Retrospect: The Mystery of the Bones

Welcome to the final retrospect of the Snow & Winter series! If you're just coming into the posts, you can visit the previous titles here at: Nevermore, Curiosities, and Moving Image. I suppose this isn't technically a retrospect, as The Mystery of the Bones is actually releasing next Tuesday, but I want to give the conclusion of Sebastian and Calvin's lives the same send off. So without further ado, let's dive into this whirlwind!

Man... now that I'm really staring at THE END, what is there to say? In a small sense, these individuals represent parts of me. I mean, look, it's fiction. But the fiction came from somewhere—my brain, specifically. Sebastian is my sarcasm, Pop is my love, Calvin is the patience I wish I had more of. I invented these characters, sure, but I hope I managed to properly pour in elements of myself, be them good or bad, to shape and define them all into believable personalities. 

I want the time and investment readers have made to feel worthwhile. I want readers to have enjoyed an adventure, wracked their brains to solve a mystery, maybe fall in love a little, but if nothing else, to feel content as they finish and close Bones. I think that's all any author can hope for, really.

Bones was tough to write, but I don't think it really had anything to do with plot or characterization, and mostly everything to do with making sure I tied up loose ends and bid my cast a proper farewell. I needed to make sure by the end of the Snow & Winter series that Neil was redeemable, that Calvin was going to be okay, and that Sebastian learned to love himself in ways he'd been too afraid to even realize. I think I managed to do this. Sebastian and Calvin certainly deserve their vacation away from me and my 'oh but what if there's just one more dead body' thought process! Neil—we're not done with him. He'll be back.

I mentioned before that I enjoy writing dialogue, but as the relationship between Sebastian and Calvin progresses, I love their interactions just a bit more every book. Flirting between couples in healthy, long-term relationships is some of my favorite stuff, especially when there's wit and smartassery involved! Here are a few spoiler-free excerpts below.

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“Seb.”
I blinked. “What?”
“Stop,” Calvin said firmly.
“But I—”
He took a step closer. “I can see the cogs turning, baby.”
I put my hands up, like I’m innocent, copper! Innocent, I tell ya!

“You shutting me down, Detective?” I asked, turning back to Calvin.
“I know it’s your busiest time of year.”
“What’s money matter? Now I have time to pick up our Christmas tree. It may end up being a Charlie Brown, though.”
“It wasn’t that long ago I threatened to arrest you for being a smartass,” Calvin warned.
“And instead you put a ring on it,” I said, raising my left hand and tapping the matte tungsten band with the tip of my thumb.

“Please don’t start poking around.”
“I’m not,” I replied. “The deerstalker is hung up for good.”

“You know why this entire thing sucks?” I asked suddenly.
“I can think of a few reasons.”
“We haven’t had sex in six days.”
Calvin snorted. “You keep track?”
“Not intentionally.”

-

Bones releases next Tuesday and is slated for audiobook production. (Date TBA) To celebrate its release, the first three books of the series are on sale and can be found below at the following third party vendors.

| Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Google Play | iBooks | Kobo |

You can add the book to your Goodreads shelf or find it on BookBub. Codas are also available for free at my website.

Make sure you check out the giveaway below. I'm offering one signed paperback of The Mystery of the Bones! Event ends September 23, 2019.

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Well, that's it. The Mystery of the Bones goes live in one week, and the Snow & Winter series draws to an end. Thank you for staying with me throughout these posts and for your support these last four years. I hope you'll give my upcoming books a chance, which includes a new mystery-romance series starring two NYPD detectives, as well as a Steampunk-romance series taking place in alternate-1882 New York City.

Random fact: Bones was the hardest of the four titles to come up with, despite it being very obviously the ideal name!

Retrospect: The Mystery of the Moving Image

Welcome to the third retrospect post of the Snow & Winter series! If you missed the first two, you can find Nevermore and Curiosities at these links. This is my first complete, published series that has been with me from the beginning of my professional journey. I wanted to see Sebastian off properly after all the mysteries and murders we've been through together!

Moving Image was, in a sense, the easiest of the four books to write. I have a BFA in film production, with an emphasis on directing and sound recording. I worked freelance in the film and television world for a brief time, as well as at a rental house in the city. So film, both the history and practical, is my forte.

But having a degree and background in the topic surrounding Book Three's plot also made it a challenge. There were certain instances I had to rein myself in, lest the mystery turn into a non-fiction retelling of intriguing factoids. Especially when it comes to the likes of Buster Keaton films or correcting the general public on how little Edison was actually involved in the process of creating moving images.

Moving Image, like the previous titles, went through some re-writes. But unlike Nevermore, the characters were established and their relationships were no longer causing issue. And the artifact was exactly what I had planned from the beginning, so there was no trouble with that facet, like in Curiosities. The re-write actually had to do with the location. My original plan was to pull Sebastian and Calvin out of New York City (I know—what?) and put them in Vermont. It didn't work. I still love the concept, but it took too much focus off Sebastian, and this series is his to tell, so that became extremely problematic very quickly. And frankly, it was an issue getting the man around outside of a densely populated, urban environment!

Some of my favorite dialogue I added to the book were little opportunities to lovingly poke and prod at the film industry. I think, even without coming from that world, most folks can appreciate the jokes. I've shared a few excerpts below.

-

“Truth is stranger than fiction,” I stated.
She nodded. “It’s a story perfect for a movie, don’t you think?”
“Which some screenwriter would inevitably destroy by inserting made-up drama or a romantic side plot that never existed,” I replied.
Greta laughed, deep and hearty. “Don’t I know it.”

“Did he rob you?”
“No. Well, yes, technically. I had a canister of film. He took that and wanted more movies.”
Neil stared blankly.
“That machine you were fingerprinting at the Emporium is a movie viewer.”
Neil took a hand from his pocket and held it up. “So this may have been the man who killed Dumpster John Doe?”
“He certainly wasn’t after my Buster Keaton collection,” I answered.

“You really want to go all the way to Queens?”
“That’s where the Museum of the Moving Image is.”
“You don’t have to take the train, though. I can drive you.”
“They don’t open until after ten,” I replied. “And I’ve no desire to wait around in the desolate, ass-end of Astoria with a bunch of overworked and undercaffeinated filmmakers..."

“Hundred-twenty-year-old movie,” Max said with an astonished tone. “It’s going to be either porn or cats.”

-

Since Moving Image's release in 2018, it has been contracted into French with Reines-Beaux (no release date yet) and is also scheduled to be produced into audio! Moving Image recently won second place in adult mysteries with the Florida Authors & Publishers Association, which was a great honor. To celebrate the upcoming release of Bones, Moving Image's ebook is on sale for $2.99 across all third-party vendors.

| Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Google Play | iBooks | Kobo |

You can add the book to your Goodreads shelf or find it on BookBub. Codas are also available for free at my website.

Make sure you check out the giveaway below. I'm offering one signed paperback of The Mystery of the Moving Image! Event ends September 16, 2019.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Is everyone enjoying these retrospects? They've been a lot of fun to write—a bit of a trip to think back to the actual production and all those highs and lows. If you're new to the Snow & Winter series, I do hope these posts have tempted you into giving Sebastian and Calvin a go! Please join me next Monday for our final look back—rather forward— at The Mystery of the Bones! There will also be a final giveaway at that time.

Random fact: Steinway Bierhaus is based off of a real beer garden in the film neighborhood of Astoria. I also included the location in my novella, Lights. Camera. Murder.

Retrospect: The Mystery of the Curiosities

We are now in September, which means The Mystery of the Bones inches ever closer to release! Because Snow & Winter is my first published series to be concluded, and what really set off my professional career as an author, I thought it would be nice to take a look back at the previous titles and share some of the history behind the finished products. For those of you joining the discussion for the first time, you can find Retrospect: The Mystery of Nevermore here.

Like most of my books, if not all of them, now that I think about it, Curiosities went through hardcore re-writes. It wasn't so much a character issue, as the nuts and bolts of who Sebastian, Calvin, and Co. were had been successfully established in Nevermore. This was a problem with the historical artifact the plot revolved around. Originally, the story was centered on some Japanese wood block prints from the late 1800s. It was a really fascinating subject matter to research and explore, but I'd say about... sixty percent of the way into the book it simply wasn't grooving with the overall arc I had in mind for the series. The rest of the books revolved around Victorian-America, so this item of Japanese origin just didn't exactly fit.

I tossed the whole thing. P.T. Barnum was an obvious choice when I thought about it for a minute. I used to spend my mornings in high school sitting in the library and I did a lot of research on Barnum after stumbling across some books on him shelved in a dark corner. Such a fascinating figurehead in entertainment history and what a curious choice for Sebastian to explore. I honestly don't remember much of that original draft, except for one scene where Sebastian had (against Calvin's word) confronted a suspect who had a few ukiyo-e in his possession and some serious danger was about to go down. I think I remember that scene because that's when I realized I was writing the wrong book. But I incorporated, not the actual scene, but the elements of the danger, into Curiosities when Sebastian goes to Ricky's Private Parties.

So much of this series ended up on the cutting room floor, if you'll pardon a film expression. But I don't like to keep those around to recycle. To me, they got tossed for good reason. There was a fundamental flaw that kept those scenes, dialogues, or entire concepts from meshing with the rest of the book or series. I don't miss them, wherever they are in dead computer heaven. But I'd love to share a few of my favorite moments with you all that are in Curiosities!

-

Saul's Diner's slogan was “Get stuffed.”
But brunch was neither the time nor the place for that.

Calvin sat up and pulled his wallet from his back pocket. He took out a few bills and handed them over. “Take a cab back.”
“I have money.”
“Seb—”
“Fine. Fine, fine.” I took the money and shoved it into my coat pocket. “I’m just going to use it to buy cupcakes and whiskey, though. You can find me at Pop’s between the hours of now and forever. I’ll be drunk under a blanket, watching television.”
“Atta boy.”

“If by doing so, are you going to do something illegal, and does that make me an accomplice?”
“No.”
“Why do I not believe you,” Max said absently.
“What do you want in return?”
“A raise.”
“Fat chance. I’m homeless. If either of us is getting a raise, it’s me.”

“I should have arrested you back in December when I had the chance.”
“I love you too.”
“I’ll be there soon.”

-

Since the release of Curiosities in 2017, it has become available for pre-order in French (currently at iBooks,) published with Reines-Beaux, as well as audio, narrated by Derrick McClain. And to celebrate the upcoming release of Bones, the ebook of Curiosities is on sale for $1.99 across all third-party vendors.

| Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Google Play | iBooks | Kobo |

You can add the book to your Goodreads shelf or find it on BookBub. Codas are also available for free at my website.

Make sure you check out the giveaway below. I'm offering one signed paperback of The Mystery of the Curiosities! Event ends September 9, 2019.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
I hope everyone has enjoyed this second retrospect of the Snow & Winter series! If you're new to the whirlwind lives of Sebastian and Calvin, I hope these posts have been interesting for you. Be sure to join me next Monday as we kick off a look at The Mystery of the Moving Image and host the third giveaway!

Random fact: Pop's apartment is designed after one rented by a couple who were in the art department of the first film I ever worked on.