The Brent Street Haunting etc etc

The Brent Street Haunting is my new novel. It is a paranormal thriller and will be about 75k words long. I started this on 30 October and now I have 50k words. I hope to do most of the remaining 25k over the Christmas holidays. It's hard work writing fiction part-time and that is why I have been so tardy in publishing my existing work. I have delayed publication of Summer Soldier, and hoped to publish on 22 December. However, I realise with the workload from Brent Street I have not been able to attend to all the issues with Summer Soldier. Therefore, I have delayed publication again until I finish the novel. Expect to see it free of charge on Smashwords and on Amazon in the New Year.

Summer Soldier is the fourth in the Lucy Harlow series, which was an attempt to write a series of crime short stories. All these stories with, the exception of TV Torment do not have a paranormal element, deliberately so. But from these came what I consider the best short story that I have done for some time - Double, and this almost certainly has a strong supernatural theme. Because of Brent Street I will only publish the last Lucy Harlow - Northern Star - probably in late February/early March. Double, which is an important story for me, will be out in the late spring, probably May. I intend to write an unconnected short story of about 3 - 5 k words with a paranormal theme in quarter one of 2013. I hope to get this out quick in June/July in order to pave the way for Brent Street which will be out in summer (late July/early August).

The Brent Street Haunting is by far the best thing I have done to date, and I think settles me into the paranormal mystery/thriller genre for the forseeable future. I feel comfortable with this kind of fiction, and will try to produce something every year, God willing.

As a writer, I don't blog as often as I should. I am focussed entirely on the work. I suppose marketing is everything, but if you don't have novel you ain't got anything to market. A catch 22 of sorts. Nevertheless, once Brent Street is out the way and into its review and revise mode, I do intent to make more of an effort with social media, publicity, book covers and everything else that goes with promoting my work.

For those of you who download Summer Soldier I hope you enjoy.

To everyone, most of all my readers, I wish you all a joyous and peaceful Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.

And speaking of Christmas, I have a little house party to furnish with a buffet and beer, so I'll dash off now.

Best wishes

Saul

Summer Soldier

Hi folks,

I was going to publish Summer Soldier as a freebie on Smashwords on Saturday 22 December 2012. However, I feel that there are on or two issues that need attending to. Therefore, I have decided to delay publication while I revisit the text. With hindsight, I have attempted to publish while I am fully occupied with Brent Street and consequently missed one or two things. Even though it is a free story, I would much sooner it be right, hence the change of heart. Expect to see it in the New Year.

Here's a synopsis.

After two particularly audacious attacks in May 2008, a lucky break brings about a sea change in the life of a serial rapist. The attacks stop and the trail goes cold. A bounty of fifty grand attracts Lucy Harlow to the case, but soon she’s as frustrated as the police. Meanwhile, a young woman on holiday in Spain proves a temptation too much for the latent rapist. But now he can’t run away from the scene and thus the trappings of his new successful life, and so the latest victim pays with her life. The murder seems totally unconnected to the rapes, but a foray into the macho world of carp fishing gives Lucy a new angle and puts her on the trail of Summer Solider...

 

Summer Soldier is the fourth in the Lucy Harlow detective series of short stories.