An Update And A Freebie

I missed a couple of days of writing because we had medical and veterinary appointments on Tuesday and Wednesday, but I was back at it yesterday. I started out by making all the changes that Terry had suggested to the latest eight chapters of my new book, Big Lake Parolee. After I finished that, I sent those chapters off to Judy and Roberta for them to proofread again. I know that may seem like redundancy, but it helps keep down the mistakes and typos when the book comes out.

With that out of the way, I wrote another 2,500-word chapter. That brings the total word count so far for this title to just under 72,000 words. The books in the Big Lake series have ranged from a low of 67,000 words to a high of over 100,000. Where will I end up this time? I have no idea until I’m done, but I would say I’m somewhere around or past the three-quarter mark.

So that’s today’s writing update. Now for the freebie. Starting today (Friday), the e-book of Stillborn Armadillos, the first book in my John Lee Quarrels mystery series about a sheriff’s deputy in a rural North Florida county, is free on Amazon.

Life is already complicated enough for John Lee, what with his estranged wife dropping in for unannounced sleepovers, her oversexed sister tempting him, his pot smoking pony tailed grandfather growing his own stash, his Elvis obsessed grandmother, and being caught smack dab in the middle of a power struggle between the Sheriff and Chief Deputy. But when a road construction crew unearths the skeletons of three murder victims, John Lee suddenly finds himself on the trail of a killer who may well have died long before the deputy was even born. And then a mysterious sniper begins shooting at deputies…

There are thirteen books in the John Lee series so far, and I will be starting the next one right after the first of the year. Give Stillborn Armadillos a try. I hope you like it.

Be sure to enter our latest Free Drawing. This week’s prize is an audiobook of Dog’s Run, my mystery set in a small Ohio town in 1951. I have 47 novels out, as well as 11 nonfiction books, and I have to say that Dog’s Run is my favorite. It’s a gritty tale that is loosely based upon an actual crime that took place in that part of the country when my father was a young police officer there, and I warn you in advance that there’s some rough language, but it’s appropriate to the time and place.

To enter, click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name (first and last) in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn Sunday evening. Note: Due to the high shipping cost of printed books and Amazon restrictions on e-books and audiobooks to foreign countries, only entries with US addresses and e-mail addresses are allowed.

Thought For The Day – Eagles may fly high, but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines.