Location: Petaluma, California
Catch the latest Relevant Fiction podcast HERE or wherever you find your favorites. This episode features a behind-the-scenes peek at the newest Sam Travis Adventure, and reveals personal insights about investigating the real-world case upon which this pulse-pounding story is based.
Listen to THIS LATEST EPISODE of Relevant Fiction today!
That’s it for now from the foggy San Francisco Bay Area!
So, until next time, and wherever…
Gene
P.S.
Location: Tucson, Arizona
I have a deal for you… keep reading.
May is a time for Spring renewal. Speaking of new things, Tom K and I have completed a new book for you!
LETHAL TRAIL is our next Sam Travis Adventure, and is available for pre-order at a discount NOW. Keep reading for an early peek at this wild new yarn.
Before Kay and I move on to Southern California mañana, I wanted to offer you a sample of what is to come at the end of May.
But first, take a look at the Arizona desert exploding into Springtime color:
Now, on to the business at hand.
This second Sam Travis Adventure will tear at your heartstrings and keep your pulse pounding. Why? Because Sam and his temporary FBI partner, behavioral analyst Agent Letty Mather, battle heinous villains as they come to the rescue of a vulnerable teenage girl.
You’ll marvel at how this could possibly be based on a true story from the case files of my writing partner, Lt. Tom Kasprzak (retired). But it is.
Most of the characters you met in LETHAL GAME are back. Some are deplorable as ever, some new ones are far worse, and some will win your loyalty all over again.
This is another fun but thought-provoking read that takes place in the picturesque Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts, and elsewhere.
A reminder that when a book is available for PRE-ORDER, that means you can order it now at a twenty percent discount, and it will automatically be delivered to all your smart devices at the end of our May countdown. On June 1, it just magically appears for your summertime reading enjoyment.
Keep pace with Sam Travis, his friends, and their enemies as they pursue or flee justice, respectively… and maybe lust for personal vindication… in LETHAL TRAIL – NO BODY IS SAFE, our next pulse-pounding Sam Travis Adventure.
Pre-order your Kindle edition HERE. Its paperback edition will be available in June.
One last thing. Check in on Sam right now out on “the A.T.” (the Appalachian Trail) as he gets down to business early on in the following excerpt from LETHAL TRAIL:
July 6, 1988
* * *
Sam’s boss, Lieutenant Paul O’Neill, asked the Massachusetts EPO Inland Enforcement Bureau dispatcher to patch him through to Travis’s radio in the field. “Sam, we got a missing through-hiker up on the AT. Missed a check-in with her husband two days ago.”
He was enjoying a peaceful ride up near the summit of October Mountain, keeping an eye out for post-holiday poachers. He had a plan to familiarize himself with a new trail cleared a few months ago under some recently erected power lines and towers. The shades of verdant green exploded around him on this brilliant summer day. Even so, a few leaves had dropped and swirled on the blacktop ahead of him. “Seriously, boss? Hikers go missing or are overdue all the time, especially on the AT.”
“Well, this gal’s husband says she’s as regular as the Naval Observatory’s Atomic Clock—his words. Plus, she’s some kind of heavyweight west coast doc. So’s her antsy husband.”
“Say, what? Why me?”
“Husband says she’s reliable, almost obsessive, and she’s never late. Says she’s really late. Coordinate with the Berkshire County State Trooper’s barracks. They’re the ones who asked for you.”
“Okay, yeah, that’d be Lieutenant Rick Smith. Helped him out a while back. Thinks I’m a tracker. On it.”
* * *
Regional EPO Office
Glenville, Massachusetts
Sam wondered how his desk could be so messy when he spent so little time here. Worked from home most of the time. Picked up the phone and dialed. “Lieutenant Smith, it’s Sam Travis. Got a ghost on the AT, I hear.”
“Sam! Hey, thanks for callin’. Gettin’ some major heat here. Doctor Mary Bishop, a through-hiker, disappeared in our neck a the woods at least a couple a days, now. She was last reported buying provisions three days ago—Sunday, over the holiday weekend—and then, nothin’. Hell, I’m not sure where to even start on somethin’ like this. Me ’n my troopers run damn fine speed traps, and got an outstanding record of workin’ with our county animal control at findin’ lost pets, but this?”
“Okay, LT. Tell me what you’ve done so far, and we’ll go from there. Fair enough?”
“The husband, Dr. Grant Bishop, flew into Pittsfield last night on a private charter from Albuquerque. He’s in the middle of some sort of speaking tour. The guy’s a mess, Sam. Up on Greylock, well, you know.”
“LT, from the beginning, okay?”
“Sure thing. Well, I had a couple of troopers hit grocery stores, outdoor supply stores, and trail outfitters in Williamstown. Branched out four miles from the local AT access point. We felt that would be about the maximum hikers would go out of their way. Showed each outfitter a picture of Dr. Bishop. One in Williamstown identified her. Picked up supplies totaling $153.22. Nothing out of the ordinary. The clerk said she was nice, relaxed, a gracious lady. Said she was headed south to hit Mount Greylock and looked forward to the hike. Used the pay phone outside according to the clerk. We believe she called her husband. The timeline matches. That’s it. Nothing since.””
The MSP lieutenant sounded exhausted and worried. “That’s a good start, LT. Nice work. I’ll drive up from Tyringham in the morning. Gotta tuck my kid in tonight, delegate some other business, and muster a few supplies in the morning. Get some sleep tonight, and we’ll hit it tomorrow. Meet you at your office, first light?”
* * *
Sam hung up and pulled a few topographical maps from his files. Williamstown nestled in the Berkshire County’s Hoosic River Valley near the Vermont border, highlands surrounded this village of a few thousand souls. At the northern end of the Massachusetts section of the trail, Mount Greylock loomed to the south on the topo map. With its summit at almost thirty-five-hundred feet, Greylock was the highest elevation in the state, and covered a lot of rugged square miles. But every search starts at one point—where the missing party was last seen.
***
If you enjoyed this excerpt from LETHAL TRAIL, grab your discounted pre-order price for its Kindle edition HERE. The book will then magically appear on your phone, tablet, or computer on June first. And another bonus is the excerpt of the third Sam Travis Adventure, LETHAL BOUNTY included at the end of your copy of LETHAL TRAIL.
Don’t wait! Pre-order now.
That’s it! So, until next time, and wherever…
Let’s roll!
Gene
P.S.
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….
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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?
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.
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:
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!
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:
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:
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
