August, 2015 – Edition 3
Today’s Specials
A dose of religion! MacFarland’s sister-in-law wants to improve MacFarland’s life, and what better way to do that than to get him involved with a church. Not just any church…the Church of Blessed Grace promises you spiritual happiness and economic success. How could one go wrong with that combination?
Being a rather cynical and suspicious person, MacFarland is a bit dubious about this church. When he discovers that the girl he has been seeing is also going to the church, he finds that he can’t avoid going.
When he attends the church, his suspicions are heightened when he finds that he simply can’t stand the Reverend in charge of the church. Nor can he understand why a church has so darn many cameras spaced around its congregation hall. What are they watching for?
When a young woman from the church goes missing, and later turns up dead, MacFarland is convinced. The Church of Blessed Grace isn’t a gateway to heaven…it’s a doorway to hell.
Find out how MacFarland discovers the truth about Reverend Bryce and his Church in The Eager Evangelist, available this fall on Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords.

On the Condiments Tray
Religions of the World
When I was writing the Eager Evangelist, I got interested in religion and the place it plays in people’s lives. So I decided to find out just what were the world’s religions. Here’s what I found out (figures are approximate):
Christianity – 2+ billion
Islam – 1.5 billion
Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Athiest – 1+ billion
Hinduism – 1 billion
Chinese traditional religion – 400 million
Buddhism – 375 million
Primal-indigenous – 300 million
African Traditional & Diasporic – 100 million
Sikhism – 25 million
Juche – 20 million
Spiritism – 15 million
Judaism – 14 million
Baha’i – 7 million
Jainism – 4+ million
Shinto – 4 million
Cao Dai – 4 million
Zoroastrianism – 2.5+ million
Tenrikyo – 2 million
Neo-Paganism – 1 million
Unitarian-Universalism – < 1 million
Rastafarianism – < 1 million
Scientology – < 1 million
Wow, that’s a lot of religions! What I find most interesting about this list (aside from the fact that I’ve never even heard of some of these religions) is that fact that about one out of seven people have no religious beliefs at all.
What makes a person interested in following a particular religion? Mostly, it’s an accident of birth. If you are born in a Sikh culture, you probably become a Sikh. I was born in a “Christian” culture, but since my parents came from two disparate Christian backgrounds, I finally compromised and selected my own sect. I do have to admit, though, over the years I’ve tried several religious alternatives. In the end, my religious views are a lot closer to combinations of MacFarland’s and Rufus’ views.
When MacFarland is confronted with what he perceives as a false religion, his solution isn’t to give up religion entirely. Instead, he falls back to his roots, and returns to a church where he finds comfort. And maybe that is the ultimate benefit of religion in our lives: providing us comfort in troubled times.
Mathiya Adams – A Writer of Mysteries
I had a birthday last month. I’m not going to tell you my age, but the event did convince me that as a writer gets older, she realizes how precious time really is. She has to balance out all of her activities so that no time is wasted. And when your plans include a series of twenty-six books, you have to make sure that you are using your time as efficiently as possible.
To that end, I decided to try and prioritize my activities. So here is what I have come up with.
1) Writing my next book. I have to focus all of my energy on the Hot Dog Detective series, even though I have ideas for another ten book series about a detective who works with a cynically, street-wise chihuahua.
2) Walking my dog, Felix. Hey, I don’t want poop in the house! Besides, the exercise keeps me young and beautiful. Sort of.
3) Editing my books. I hate mistakes, and my mission is to root them out of all my books (you can help here…all you have to do is email me with the title of the book, maybe the chapter, and the phrase where the offending mistake is hiding).
4) Watching Heartland with my neighbor’s daughter. She and I both love the program, and it’s nice to take a break from writing.
5) Talking with my editor. She’s smart, funny, and every once in a while, she says something nice about my books.
6) Corresponding with other writers. I like to find out what other indie authors are doing, how they’re doing it, and how I can help them. Okay, I also like it when I get good ideas from them.
7) Tweeting, blogging, and marketing. I don’t like tracking sales, but I do find I spend too much time doing this. It would be better if I blogged more and worked on these newsletters. Hey, I’m doing that!
8) Reading and reviewing other’s books. Yeah, I need to do more of this.
9) Studying my craft: research, research, research. Can’t ever get too much research. Unless you’re spending all your time doing research and not writing. Hmmm, I have to think about this one.
10) Laundry, dusting, washing dishes, cooking, and shopping (on the last item, I need to learn how to do that without spending so much money…why didn’t they teach that in high school, I wonder?)
There are a lot of things I need to spend less time doing. I’m not going to list those things, because it is too embarrassing. So let’s just go with the idea that this list is a lot longer than my prioritized activities.
I am a work in progress, after all.
Contact Me!
You can friend me on Facebook or contact me on Twitter or email me: mathiya.adams@gmail.com.
I also have a Blog where you can get my first book for free (if you haven’t already gotten it) and get on my mailing list.
Please leave comments and reviews!
In the course of writing a series of what ultimately will be twenty-six books, it is possible to get things mixed up, forget details, or just make mistakes. While I have a very sensitive soul, I have learned that one needs to be able to take criticism, feedback, and suggestions for improvement. If you have any of these, please feel free to contact me directly at Mathiya.Adams@gmail.com I look forward to your comments.
Remember, if you loved any of my books, please consider leaving reviews of them on book sites like Amazon and Smashwords. It doesn’t have to be complicated, even just a few lines is wonderful. I am so grateful to all of you who have already posted your reviews.
The Avid Angler
Book 1 of The Hot Dog Detective: Detective MacFarland — “Mac” to his friends — is approached by a high-priced lawyer to help prove a woman innocent. A fishing buff has been found murdered and the wife is the prime suspect. With the evidence stacked against her, and someone destroying evidence, can MacFarland find the real killer and free the innocent woman?
The Busty Ballbreaker
Book 2 of The Hot Dog Detective: Detective MacFarland is suspicious when a young construction worker, Wanda Warren, approaches him with a tale of conspiracy, fraud, and murder. A friend of hers died in a tragic work accident, but she thinks that there is more to the story than workplace tragedy. She thinks he was killed to keep him quiet. Something is not right at the construction site just down the block from him. The question for MacFarland is, how many more people are going to get killed before he finds the person behind the conspiracy that Wanda has uncovered?
The Crying Camper
Book 3 of The Hot Dog Detective: A homeless teenager gets a second chance, working as a counselor in a summer camp for runaway kids. The only problem is, the kids keep going missing. Are they running away, getting placed in foster homes…or getting killed? Will MacFarland be able to rescue the homeless waifs or will more children turn up dead?
The Desperate Druggie
Book 4 of The Hot Dog Detective: MacFarland is off to Mexico!
MacFarland is old school when it comes to legalized marijuana. But when it comes to the daughter of the owner of legalized pot stores getting kidnapped, he is ready to run off to Mexico to rescue her. Unfortunately, rescuing the young woman does not prove to be easy. First, someone has followed him to Mexico and is trying to kill him. Second, he has to confront one of the most powerful cartel leaders in Mexico. And third, he has to deal with Calida Delgado, a beautiful and fiercely independent woman he once had an affair with.
Will MacFarland be able to rescue the pot dealer’s daughter or will he fall victim to one or more of the three obstacles he encounters in sunny Mexico?