise-cancelling headphones)!
Representing author GK Jurrens
Three NEW Ingredients!

Three NEW Ingredients!

By | 
Location: Punta Gorda, Florida 
(for now)

2023 is off and running…. So are we! So much has happened since late December. Allow me to share three exciting new ingredients we’ve added to our personal recipe!

In this issue:

  1. A New Collaboration
  2. A New Phase
  3. A New Chapter
I can’t believe we’re leaving this gorgeous place along with our old and new friends.
But we have horizons to cross, strangers to meet, new friends to embrace. And no parting is forever.
Keep reading.

Life surprises us with its constantly evolving recipe with joy, intrigue, drama, tragedy and comedy. Events that blend together—some fiery and passionate, others that calm and sooth.

And sometimes, our lives are inundated with an avalanche of events—whether we choose them or they just happen. That can feel overwhelming.

Regardless, we each decide whether to savor or recoil from the taste. And whether we should use that recipe again, given the choice.

Most of us think we know the combination of ingredients that will cause smiles to appear or tears to flow.

Maybe we do.

With each new ingredient, we experiment to see how it will affect the recipe. Then, there are circumstances thrust upon us by fate, or kismet, or a universe with a cosmic sense of unfathomable humor.

So, let’s talk about our three new ingredients—Kay’s and mine! Exciting, chilling and spicy.

Besides, I’ve beaten this wretched recipe metaphor to death by now. Don’t you agree?

Moving on….

1. Feature: A New Collaboration

I am excited to announce that I have forged a new collaboration. No, Kay and I are still together. This is different. And a delightful surprise.

One of my readers offered me a screenplay to read that he wrote thirty+ years ago. I read it, and was impressed.

Lieutenant Tom Kasprzak (retired) was an Environmental Police Officer in Massachusetts for thirty-two years.

I’m now embarking on a unique new adventure series based on Tom’s action-packed career. He is a tremendous resource of authentic story material, and we’ve hit it off.

I thought I’d share with you a synopsis of the first book in this new Sam Travis Adventure Series, “Lethal Game – Bears Under Siege“….

A Massachusetts state game warden’s body turns up under a pile of brush in the deep woods. They find a decapitated bear carcass on top of him. It’s paws are missing, too. 

Captain Larry Jamison’s personal life is a mess. But he is compelled to investigate the murder of one of his own. 

Officer Sam Travis, the victim’s longtime partner, wants vengeance. They both may just be in over their heads to find out what these poachers are after. And why. 

These environmental police officers soon discover they have stumbled into something far more insidious than they could have imagined. But that doesn’t stop them from risking everything.

I hope to have this published by August.

I’m grateful for what early readers (pre-publication reviewers) are already saying about “Lethal Game:”

  • “Thanks for a great read! Your characters are painted vividly, and draw the reader in.“
  • “The pace is quick and smooth and makes it nearly impossible to stop reading.“
  • “Lethal Game is awesome! The baby bear scenes are heartrending!”

Allow me to introduce my featured guest for this post, the real-life version of Sam Travis, Environmental Police Officer (EPO) Lieutenant Tom Kasprzak (retired). Tom is the real deal, folks. Here’s why:

My new friend, Tom (a.k.a. LT)

“LT” spent thirty-two years as an EPO for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Before graduating in 1977 from the Massachusetts State Police academy, Tom earned the coveted “top gun” award for superior marksmanship. 

He began his EPO career as a field officer in various assignments involving both inland and marine enforcement in places like Cape Cod, Boston Harbor and others. 

After transferring to the Berkshire Mountains in Western Massachusetts with skills honed from 7+ years of varied case involvement and courtroom testimony, he forged close relationships with local and state police. 

Upon being promoted to lieutenant, he led a region of officers in search and rescue operations involving plane crashes, boating fatalities, narcotics, and the investigation and apprehension of various firearm violators. 

Beginning in 1986, LT engaged in undercover or supervised undercover operations focused on  endangered wildlife.

During that time, he worked with other local, state, and federal agencies on issues ranging from the environment to anti-terrorism.

Tom was selected to train in no fewer than three extended tours at the prestigious Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC, pronounced “flet-SEE”)  in Glynco, Georgia, where federal law enforcement agencies train. 

Those intensive and immersive training tours honed his skills for inter-agency undercover operations, marine operations, and advanced operational readiness. He also trained for, and was an Incident Commander in several cases.

During his colorful career, Tom worked with the Massachusetts State Police air wing on helicopter operations, their dive team, apprehension team, marine law enforcement, and environmental police operations. 

Tom spent his last seven years assigned to the State Police STOP (apprehension) team headquarters in Chicopee, Massachusetts, along with all the members of the region he supervised. 

His undercover assignments brought dozens of individuals to justice who violated state and federal laws. He was also a Deputy National Marine Fisheries agent as well as a U.S Deputy Fish and Wildlife agent at the same time.

His largest case—Operation Berkshire—closed one of the country’s largest illegal commercial wildlife trafficking operations involving twenty-nine individuals, six states and two foreign countries. 

The exploits of Tom and his fellow officers from his home state and others led to new exploits in crusading against illegal wildlife commercialization.

National Geographic produced a special called “Wildlife Wars: Bears Under Siege” that featured Tom and his fellow undercover operatives after they closed Operation Berkshire. 

Tom taught new recruits at the State Police Academy courses in courtroom procedures, officer ethics and undercover operations.

He also delivered endangered species lectures to schools, colleges, municipal police departments, as well as to other state and federal agencies including US Coast Guard District One in Boston with whom he was specifically trained in LNG (Liquid Natural Gas)  tanker escort anti-terrorism protocols in Boston Harbor. 

He made a name for himself during dozens of successful missing persons, body recovery cases, undercover operations, anti-terrorism and crime scene investigations. 

Tom and his life partner, Karen, now split their time between Western Massachusetts and Southwestern Florida.

I am excited and honored to tell just a few of Tom’s stories (maybe they’re “fictional biographies”?) in this fresh new series where adventure thrusts itself upon an officer of the law in the weirdest, sometimes comedic and often life-threatening ways imaginable.

Look for “Lethal Game – Bears Under Siege,” the first Sam Travis Adventure, late summer 2023. Learn first when it will be available right here.

Exciting!

Note: This series will comprise medium-length novels based on the true adventures of LT, his fellow officers, and the criminals who were dumb enough to cross paths with these ambitious but light-hearted cops who often operated undercover. My objective: These will be fun reads that you will find unusual, hair-raising and often funny as hell.

2. A New Phase

On a very personal note…

Congratulate me!

I survived my first cardiac event just before Christmas, four days after my last newsletter published.

Huzzah! Part of the ol’ aging process. And an unexpected new ingredient in my own life’s recipe.

This experience also grew to be meaningful to me in an unexpected way.

So, here we go. My life is an open book. That’s why I write, I guess.

Pay attention if your ticker is as old as mine, or if you’re just morbidly curious!

On the afternoon of Thursday, December 22nd, I started to feel… “wonky” (light-headed, a pounding in my temples, and in my throat). No chest pains, though. Getting horizontal became my priority.

My Apple Watch said my heart rate rocketed from 50 BPM (beats per minute) to 165 an instant later. Then, back to 85, then to 140. And so it went for an hour or so.

My feeble brain just couldn’t process what was happening to the rest of my body. Unknown territory, y’all, at least to me and my old Series 2 Apple Watch. The newer (younger?) ones are smarter.

Yes, I thought I’d never get the chance to finish my next book(s), and I wondered how Kay, my family and friends could possibly go on without me (you DO know me, right?).

No, they didn’t shock me, but I did sell a few books to the ambulance crew en route to the Cape Coral Hospital.

But I’m now at the same age my father died from his third heart attack—I seem to remember he was smiling on the way out. But then, hey! I’m still here, Dad! God bless genetics.

Within minutes after Kay called 9-1-1, our bedroom here in our Florida home filled with EMTs from the Cape Coral Fire Department just down the road. The ambulance gang arrived minutes later to join the party.

Now, I won’t lie to you. This “event” scared the crap out of me. I laid on my bed with my pulse racing from wide open throttle—way past the red line—then, to dead slow.

Yup, it was my heart. I mentally recounted the hugging goodbyes I’d never deliver.

Chilling.

With an IV dripping into my left arm from a pole attached to the ambo’s gurney, I dropped back into what’s known as normal sinus rhythm (what it should be) before they even hoisted my strapped-in petard into the ambulance.

Shaved, hooked up, grateful….

At the ER, they slid me through every machine and ran every test known to modern medicine over the next several hours.

Guess what? Some of you know what “atrial fibrillation” is, right? It’s caused by a micro-voltage signal imbalance in the top of the heart, or some such sciency thingy.

My heart got confused and I slipped into “arrhythmia,” or an irregular heart rhythm. But it found its way home before long.

From all the lab work, a stress test and other tests like an EKG, echocardiogram (ultra-sound of the heart), and a nuclear something-or-other, two cardiologists agreed that I am in really good shape despite this “irregularity” (ok, I could stand to lose 6 or 9 pounds that snuck back inside my sweatshirt, somehow), and that being a physically active vegetarian was likely the most remarkable difference between my dad and me at 73.

Even though Dad and I both share the same genetics, our lifestyles could not have been more different. I am grateful for his example. He did what he had to do. I learned from that.

Honestly, the worst part of this little adventure? They kept shaving patches of hair off my chest at the hospital with the dullest blade in the western hemisphere so they could attach probes with adhesive patches held in place with crazy glue, or its facsimile. No, wait… the worst was ripping off those damn patches!

Now, I’ve learned, just about everybody my age I know is already a member of the a-fib club. No big deal, they all say.

I experienced only one additional a-fib episode on January 3rd, and none since. Happy New Year!

They tell me the biggest danger from a-fib is the risk of blood pooling in the heart and clotting. That could migrate and cause a stroke.

So, my blood needs to be just a little thinner—not much—than before, to reduce the risk of stroke if I should slip into a-fib again. I’m very low risk of falling prey to a villainous stroke.

But a-fibs will happen again, especially since it was someone’s bright idea that I continue to age. Seriously, folks? Now, I take a baby aspirin once a day.

That’s it.

I can do that.

But this is a new phase in my (our) life. I think of myself differently. How could I not? Every little “funny feeling” has me second-guessing whether my heart is acting up. Again. Whether it’s fiction or fact.

I am prone to high drama. My index finger shoots to my neck to check the beat. I think, Seems regular. Is this a minor chest pain, and is it significant—another early indicator of the second shoe dropping? Or is it just a sore muscle to consider as part of my pain management regimen?

Thank the gods for 8-Hour Tylenol Arthritis. And so far, the beat goes on.

It’s been said the heart is a rather important component of the human anatomy. But that’s just an Internet rumor, mind you.

A certain freedom then blanketed my worrying heart and mind. Everyone says a-fib ain’t a big deal. And even if my time now is short (now that I’ve achieved ‘middle age’ at 73 – yeah, right), let’s just get going! We’re doing the right stuff, so let’s just do more of it. Or… not!

Out of character (finally)!

I’ve already been blessed with a more interesting and fulfilling life than maybe 95% of the people on the planet. Screw it! This is already a high-scoring game, right? And I’m ahead! Thanks, Dad. He always said, “life is a whisper. Listen to it.”

I do acknowledge current events have temporarily delayed my audiobook endeavors. My microphone is calling my name. But so is the road. I shall heed the call, ladies and germs.

So, be forewarned. I’m taking my own advice. I wrote a verse a while ago and published it in one of my literary experiments last summer. The book is called The Poetic Detective. Here are the final six lines of a poem from that book I call, “Wide Open Throttle”

… Eat the fruit, ditch decorum, reach for glory, it’s okay.

We are here for a reason, as a beacon not to worry

about crap we can’t control, about fear that consumes

our best cherries, our great hearts. With others, commune.

As captains with courage we pilot our own ship.

Life is short, so go long, do what’s right, let her rip!

3. A New Chapter

Having uttered these words of full-throttle bravado (you decide whether they ring true for you), we’re just now starting a new chapter in our lives, Kay and me. And yes, “top speed” means something different than it once did. That’s so very okay.

My old friend, Sheriff Steve B, asked if we are, indeed, soon to be homeless. Talk about an exciting new ingredient in our recipe for life. Too spicy? Time will tell.

Our only home (<300 square feet) for the foreseeable future. We’ve spent more than half our time in this old bus over the last 7+ years, already.

Let me say this about that.

So, to what new chapter am I referring? We sold our condo. By Friday, March 10th, Kay and I will own no real estate anywhere in the known universe. Or anywhere else (wink).

Now, here’s the spice. After two months of planning, packing, working with our realtors, a reputable moving company and moving/storage insurance, our move plan fell apart one day prior to the move date.

Spicy, eh?

Remember the old saw about a battle plan is perfect—until the first shot is fired?

Yup. Reset. Plan A for selling the place continues smoothly on track. But Plan B is required for moving and storage of the goods we just couldn’t part with. No problem. We’re getting it done. But… really spicy. Yup, I’m regularly checking my pulse.

After twenty-one delightful years, we are indeed selling our wonderful home that is sorely under-utilized—our only remaining piece of real estate, our condo in Paradise on the gulf coast of Florida. If you’d find a 3D virtual tour amusing, click here. I did a screen grab from the realtor’s website before the listing disappears.

This is a new ingredient for Kay and me since we bought our first house over half a century ago—in 1973. We’ll once again hit the big slab (the Interstates) in our trusty old bus, but this time, with no sticks ‘n bricks (or steel-reinforced concrete) bunker to fall back on. Like the itinerant vagabonds our souls tell us we still can and should be, while we’re still able.

Now, when someone now asks for our home address, or even more ridiculously, our permanent address, after snickering with childish delight, we truly will respond, “wherever we decide to park the bus tonight. But mañana? All bets are off!”

This raises a few interesting questions of many yet to be asked:

  • What will be our state of residence for purposes of paying (or not paying) state income tax?
  • Will we be able to retain our Florida residency (no state income tax) if we no longer own a house here?
  • Where will we register to vote?
  • Where will we license our motorhome and our toad (that is, the Jeep we tow behind the bus)?
  • Blah de blah….
Looking forward. It’s not like we’ll be roughing it, other than no garage, of course.

Now, our friends who have been “full-timers” for years will coach us through this new chapter as we write it. But we’ve always had that safety net, “the house” with its very own address.

The only “permanent” address we’ll have now is that of our mail forwarding service. And it truly is amazing how many entities in our life expect us to have a “permanent address!”

Exciting, and different. A new chapter! A new ingredient in our recipe. And yes, I AM the master of the mixed metaphor!

Looking aft from the cockpit
The galley (a.k.a. the kitchen), at least the passenger side of it

Oh, hey!

If you happen to find yourself in Perry, Georgia mid March 2023, I’ll be presenting a couple of my creative writing seminars at the mammoth Family Motor Coach Association’s International Convention.

I’ll also be teaching this topic and others on writing, publishing, the anatomy of the murder mystery genre, etc, in Rochester, Minnesota this summer starting in early June.

That’s all for now.

Look for “Lethal Game” late this Summer in all online storefronts, library services and reader subscriber services worldwide.

So, until next time… and wherever you and I are, my friend…

Happy 2023 to you and yours!

Grateful for a few more trips around the sun,

Gene

Feelin’ shiny in the motorhome’s “spare room” (inside my noise-cancelling headphones)!
My growing collection of titles
Representing author GK Jurrens
Year-End Update!

Year-End Update!

By | 
Location: Punta Gorda, Florida

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, Y’ALL.

A REMINDER FOR YOU: To celebrate a successful year of writing, publishing, and living, I offer you a 50% discount on all of my eBooks. Crazy, right? Click below.

Between now and year-end, you can purchase any of my eBooks at a 50% discount. Just click HERE.

In this issue:

  1. Debut Audiobook Madness
  2. Reflecting on the year 2022
  3. Year-End Sale: 50% Discount!

1. Debut Audiobook Madness

Old schtick: a man wanders around Lower Manhattan. This all-too-obvious tourist asks a savvy-looking native for directions. “Excuse me, sir. Can you tell me how I get to Carnegie Hall?” The Wall Streeter smirks and says, “Practice!”

– Anonymous, at least to me.

Like I said, an old schtick. And yes, I know Carnegie Hall Stern Auditorium is in Midtown.

Right now, I’m driven by this burning desire to do a few things well. Like, really well.

I read, and I write. A lot. Practice. I play my guitar, just a handful of songs and riffs. Not well, but better with each iteration. Practice. I paint in watercolor, and draw with pencil and charcoal. Not for a while, now. I will, again. Though not critically acclaimed, some of my hundreds of paintings and drawings are quite good. Most are not. Practice.

My problem? I lack a fear of failure. I need that character defect. It nourishes me.

I couldn’t draw, but I wanted to. So I practiced. This is one of my favorites. I call it “Caveman.” Maybe I’ve shown this to you before.

Someone shoved this crazy idea in my face. Now that I’ve written what folks tell me is a damn good book (Voodoo Vendetta is lucky number thirteen), they said I should transform it into an immersive audio experience.

I picture someone who is visually handicapped enjoying my book by listening to it. Or an over-the-road trucker who is too exhausted at the end of a long day of driving to read, but welcomes an entertaining diversion while she is driving. Or someone who doesn’t read well, but enjoys great stories. If I don’t do this….

It’s dark at 4:30AM, but quiet. The small brass desk light illuminating my mixing board and my computer’s lighted keyboard and screen provide all the illumination I need. I read my book aloud. Correction: I perform my book, tickling the volume knob and a few sliders, keeping my mouth eight inches or so from the pop shield between my face and the microphone. I lean in closer when whispering, and back, maybe to the side, when yelling.

On behalf of my characters, I laugh, prod, cajole, and plot. I smile and smell as I look for clues, or wave my arms to tell a bad joke, admiring her incredible auburn hair, the woman who has come into my main character’s life after “we’d” both suffered unimaginable personal tragedies. I read aloud. I perform. It’s painful, and a joy.

Then… I listen to how awful my own recorded voice sounds to me. I’m no voice actor! But I am the author of this story. I know this story. I’ve lived it, inside and out. For months. Still am. Like an undercover assignment where I got in too deep, not yet ready to come out.

So, who better to perform this tale of tragedy and joy for you? And when better than when it’s still hot off the presses? I record more. Listen more. Do it again, damn it. Just one more take.

I really want to bring this story to your ears. Maybe while you’re walking, or working out, or focusing on the road.

So, I practice. Until “The End.” Until it’s right. And compelling. At least that’s the theory. Yeah, I can do this. Can’t I?

Full disclosure: I’m about to geek out on you for a minute. But I can’t do this alone. I need your encouragement.

So, what now? Well, I’m already deep into the preliminary research necessary to record and produce my very first audiobook–my debut, as they say. Not to mention, a few recent purchases to pull this project off. 

Someone asked me last night, “Research? A few purchases?” Yup. There’s a lot to learn, and a bit to buy. If you only knew. Or maybe you do. Check this out:

  1. Audiobook (“AB”) platform requirements: Each platform (Audible, Audiobooks.com, Spotify, etc) requires slightly different formats and sizes of audio files, length and composition of intros and outros, room noise requirements, dynamic range…), covers (see below), as well as different royalty structures–how the author gets paid–and how much.
    • None of this seems as complex as ebooks or paperbacks, so I’m confident I can navigate this stuff.
    • Plus, I plan to enlist help from an aggregator to simplify the task of distributing my AB to various marketing channels (also, see below).
    • I hope to upload my audio files for Voodoo Vendetta early 2023.
  2. Choice of AB aggregators (distributors): Similar to the process for “going wide” with ebooks and paperbacks, I plan to offer my AB(s) for sale by as many online AB retailers as possible, while minimizing my own efforts to do so (I’m not getting any younger, and I need to get back to writing).
    • ABs have their own unique channels, although some are affiliated with ebook and paperback channels.
    • For example, a popular aggregator like Audible (owned by Amazon), distributes ABs to Amazon and Apple.
    • Spotify just started selling ABs. Their main gig is music, and really isn’t an aggregator, but I mention it because it’s a big deal in the audio world.
    • Findaway Voices distributes to forty different AB channels worldwide (including Audible and Spotify). That’s right, forty–worldwide. And they offer authors a better royalty payment with Apple than Amazon!
      • Plus, they have a deal with my non-Amazon ebook aggregator, Draft2Digital, to enable adding ABs to my portfolio as slick as ice on a Minnesota sidewalk in January.
      • They even offer professional narrator interviews, should one be necessary. Cool beans.
      • And they convert my AB to different formats for me as required by their various channel partners prior to distribution.
      • The best part? They ask for no money upfront. They do take a cut of my royalties on every sale, but I continue to hold the rights to my work.
      • The marketplace coverage is worth it. Or so it seems. Decision made. Findaway Voices it is.
  3. Production software education: This part is a lot of fun for me. I was a recording engineer once upon a time. BUT that was fifty years ago (gulp). A few things might have changed (wink). The baseline principle and “feel” of producing, mixing and mastering have not. Yeah, I’m feeling cautiously cocky.
    • I’ll be using a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), a piece of sophisticated software that is already installed on my MacBook Pro (no additional cost). It’s called GarageBand. While not strictly a professional-caliber DAW, it’s darn close, and produces a professional product. But there’s definitely a learning curve.
    • GarageBand includes countless controls, sound effects, music loops and more tools to produce an AB than I will ever need. Ready to rock, kids.
  4. Voice performance education: A segment of AB listeners (a serious growth market, by the way) prefer books narrated by their authors. My voice doesn’t sound like that of James Earl Jones, but it is good enough for this (I’m biased).
    • While I was never the “talent” in the recording booth back in the day (except for a few 30-second commercials), I worked the other side of the glass–on the control board.
    • One of my dear friends is a well-known Midwestern voice-over artist. But alas, osmosis won’t cut it. I’m on my own.
    • So I’m taking a couple of masterclasses on Voice Performance, along with the proper care and feeding of my vocal chords. Am I ever learning a lot!
    • Narrating my AB myself, instead of hiring a voice-over professional (narrator) will save me thousands for each AB I produce myself. Hopefully, this will be the first of many.
    • Just another side hustle. Now if they’ll just sell for me, right?
  5. Already on-hand:
    • I have an awesome large diaphragm condenser microphone and a 10-channel mixing board that controls inputs of analog audio sources (voice, acoustic guitar, my flutes). This “interface” converts those signals to digital audio (computer) format. All the places that sell ABs require digitally recorded, compressed and formatted files. No problem. I’ve got this.
    • And my MacBook Pro is silent as a deep-space night. That’s important in a recording environment with a microphone (a.k.a. “mic”) so sensitive, I can hear through my headphones a clock ticking on the far side of the room (my “studio,” our spare bedroom). Kay sits next to that clock over there, twelve feet from the mic, and she can’t hear it ticking. Mighty Mic can.
  6. Purchases: Then there’s a few bits of merchandise to acquire. I await their arrival while I study, learn, record raw and listen. It’s like radio acting. Within the next few days, I should receive:
    • A portable anechoic chamber: This configurable box will surround (most of) my microphone and pop shield with anti-echo foam baffles.
      • Should keep most external sounds from reaching it.
      • Otherwise, ambient room sounds will produce undesirable—even unacceptable—background noise in my voice track(s).
      • I’m also collecting other sound-absorbing material to further minimize noise (other than my voice) that might drive an aggregator to reject my AB files. They are very specific.
    • Desktop microphone mount: A superior anti-vibration suspension mount for my Behringer condenser microphone should be here in the next day or two. This will prevent minute vibrations from being transmitted to the mic.
      • Merry Christmas, Geno!
Draft artwork for my debut audiobook (yet to be recorded – I’m projecting availability 1Q2023). This 3,000×3,000-pixel design follows very specific hosting requirements for format, size, and consistency with other editions of this book, etc.

Maybe you know this if you’re an AB consumer. But one important difference in cover art: for an AB, the cover must be square, not rectangular. So, I’ve redesigned Voodoo Vendetta’s cover to these AB requirements.

Fortunately, my graphics design skills are adequate. So, I don’t need to pay a professional designer hundreds of dollars for each cover. It’s less about being cheap, and more about being a control freak.

By comparison, my final eBook cover art for this title. Consistent, right?

2. Reflecting on the Year 2022

Wholly enchilada! I recently realized I published FOUR books this year:

That’s a heck of a year for any author, especially while living on the road in our bus for almost half of this year in the Midwest, teaching writing and publishing seminars, and researching “Vendetta” in Louisiana this Fall. Hell, yeah!

I made this 4-books-in-a-year observation on Facebook last week, as if it just occurred to me. It had. Why did I just realize this? Because 2022 raced past me in a blur.

To be fair, I started Black Blizzard with a concept early in 2021 and my book Poetic Detective is a culmination of over forty years of ideas. Nevertheless, I’m now celebrating a productive publishing year. I think I can afford to offer a deep-discount year-end sale (see below). Pick up any of my books for a buck or three. Keep reading….

3. Year-end Sale: 50% Off All My Books!

Don’t forget! Last reminder (I promise).

You’re still just in time for the year-end holidays, click here between now and New Years Day 2022 to snag these great deals on one or more of my books. Or click on the image below:

I’d give ’em away, but my wife won’t let me (line stolen from a local used car salesman here in SW Florida)

I announced this sale in a recent newsletter, am reiterating here just in case you missed that.

Yup, I’m offering a 50% discount on the eBook edition of all my books–even the newest one that released just days ago. If I had an agent, she’d tell me this is nuts.

If you’re not familiar, Smashwords is a popular Amazon alternative. You also can search this link for “Jurrens” to find my books.

I hope you take advantage of this sale, read one or more of my books, and that you will let me know what you thought. As I’ve said before, authors live or die by reviews. Even a bad review is better than no review. Thanks in advance!

That’s all for now. So, until next year… and wherever you and I are, my friend…

Happiest of holidays to you and yours!

Gene

In the “studio” bluetoothin’ away….
Isaac Azimove: one of the most inspired writers of the twentieth century.
Blast-off! And 50% Off!

Blast-off! And 50% Off!

By |
Help me launch the first book in my new series: “Voodoo Vendetta – A Literati Mystery”

And to celebrate a successful year of writing, publishing and living….

Keep reading to find out how to score a great deal on thoughtful stocking stuffers.
Location: Punta Gorda, Florida

In this issue:

  1. RV Rally Fun
  2. Voodoo Vendetta en route to Worldwide Distribution
  3. Case Study – Evolution of a Book Cover
  4. Ice Ops – A Short Story
  5. Year-end 50% Off All My Books!

1. RV Rally

Once in a while, we hang out with some Uber-interesting folks who share our passion for the nomadic lifestyle–the life of itinerant vagabonds.

The Full-timer’s chapter of the Newmar Owner’s Group gathered right here in our town, Punta Gorda in Southwest Florida. Kay and I so enjoyed seeing everyone again.

Fun fact: the RV Park that hosted our rally (food, fun, games, music, tall tales), Creekside RV Resort, saw forty rigs topple during Hurricane Ian’s onslaught. Not so much fun, however, for their owners. None of our group suffered damage as we go where the storms aren’t. When your home has wheels and catastrophe approaches, we beat feet.

We took this opportunity to enjoy a harbor cruise and a Christmas lights canal cruise with our RV friends. We also toured the Edison/Ford museum in Ft Myers. After living here for twenty years (when we’re not traveling), this is the first time we made it to that museum.

A fun harbor cruise with forty of our good RV friends.
Folks in Punta Gorda Isles go all out decorating their houses and boats in the canals, even after a major hurricane.
Remnant of Hurricane Ian during spotted our harbor cruise.

2. “Voodoo Vendetta” is on its way around the world

My ninth novel, “Voodoo Vendetta – A Literati Mystery” is officially available in both ebook and paperback editions in a bunch of online stores now (Amazon, Apple, Kobo, Smashwords…), and on its way at cyber-speed (faster than snail mail) to all the rest, worldwide. Including library services and reader subscription services (except for Kindle Unlimited which requires exclusivity–nope).

You might guess that launching a new title is exhausting. And you would be correct. So many details to manage. Everything has to be, well, perfect. And it takes a village.

While I’ve reduced the process to a straightforward workflow, it’s still a ton of work. As I reported in my last newsletter, early readers are loving this locked room whodunit murder mystery with myriad twists and characters you’ll love and hate, but for good reason. Some, you won’t be sure what to think.

As an adjunct, I thought some of you might like to see how this book’s cover evolved over the last few months based on useful but brutal feedback from readers and designers. If you’re interested in this sort of thing, keep reading. Otherwise, skip to details below on the huge year-end book sale to see how to save 50% on all of my titles, and a bunch of others.

From concept to….

3. Case Study – Evolution of a Book Cover

Never judge a book by its cover.

I.M. Naughtwriter

Poppycock!

In fact, the right cover is any author’s most powerful marketing tool. A great cover needs to:

  • Grab the casual shopper’s attention in two seconds or less, either in a bookstore, or online
  • Entice the online shopper to make a snap judgment from a thumbnail, a minuscule miniature of the book’s cover. That’s asking a lot from a picture the size of your thumbnail, and a design requirement often overlooked by rookie authors,
  • Identify the book’s genre (a murder mystery’s cover will look and feel very different from a romance story’s). This is more look and feel. Best achieved by studying other successful authors in the genre,
  • Set appropriate reader expectations with its title, font, color, text (back cover) and graphics.

Conversely, a not-so-great cover WILL be costly in lost sales. Worse, you may never know.

With each new book I publish, I am humbled by how much I still don’t know about book cover design. But I’m stubborn, and a control freak, and cheap, all of which prevents me from hiring a professional designer for each book. Plus, I enjoy endlessly tinkering with my covers’ designs.

So, I study the covers of other books in my genre–the ones that sell well. Even then, the most prominent feature on a famous and well-established author’s book cover will probably look very different from what my cover needs.

For example, what is the most prominent feature on the cover of a book written by James Patterson or JD Robb or Tom Clancey? Their name, of course. That makes no sense on my books because I’m not famous. Yet.

After tinkering, soliciting feedback, and more tinkering, I will still doubt my own cover design–the perennial paradox–one of many. For me, anyway. I know… madness.

Enough foreplay. Here are just a few of the dozens of iterations I went through for Vendetta’s cover.

Old working title. Eye-catching cover, but too cinematic. Looks like a collage of unrelated images (“What’s with the lipstick and cryptic background handwriting?”)
Too romantic a feel (it’s a mystery!) and too “fluffy.” Plus, this title still did not play well with reviewers. I still hadn’t lost the lipstick. And it looked mushy as a thumbnail. Make that downright illegible.
Better colors (more vibrant) to catch the eye as a thumbnail, and better title font, but still too many different fonts (3) for no good reason.Still too busy, and lacks coherence.
Better (catchy) title, and the overall design “feels” more mysterious (it’s a mystery!), but still too busy. These title/subtitle FONTS did not review well.

I also ground through several evolutions of the rear cover. I won’t bore you with that, but this darn cover drove me crazy. For months.

Thankfully, I received lots of constructive feedback. The final cover below also looks good as a thumbnail, I think, which is critically important for online sales pages. All the text is still fairly legible when reduced to a very small image. The title is a unique color and in a distinctive font called “Trash Hand.” I like that, as did reviewers:

And here’s the winner. Simple, but suggestive.
Dark like the book’s theme. Much takes place in dark basements and tunnels, involves a mysterious (“dark?”) religion, and more than a few devious (dark?) characters and plot twists.
Plus, of course, murder.
Limited fonts (2) with smoky shadows, with a provocative tag line (“Culture That Kills”). Composite images are subtle but suggestive (not visually cluttered).
Emphasizes a singular visual focus (the book’s title) with the series subtitle that grabs less focus, but still prominent (“A Literati Mystery”), which will appear on every cover in this series. One topic of continuing debate: characters’ faces on the cove? Or not? Screw it. I like it.
Decision made! Done, already!
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So, there you have it. A study in dark lavender. As one of my villains in this book says:

“Black is the new white. Reminds me of Moskva’s winter nights after curfew, but without the cold.”

Tihomir Leonov

A cover doesn’t have to be pretty, but it MUST be effective.

4. Ice Ops – A Short Story

I’ll be publishing a collection of short stories in 2023. I offer you an advance peek at one that means a great deal to me. I hope you enjoy this free sneak preview.

“Ice Ops – A Rescue Mission” is a chilling true account of life over death for more than thirty souls, and the genesis of an injury for yours truly that persists to this day. If you are so inclined, you can read it here.

5. Year End Sale 50% Off

That’s right. I’m offering 50% off the eBook edition of all my books–even my newest–on Smashwords (an Amazon alternative).

Just in time for the year-end holidays, click here between December 15 and December 31, 2022 to snag these great deals. Or simply click on the image below:

This is INSANITY!

That’s all for now. So, until… and wherever, my friend…

Happy Holidays!

Gene

Obiwan Geno

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