September, 2015 – Edition 4
Today’s Specials
Football is back!
For those of us who enjoy seeing twenty-two huge muscular men mash it up on a large field, this time of year is a welcome one. Especially for those of us whose baseball team has not fared as well as we had hoped, the prospect of football, where the agony of a loss comes usually only once a week, is a inspiring.
MacFarland, alas, is not a football fan. Several years on the streets, with no access to television or even radio broadcasts, effectively weaned him from enjoyment of the sport.
So it is surprising when he is approached by a promising young quarterback to help ensure the Broncos do not have a disastrous season.
How can MacFarland help?
By discouraging a stalker who might bring embarrassment to the team.
Unfortunately, when the stalker turns up dead, MacFarland’s work is cut out for him. He has to prove that the young quarterback did not kill the stalker.
That shouldn’t be too hard, since MacFarland himself is one of the suspects in the young lady’s death.
The Freaky Fan is the sixth mystery in the Hot Dog Detective series. The Freaky Fan will be available in October on Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords.
On the Condiments Tray
Parallel Stories: Each of my Hot Dog Detective stories actually has two stories in it. Each book is about the title character—the Avid Angler, the Busty Ballbreaker, etc.—but each set of three stories also has an over-arching story. This overarching story may tie into the core book story, or it may not. Often, it provides red herrings for Mark MacFarland, sometimes sending him off in the wrong direction as he tries to solve his current case. In the first three books, the overarching story is about Norris Peterson and how he is brought to justice. By the third book, Peterson’s story ties in with the Crying Camper’s story. Hopefully, both tales are resolved to your, the reader’s, satisfaction.
One of my hopes is that the overarching stories will provide a secondary mystery for the reader, as he or she tries to separate the various clues and suspects of multiple crimes. Of course, I am not going to tell you ahead of time what the secondary mystery is. Like most things in life, MacFarland must separate out events that have something to do with his case from events that are extraneous to the case. Only you will know that sometimes those extraneous events actually belong to another mystery entirely.
Mathiya Adams – Mystery Writer
Making Stories Better.
That’s what my job is. Despite having years trying to write and working on dozens of other books, I discover each day that I am still a novice at my craft. While I would like to think that I get better with each book, I still find vast room for improvement. Fortunately, I have found three aids that help me hone my craft.
The first aid I rely on is my editor. Tara Maya does a great job of identifying inconsistencies in character development, plot holes, and poorly constructed story lines. She is also great at identifying where my character’s POV is out of sync. Furthermore, she is not shy about giving me a lot of constructive criticism, all of which improves my stories.
The second aid is a critique group I try to attend. One of many critique groups sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers (rmfw.org), the group provides invaluable service in helping me identify grammatical problems, spelling errors (not that I make any…it’s my fingers that are at fault), and portions of my story that need expansion…or contraction. Thanks to my friends in the critique group!
The third aid is what are called Beta Readers. These are a special group of people who read a rough draft of the story, tear it to pieces, and provide feedback to the author. These individuals are like alter egos for the writer. They try to understand what she is doing with her story, but they also bring the perspective of the reader to the task. What makes the story compelling to a reader? Why should the reader keep turning the page? Where is the story line moving too slowly or too quickly? Are there better ways to say something than what I have chosen to put on virtual paper?
This third aid is invaluable. Unfortunately, I don’t have very many Beta Readers. That’s where you can come in. If you would like to be one of my Beta Readers, please contact me and let me know of your interest.
You get a lot of things out of being a Beta Reader.
First, you get an advance copy of the story (okay, a rough draft that might be changed because of your input).
Second, you get to play Freshman English Teacher, a game that many of us really enjoy.
Third, you will get a free copy of my book (I will personally make sure of that).
And fourth, you get my undying love and appreciation.
How can you do better than that?
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 so please stop by and let’s chat!
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? BUY
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? BUY
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? BUY
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? BUY
The Eager Evangelist
Book 5 of the Hot Dog Detective: The Eager Evangelist – MacFarland’s sister-in-law and his current squeeze have found religion and they want him to find it too. But MacFarland sees more than religious zeal beneath the facade of the Church of Blessed Grace. He sees a serial killer hiding among the faithful. Will MacFarland be able to uncover the killer before he sets his sights on MacFarland’s friends? BUY