The Story Behind The Code by Sean Keefer

 

 

 

The Story Behind The Code by Sean Keefer

The Code is the third book in the Noah Parks Mystery Series. The first two books are chronologically synchronized, occurring within months of each other. When I finished The Solicitor, I knew there was at least one more Noah Parks book to be written. 

However, I realized there was a potentially beneficial crossroad, that being where, in the timeline of the Noah Parks Universe, it would be set.

I had begun researching a concept I had stumbled upon after an unexpected conversation with a friend. The conversation motivated me to do a bit of internet research, and what I found really sparked my interest. From that point, I read a number of books, attended some lectures, had more conversations, and met with several experts. If I am being a bit cryptic as to the nature of the research, well, I’m doing that intentionally. To reveal the nature of the research would be a spoiler for those who have not read The Code.

The research process took a while, and during the time I was starting to figure out how my research would fit into the plot of what, at the time, I didn’t even know would be called The Code, I started to realize there was a lot about my characters that I didn’t know. 

When I wrote the first book, I’d been practicing law for about six years. That meant there was a quarter of a century of history that I had yet to explore with some of the characters. That was simply too tempting to me. I found I wanted to know more about my characters. Comes to find out there was a lot they had to tell me. From here, I made the decision to make The Code a prequel to the first two books.

When I finished The Code, I could not have been happier with my decision. Not that the story would have been different had I simply had it follow my last book, but by making it a prequel, I found I had a number of options for crafting the plot that would have otherwise not existed. 

Most surprising to me was that as the work on The Code progressed, I saw several questions develop that will yield to more of the character’s backstory. In fact, one of the questions that found itself into The Code was one that I had not even seen until I was asked about it by a reader. When I started to ponder the question, I realized that the research I was doing for the follow-up book was a perfect fit to answer the question that I had been asked. 

As I was guided to write The Code, I may have unknowingly created the inspiration, or at least planted the seed that will become the next book in the Noah Parks Mystery Series. 

 

It should have been an otherwise uneventful Sunday morning for Charleston attorney Noah Parks. Perhaps a trip to the beach or a run with his new Australian Shepherd, Austin. But with a cryptic voicemail, everything changes.

A client has vanished, leaving nothing behind as a clue to where he may be. Neither his family, friends, nor neighbors are able to provide help.

Turning to his friend Emmett Gabriel, Charleston’s newest police detective, Parks can only watch as what started with a simple voicemail takes on a sinister life of its own. 

Parks soon finds himself entangled in an affair that spans centuries, going back to the time of Charleston’s birth.

With a focus on learning his client’s fate, Parks will soon find himself facing a mystery that will not only be a test of his wits but leaves him challenged in ways he never imagined.

Facing down twists, turns, betrayals, and traditions of honor, will he break The Code?

Release Date: October 7, 2022

Publisher: Rivers Turn Press

Soft Cover: 978-0998575575; 319 pages

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3IETRpM 

Rivers Turn Press: https://bit.ly/3V9725u 

Sean Keefer is the award winning author of three legal thrillers, The Trust, The Solicitor, and The Code, all set in and around coastal South Carolina.

He is also the author of Mediation in the Family Courts of South Carolina, a legal treatise on family law mediation.

He lives and writes in Charleston, South Carolina.

In addition to his writing, Sean is a recording and performing guitarist/singer/songwriter of Americana and Alt-Country music. Watch him sing Carolina Sunset which was inspired by his latest book, The Code. Listen here!

For more information about his writing and music, visit SeanKeefer.com and ADogNamedBear.com.

Follow him on Facebook @theNoahParksMysterySeries and @SeanKeeferMusic. Follow him on Instagram @NoahParksMysteries and @1ADogNamedBear1 

Website | Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads

 

 

The Story Behind Altered by Rob Kaufman

 

 

 

The Story Behind Altered by Rob Kaufman

I was going to be a psychiatrist.

Yes, that’s right. I was going to have a beautiful office, with two chairs and a cushy sofa. I’d listen to people tell me their problems all day and offer my best “psychiatrist” advice. That’s why I received a degree in Psychology and set myself up to pursue a degree in Psychiatry.

Uh, but wait — that meant getting a medical degree. “Big deal”, I thought. “I
can do that!” Well, after my first day in Physics class and my first hour in
Chemistry class, it was obvious my dreams were about to be obliterated. My
mind just didn’t work that way. It was a left-brain/right-brain thing. The left
brain handles reading, writing and calculations – the “logical” thought
processes. The right brain works more with the visual world, dealing with
imagination, innovation and expression.

Needless to say, I’m a right-brained individual.

With all that said, it’s the reason I’m a writer and not a scientist. It’s also the
reason I wrote “Altered”, a book in which I was able to use my imagination to
create a story with plots and subplots revolving around my dream of becoming
a psychiatrist.

Justin Wright is a renowned New York City psychiatrist who takes on a patient
with DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder known also as multiple personalities
and/or “alters”). The creative part of the book was the typical painful process
(rewriting a sentence ten times before I was happy with it), but easier than the
research required to ensure every piece of information I wrote about DID was
correct. There was that left brain again, always having to get in on the action.
It took more time to write than I’d hoped, but between my research, my editor
and my consistent rewrites, all turned out well. In essence, “Altered” has
helped me (and my readers) in a number of ways. It allows me to be the
psychiatrist I’ve always wanted to be… gives readers a chance to escape reality
with suspense and thrills… and also helps people understand that those with
DID aren’t “crazy” or “nuts”. They have a mental health condition that needs
attention and can be managed successfully. Of course, that might not be true
for Justin’s patient, Frank Devlin… but that’s for you to decide.

 

When Frank Devlin walks into Justin Wright’s office, the renowned New York City clinical psychiatrist decides to take on one of the most challenging cases of his career.

After their first session, it’s obvious Frank has multiple personalities (“alters”) and each one couldn’t be more different than the other. Justin must get to know each individual alter in order to discover the best route to take so that Frank can live a full and happy life. He must also delve into Frank’s past, one filled with mystery, darkness and trauma — the true causes behind his personality split.

As Justin deals with Frank’s issues, he’s also confronted with his own demons: the kidnapping of Michael, his youngest son, seven years earlier… a wife he adores, Mandy, who refuses to accept her son is gone… a constant struggle with his oldest son, Dylan, who was watching over Michael the day the boy was taken. And his problems get worse as, unbeknownst to Justin, Frank and his alters are secretly weaving themselves into his life in ways that will affect the Wright family forever.

A suspense-filled story driven by emotion, angst and the ultimate revenge, “Altered” brings readers down a twisted path of uncertainty and mind games ­— leaving them shocked, heartbroken and questioning what could possibly come next…

***
“Crazy-good plot lines and shocking information that had me gasping for breath at every turn!” – Anne F., Amazon Vine Reviewer

“It was an amazing ride with tension building throughout until the final twist ending.” – Patricia G., NetGalley Reviewer

Release Date: November 15, 2022

Soft Cover: ISBN:979-8358757523; 329 pages; $13.99; Kindle $7.99; FREE on Kindle Unlimited

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3BlpCjs 

Rob Kaufman novels are known for having characters with whom people can relate, while at the same time, bringing them on a journey from which most people would crumble.

His degree in Psychology was the first step toward getting beneath the surface of the people in his life. What followed was a lifelong search for what makes people tick – what forces them to become evil when deep down they are yearning for love. Rob’s characters walk this search with him, deep into the human psyche, creating psychological thrillers from everyday events.

Rob’s books are perfect for those who enjoy thrillers but also need strong emotion to keep them deeply involved with the characters.

“All my books hit home for me,” says Rob. “There are always parts that make me laugh out loud as I write them… and many, too many, that make me cry. And the great thing is, I’m finding that many readers of my books experience the same emotions.”

Rob’s books receive both national and international praise with most reviews noting that his storylines are extremely “unique” and “sobering” and the twists and turns are “masterful”.

Website or Blog:  www.authorrobkaufman.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AuthorKaufman

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorRobKaufman

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/745558.Rob_Kaufman

 

 Quote of the Day:

"A room without books is like a body without a soul."

- Marcus Tullius Cicero

 

The Story Behind To Catch the Setting Sun by Richard I. Levine

 

 

 

 

The Story Behind To Catch the Setting Sun

The idea for my latest novel came from a confluence of several separate, yet simultaneous, sensory experiences that triggered images which ignited the creative foundation for this story. Please allow me to explain. I’ve been involved with acting since my move to Hawaii. In 2018 I was on my way to the set of a Hawaii 5-O episode where, as a background actor, I had been cast as an NCIS agent. I wanted to give this agent an identity and a life, so while on my way to the production set I began utilizing a technique from acting class; mentally becoming this agent—giving him a name, a history, habits etc. I then imagined myself being uncomfortably hot while driving to an investigation because the car air-conditioner didn’t work properly. So, to make this a real experience I shut mine off, rolled down the windows which then caused a blast of hot air to rush in along with the smell of trash left in piles beside homeless tents along the roadside (the image of paradise that tourists typically don’t see). Then I began to play some instrumental music which happened to be from the John Dumas CD Kohola Dreamtime. It was at that moment when my protagonist, HPD detective Hank Benjamin, came to life. Playing the right background music has always helped to stimulate my imagination. Over the next several weeks I had repeated this whenever I drove to my day job, or to a production set. As I did so, a story began to develop in my mind. That’s when I knew I had my next novel. To Catch The Setting Sun is published by The Wild Rose Press. I must admit, contacting them directly was a last-ditch attempt after I had received about twenty rejections out of the sixty literary agents I had queried. The other forty must have simply round-filed my letters because I never heard a word from them. I thought it was odd as every agent I researched claimed to specialize in the suspense, thriller, or crime genres. I kept telling myself to press on since the author of the best selling novel The Help was able to secure a literary agent on her sixty first query letter. Regardless, I was all set to indy-publish one more time when I decided to consult with a friend, romance author Lelani Black. She had read and loved all four of my indy-published novels, so I asked if she would read my latest work. She agreed, and soon after sending her the unedited manuscript she emailed: “Rich, you have a good strong novel that stands to be your best work ever.” Knowing the frustration I was experiencing in trying to find an agent, she recommended that I contact her publisher directly. “Given that most publishers no longer accept direct submissions, you may not get anywhere, but it’s worth taking a chance,” she said. I did just that! I sent a query along with the first chapter (and I mentioned her name), and a request for the manuscript came a month later. It wasn’t long before I received an email from my soon-to-be editor with praise—saying in part: “As you must know, you have a masterpiece with To Catch The Setting Sun. It was amazing and I liked how you ended it…”. The rest, as they say, is history.

 

There’s a killer loose on the island of Oahu. His targets? Young, native-Hawaiian women. But it also appears that he’s targeting and taunting Honolulu police detective Henry Benjamin who knew each victim and whose wife, Maya, had been the first name on that list. In addition to battling his personal demons, this New York transplant’s aggressive style didn’t sit well with his laid-back colleagues who viewed Henry’s uncharacteristic lack of progress in the investigation as evidence that fueled ongoing rumors that he could be the killer. Was he, or could it have been someone within the municipal hierarchy with a vendetta? As it was, after thirteen years on the job Henry had been disillusioned with paradise. His career choice long killed any fantasy of living in a grass hut on a wind-swept beach, being serenaded by the lazy sounds of the ocean and a slack key guitar. Instead, it had opened his eyes to a Hawaii that tourists will never see.

Book Information

Release Date: August 22, 2022

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Soft Cover: ISBN:‎ 978-1509243297; 320 pages; $17.99; eBook $5.99

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Rl42Aw 

Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/3BRB0mv

Apple iBooks: https://apple.co/3dVBaBj

Richard I Levine is a native New Yorker raised in the shadows of Yankee Stadium. After dabbling in several occupations and a one-year coast to coast wanderlust trip, this one-time volunteer fireman, bartender, and store manager returned to school to become a chiropractor. A twenty-three-year cancer survivor, he’s a strong advocate for the natural healing arts. Levine has four Indy-published novels and his fifth work, To Catch The Setting Sun, is published by The Wild Rose Press and was released in August 2022. In 2006 he wrote, produced and was on-air personality of the Dr. Rich Levine show on Seattle’s KKNW 1150AM and after a twenty-five year practice in Bellevue, Washington, he closed up shop in 2017 and moved to Oahu to pursue a dream of acting and being on Hawaii 5-O. While briefly working as a ghostwriter/community liaison for a local Honolulu City Councilmember, he appeared as a background actor in over twenty-five 5-Os and Magnum P.Is. Richard can be seen in his first co-star role in the Magnum P.I. third season episode “Easy Money”. He presently resides in Hawaii.

Visit Richard’s Amazon Page or connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Goodreads.

The Story Behind Half Moon Lake by Steve Brock

 

The Story Behind Half Moon Lake

The inspiration for the book really began as a simple inspiration for a book, any book. Not this one in particular. That is because writing was my intended vocation when I was in high school. I had prepared myself to become a writer and intended to continue to prepare by attending Missouri University after high school graduation.

As often happens, however, life had other plans for me. Writing got put on the back burner and over the years, raising a family didn’t leave time to pursue writing a novel. After I turned sixty-one, I realized time was running out for me and if I were ever going to become an author, now was the time. I became focused on the idea of writing a novel.

The novel itself was inspired incrementally. The first component of the novel I settled on was the name of the main character, Crease. I had heard that name before and I really wanted to use it for my protagonist. I didn’t see Crease as a given name, but rather a nickname. I needed to find a way for him to have earned that nickname, which is how the football part of the story was born. I was still a long way from a completed plot, and I had read an article that suggested readers liked to read about unusual professions.

 I began looking for a profession. I googled unusual jobs and looked through the list, but nothing interested me. I continued to search for inspiration. I couldn’t begin writing until I had settled on something.

One evening my wife and I were dining in a little café after a day of antiquing. We had a table along a wall with other tables lined up behind us. As we waited to be served, I noticed the gentleman sitting at the table behind my wife was wearing a tee-shirt advertising a microbrewery in the area. One of the beers pictured had a floatplane on the label. I had found my inspiration in the most unusual way.

After that day the rest of the story fell into place. There were still details to be worked out, but I was able to begin writing and continued steadily until I had a complete manuscript. I hope people will take the opportunity to read it as it was a long time coming.

Crease Williams lived a charmed life with a bright future. Only in his junior year at Texas Christian University, his skills as a wide receiver had already captured the attention of NFL scouts.

Then a tragedy cost him his family and his desire to play football. Personally devastated, he left his old life behind and got as far from Ft. Worth, TX, and football as he could get.

Keeping mostly to himself, he became a float-plane pilot in the far north of Minnesota. Flying fisherman and hunters into remote locations was how he spent his time. When a group he had flown to Roudy’s Cabin goes missing, he faces accusations and more turmoil than he could have ever imagined. To make matters worse, his quiet existence is upturned by an element from his past bent on vengeance.

Half Moon Lake is Steve Brock’s first novel. A suspenseful mystery written with likable characters and a lighthearted flavor.

Book Information

Release Date: March 30, 2022

Publisher:  Steve Brock

Soft Cover: ISBN: 978-0578391977; 187 pages; $9.99; Kindle Unlimited FREE

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3knaPfd

I’ve been an author in search of a novel for just about forty years now. Writing was the first thing I ever wanted to do seriously. Over the years I’ve done quite a variety of things. My first real job, the kind where you have a schedule and get paid hourly, was as a cook at the local Sonic Drive-In. I’ve been a machinist, a forklift driver, a production worker, a computer programmer, an IT guy, an installation manager, a software trainer, and an education department manager. Those are just the employment highlights. Through it all, I was a husband and father, and I attended college at night to get my bachelor’s degree in technology management.

Before all that started, I wanted to be a writer. It just didn’t work out that way. Maybe that’s ok, I’ve had a good life and I have a wonderful family that I am proud to have. I don’t regret any of what I’ve done to support my family over the years. The desire to write has persisted, however, and I took a look at my odometer one day and it read 61 years old. None of us know how high our personal odometer will go, but I knew if I was ever going to be a writer, now was the time.

I’m bringing my lifetime of experience to my novel writing. Many of my characters are loosely based upon people I’ve known in real life. Some of my plot elements are also influenced by real-life experiences as well. As of this writing, my first novel, Half Moon Lake, will be published on Amazon in a few weeks. I have begun work on my second book as well. I hope you will take time to register your email address so I may keep you apprised of announcements and special offers. I’d be thrilled to count you as one of my first dedicated readers.

Steve Brock’s latest novel is Half Moon Lake.

You can visit his website at www.BrockNovels.com or connect with him at Twitter.

The Story Behind A Mistake Incomplete by Lorenzo Petruzziello

 

A MISTAKE INCOMPLETE

By Lorenzo Petruzziello

A Mistake Incomplete is my second novel set in Italy – my first is The Love Fool, set in Rome. Both make up what I plan to be a three-book set in my Italy Trilogy. The stories may not be directly related, but they are all stories set in Italy.

While The Love Fool, I was inspired by a romantic comedies, A Mistake Incomplete was inspired by noir. I am a fan of classic noir films that I watch almost every weekend – my favorite being Strangers on a Train by Alfred Hitchcock; which was inspired by the book of the same title by my favorite author Patricia Highsmith.

          With A Mistake Incomplete, I wanted to capture the dark, sexy suspense experienced in stories under the noir umbrella. I chose the city of Milan partly because of its history of being the setting for many crime stories by Italian authors, and partly because I spent some time there in my early twenties as a student, and continue to visit almost every year.

          I chose to publish A Mistake Incomplete myself as an independent author/publisher. I wanted full control of the process from working with editors and cover designers to setting up the publicity and distribution. I used A Mistake Incomplete as my personal creative project to utilize my marketing background and explore different opportunities for promotions and publicity.

          As part of my marketing strategy, I’ve also created cocktails specific to my stories that readers can make and enjoy while reading or discussing my book with friends and/or book clubs. Recipes and discussion questions can be found on my website www.magnusmade.com. 

          As far as book distribution, I wanted A Mistake Incomplete to be available via a distributor that a majority of bookshops use – to allow local booksellers to order the book for their loyal customers.

An incompetent thief,

a hopeless bartender,

a dead stranger,

and a lonely tourist.

A NOIR-INSPIRED CAPER SET IN MODERN-DAY MILAN.

An incompetent thief makes another attempt at burglary. A hopeless bartender struggles to manage her last patron. The pair reluctantly work together to figure out why a man they presumed dead may have returned, while a lonely tourist inadvertently gets in the way.

Pick up your copy at Amazon.

About the Author

Lorenzo Petruzziello is the author of A MISTAKE INCOMPLETE – a noir-inspired caper set in Milan, Italy. His first novel THE LOVE FOOL is a non-romantic romantic comedy set in Rome. Both books are available worldwide through your favorite booksellers.

Lorenzo holds a Global MBA in International Marketing from Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts. He is bilingual, raised speaking both English and Italian. He was born and raised in U.S.A. and spent his summers in Italy. He lives in Massachusetts working on his writing as a side gig to his corporate day job. He has contributed to publications on food, travel, and cocktails, including Intermezzo and  SIPthemagazine.

Visit his website at www.magnusmade.com.

Connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

The Story Behind Words Kill by David Myles Robinson

 

 

Words Kill

By David Myles Robinson

This is a book that has been percolating in my brain for many years. Having come of age in the late 60s and early 70s, I lived through some truly tumultuous times which have had a lasting impact on America: the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, AIDS, drugs, and mental illness. I actually lived on Haight St. in San Francisco in 1968, and I wanted to find a way to weave a story around many of those impactful events.

          Having grown up first in a predominately white area of Los Angeles and then in a highly diverse community in Pasadena, I became acutely aware of racism at an early age. In 1969 I worked as a staff reporter for a minority newspaper in Pasadena, and worked on many stories involving institutional racism. So, as I thought about a plot for this novel, I decided that a story centered on friendship and love involving race would be a good vehicle, especially with the storyline essentially beginning in 1968.

          The book itself took over three years to write. I rewrote it from the ground up several times, trying to get it right. Even as I continued to write and publish other books, this book, which I had originally titled The Reporter, continued to rattle around in my brain.

There is a fair amount of quasi-autobiographical content in Words Kill. Like our protagonist, Russell Blaze, I had an alcoholic stepfather who physically abused my mother. I lived through the hippie era in San Francisco and Los Angeles. I narrowly avoided the draft, just as Russell did.

So there is a lot of me mixed in with the blood, sweat, and tears on the pages of Words Kill. I hope people of all age groups like the story and see the unfortunate societal parallels between the past and the present, particularly as they pertain to racism.

 

Famed reporter Russell Blaze is dead. It appears to be an accident, but after Russ’s funeral, his son, Cody, finds a letter in which his father explains that the death may have been murder. It directs Cody to Russ’s unfinished memoir for clues as

to what may have happened. The opening words are: On the night of October 16, 1968, I uttered a sentence that would haunt me for the rest of my life. The sentence was, “Someone should kill that motherfucker.”

As Cody delves into the memoir, a window opens into a tragic past and thrusts the still-burning embers of another time’s radical violence into the political reality of the present. History that once seemed far away becomes a deeply personal immersion for Cody into the storied heyday of the Haight: drugs, sex, war protesters, right-wing militias, ground-breaking journalism—and the mysterious Gloria, who wanders into his father’s pad one day to just “crash here for a while until things calm down.”

Cody discovers aspects of his father’s life he never knew, and slowly begins to understand the significance of those words his father spoke in 1968.

Words Kill is a story of loss, violence, and racism; love, hate, and discovery. It is a story of then … and now.

About the Author

David Myles Robinson has always had a passion for writing. During the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, while in college, Robinson worked as a free-lance writer for several magazines and was a staff writer for a weekly minority newspaper in Pasadena, California, called The Pasadena Eagle. However, as he himself admits, upon graduating from San Francisco State University, he decided against the ‘starving writer’ route and went to law school, at the University of San Francisco School of Law. It was there that he met his wife, Marcia Waldorf. After graduating from law school in 1975, the two moved to Honolulu, Hawaii and began practicing law. Robinson became a trial lawyer, specializing in personal injury and workers’ compensation law. Waldorf eventually became a District Court and ultimately a Circuit Court judge.

Upon retiring in 2010, Robinson completed his first novel, Unplayable Lie, which was published by BluewaterPress LLC, in 2010. He has since published five more novels, three of which are legal thrillers set in Honolulu: Tropical Lies, Tropical Judgments, Tropical Doubts, and Tropical Deception. His other three novels are The Pinochet Plot, Son of Saigon, and Words Kill. Robinson has also published a book of short travel stories, Conga Line on the Amazon.

Robinson and Waldorf divided their time between Honolulu and their second home in Taos, NM for seven years before finally deciding to see what it’s like to be full-time mainlanders again. They now live in Taos, where Robinson can pursue his non-writing passions of golf, ski, and travel.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Website: davidmylesrobinson.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/DMRobinsonWrite

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DavidMylesRobinson

Instagram – http://www.instagram.com/davidmylesrobinson

TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2021

The Story Behind Prophecy of the Guardian by J.W. Baccaro

 

PROPHECY OF THE GUARDIAN

By J.W. Baccaro

Thank you! Well see…creative writing has always been a love of mine. I never had much interest in sports or automobiles. Sure, I know a little bit, but I couldn’t tell you the names of famous quarterbacks or talk for hours about rebuilding an engine block. Creativity has always been my thing in both literature and music. Inspired by authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis (to name a few), I too decided I wanted to create my own vivid world within the imagination…and on paper of course.

I didn’t look around at what genre was most popular in hopes to make a quick buck. I just wanted to write a story that I personally would love to read. A story with not only tons of action and warrior

battles, but also filled with heavy emotion. A world where you feel like you’ve made friends with the characters and are a bit sad when the book comes to an end. You miss them!

I’ve always loved classic Good versus Evil tales. True they are a dime a dozen, filled with similar tropes and sometimes a bit cliché. You know, light versus darkness, one chosen character to rid the world of this monstrous evil, magical items, etc. etc. However, just when you think you’ve read something like this before, as soon as you’re enveloped into the story, you see how the tale carries its own uniqueness. Of course, there will be similarities, I can find that in just about every bestselling epic fantasy/sci-fi I read, but each story carries its own flair.

I love when a villain or even a hero begins to question their path, wondering if the task they are trying to accomplish is the right thing to do. Perhaps the Light has a point? Perhaps the Darkness has a point, and looking a little deeper, maybe, just maybe the Light (or whom we call our heroes), isn’t so perfect after all. Besides, all of us know the world is far beyond mere black and white. So, I took all my thoughts, likes and influences and molded them together and out came my book Prophecy of the Guardian: Book One, Guardian Trilogy.

I began writing this epic tale many years ago. Finally, it was published under an independent company in 2012. When it first came out, I was warmed by the attention it received. There were a lot of great reviews for it (and of course, some negative ones, but that comes with the territory, and even within them words of praise were mentioned. I’ve learned a lot since then). What I loved the most was how people found them to be inspirational and could relate to the characters, especially the Nasharin warrior race. Lots of battles, lots of emotion and suspense; perhaps the greatest of all is that by the end one feels like they have made friends with the characters. At least that is what I’ve been told from readers and to this day it still warms my heart.

I’ve written other books, but I decided I wanted to go back to my Guardian books (my original babies) and give them a revision that’s been long over do. Not only that but create a map of Seventh-Realm Earth and a character and creature list. Most of all make it a trilogy, my original idea from the very beginning. The publisher I was with back then wanted me to make the books into a five-book series. I never really liked that idea, but I went along with it. Now that I’m on my own, and with the help of an editor and artist I hired the books are now a trilogy. I’m really happy with this revision and I hope many new potential readers will enjoy the adventure. It’s one roller coaster of a ride, I promise!

Famed reporter Russell Blaze is dead. It appears to be an accident, but after Russ’s funeral, his son, Cody, finds a letter in which his father explains that the death may have been murder. It directs Cody to Russ’s unfinished memoir for clues as to what may have happened. The opening words are: On the night of October 16, 1968, I uttered a sentence that would haunt me for the rest of my life. The sentence was, “Someone should kill that motherfucker.”

As Cody delves into the memoir, a window opens into a tragic past and thrusts the still-burning embers of another time’s radical violence into the political reality of the present. History that once seemed far away becomes a deeply personal immersion for Cody into the storied heyday of the Haight: drugs, sex, war protesters, right-wing militias, ground-breaking journalism—and the mysterious Gloria, who wanders into his father’s pad one day to just “crash here for a while until things calm down.”

Cody discovers aspects of his father’s life he never knew, and slowly begins to understand the significance of those words his father spoke in 1968.

Words Kill is a story of loss, violence, and racism; love, hate, and discovery. It is a story of then … and now.

Order your copy at https://amzn.to/36crgUB.

About the Author

J.W. Baccaro is the author of Prophecy of the Guardian, The Coming of the Light and Blood Dreams. Always a lover of creativity, from works of literature to writing music with his electric guitar; even baking and cooking. When not working on his next story or lost in a good book, J.W. enjoys kicking back with a couple of tasty craft beers and binging on Kaiju movies, 80’s action flicks, Japanese animation and slasher films (particularly the one involving a hockey mask). Heck, he even enjoys a good romantic comedy. Feel free to email him at jwbaccaro@yahoo.com. He lives in upstate NY with his wife Melissa, his son Alexander, his German Shepherd and his three cats.

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