Awakening: The Crystal Coven Saga (Pre-Order)

I’m pleased to announce that my latest book, Awakening: The Crystal Coven Saga, is available for PRE-ORDER on Amazon and will be officially released on July 31st.

This is a story I have been working on for a while now and I am so happy to finally release it. Up until now, the majority of my fiction books have fit into the traditional police procedural genre and this one will as well, with one exception. Awakening crosses over from the mortal realm to the supernatural and introduces a new protagonist, NYPD Detective Karl Sigurdsson.

When the body of an elderly man is discovered in a local park the unsettling clues point to something much more nefarious than the street-wise detective is accustomed to handling. Soon, he begins to see an unsettling pattern begin to emerge, but is the killer homicidal maniac or something even more terrifying?

Sigurdsson soon realizes that the criminal justice system is the least of his concerns, as he is drawn deeper into the labyrinthian world of vampires. As a power struggle brewing in the immortal world threatens to boil over into the mortal realm, Sigurdsson is forced to confront the fact that he could soon turn from being the hunter into the hunted.

The origins of this novel reside in a song called ‘Make me Wanna Die,"‘ by The Pretty Reckless. I’d heard it one day while I was at the gym and I thought it was an interesting premise, especially if you put it within the supernatural realm. It turned into the premise for Awakening: How far would you go to save the woman you love?

Karl Sigurdsson is about to find out.

You can pre-order the e-book now and it will be delivered to your Kindle on July 31st. The print copy will also be available on that day as well.

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So this just happened - MWA

There are professional milestones in our lives that are so incredible that it's difficult to describe them adequately. It is a culmination of dedication and hard work that says, ‘You earned this.’

For me, the milestones in my NYPD career occurred when I put on the shields of Police Officer, Detective, and Sergeant. They were the outward representation of the blood, sweat, and tears I put in to achieve each of those ranks.

When I retired in 2005, I wondered if that would be the end. I’m proud to say they weren’t.

In 2013, when I published my first novel, Perfect Pawn, I wondered where the road to becoming an author would take me. It is no secret that most mystery authors aspire to be the next James Patterson, Ken Follett, Lee Child, Mary Higgins Clark, John le Carré, or Joseph Wambaugh. Why wouldn’t we? They are the titans in the mystery field.

So what does this have to do with me?

Well, I might not have attained their literary status (yet), but I achieved a significant milestone this morning. As of today, I have joined their ranks and have officially been inducted as a fellow member of the Mystery Writers of America!

To say I am both shocked and deeply honored would be a gross understatement.

When I began writing, the thought of being a member of this prestigious organization was nothing more than a wistful dream and yet, seven years later, here I am. But I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to thank you, my readers, for providing me the opportunity to achieve this great honor. Without your support and continued patronage, this would never have been possible.

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Best wishes & stay safe,

Andrew

Winter 2019 – Update

Where have I been? It’s a question I often ask myself these days.

If you’re like me, this time of year can be quite hectic on the best of days, but being an author means that you have even more going on.

So far this Fall / Winter season I have done a complete re-edit of my debut novel, Perfect Pawn. I’d taken a hard look at it and decided that, since I have grown as a writer, I needed to focus on making it the best it could be. I believe the current edition meets those requirements without taking away from the overall story-line.

Since then, I have kept busy. I’ve completed the re-edits on the follow-up book, Queen’s Gambit, and hope to have that re-released later this month or the early part of January 2020. I’m also currently re-editing the first Alex Taylor novel, Small Town Secrets, and hope to have a re-launch of that book with a new cover.

I also decided to write a new book. This one marks my journey into a new genre: Supernatural, but I haven’t completely abandoned my origins. I took an idea and weaved it into a police procedural/mystery story. It was fun crafting the story-line, and I believe readers of both genres will find something to enjoy. At this time I am shooting for a release date in early 2020.

Speaking of 2020, with the release of the 5th Maguire novel, Glass Castle, I will be starting work on the 4th Alex Taylor novel. I’ve been busy doing the outline and I have about 6 chapters already fleshed out.

So there you have it, the goings on in the chaotic world of this writer. I hope that all of you have had a wonderful Thanksgiving and I extend my best wishes for a blessed Christmas.

See you in the New Year!

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RE-RELEASE: NEW EDITION OF PERFECT PAWN - FREE: 10/18-10/20

As an author, one of the inevitable questions you face from readers is, ‘When is your next book coming out?’

While it is a welcome question, because it indicates interest in your work, it places a burden on you to continue to look forward and generate new material.  That being said, sometimes you have to take a pause and look backward.

In 2012, when I wrote my debut novel, Perfect Pawn, I was a neophyte author. As I have told many of you, the book was written for my wife and I had never given any thought to publishing it, but that all changed in 2013. Over the course of the last several years, I have written and published eleven books and two novellas.

Like anyone who continues in their tradecraft, I would like to believe that my writing style has improved with each new release. This past summer, I had some critical reviews that caused me to take a break and revisit my past work. I’d like to say that the criticism was unwarranted, but it wasn’t.

There is a school of thought among many writers that you don’t re-write novels. Authors live to tell stories, but they also want the reader to enjoy the experience. As I re-read my book, I had to face the harsh reality that I had failed in certain areas.

American writer and Nobel Prize laureate William Faulkner famously said, ‘in writing you must kill all your darlings.’

With that acceptance, I sat down and took a long hard look at Perfect Pawn and decided to do my best to smooth the edges.

I started out with the idea of being a surgeon, using a scalpel to dissect specific areas, but I ended up chopping away at the book like Jason Voorhees’ machete at summer camp. It was brutal, but it was necessary.

I did my utmost to protect the integrity of the story, while culling out unnecessary parts and streamlining the rest. In the end, I believe the book is tighter than it originally was. It might not please every literary critic, most books don’t, but I believe that the majority will enjoy it much more than the original.  

To mark the 6th anniversary of the original release date, and s my way of saying thanks for your continued support, I am making the revised edition of Perfect Pawn available for FREE on Amazon Kindle from Friday, October 18, 2019, 12:00 AM (PDT) through Sunday, October 20, 2019, 11:59 PM (PDT).

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Amazon Rankings – Where Do I Stand?

With the release of my latest novel: GLASS CASTLE, I headed over to my Amazon page and discovered something that I thought was very interesting. So I thought I would share it with you.

On every book page, there is a ranking system for books in a particular genre. I was looking over the listings for Perfect Pawn.

While every author wants to be in the top 100, my genre of mystery is a very tough nut to crack. I’ve been there a few times, with several of my books, but it is very hard to maintain. But last night I saw something that I really hadn’t considered before and it got me to thinking.

Perfect Pawn is listed as being #41,544 in the Kindle Store. The number fluctuates, up and down, but it is usually within that ball park.

Now, that might seem like a high number, until you consider that there are over 3.4 million books in the Kindle Store.

So what does it mean? Well, when you break down the math, it means that my book ranks in the top 2% of kindle books sold on Amazon. Considering the competition I face, I would say that is something to brag about.

If you are looking to sink your teeth into a great police procedural / mystery series, and would like to find out the order in which to read them, you can find the chronological listing HERE.

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