Northern Star

Hi folks,

I completed Northern Star today, 9670 words and a nice little tale. It is the 5th Story in the Lucy Harlow detective series and will be published in September. For me this is the best story in the series so far. I will post more about the plot and show the book cover as the spring and summer winds on, and of course as the earlier stories are published.

I will be taking a break from writing new material for two months. The last two months have seen me write 55k words on the first five Lucy Harlow detective stories. That's over half a full length novel, fully reviewed and revised, in about 9 weeks. A big ask when you are working full time. I believe in quality rather than quantity and will not compromise the former for the latter. Dragging up ideas from nothing takes a lot of kilowatt hours out of the brain cells and when the old body and mind tells you its time to take a break it is in the best interests of the work to have a rest. Of course, I will be publishing the work I have in the can and I will also be working subliminally on Switch-2 a short story that follows the original.

The original Switch is a story that I don't think an awful lot about. However, it has proved to be really popular. Hence, I will produce a different story based on the same theme. The new one concerns two girls and will be written over the summer.

Best wishes

Saul

Northern Star - No 5 Lucy Harlow Story

Hi folks,

I'm 2200 words (3 Chapters) into Northern Star. The 5th story sees Lucy on the trail of a blackmailer, only to uncover something much worse.

Best Wishes

Saul

Oxygen Restriction - Published

The first Lucy Harlow story Oxygen Restriction has been published on Smashwords and Amazon.

Get your free copy here,

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/153531


Best Wishes

Saul

Lucy Harlow 1 - Oxygen Restriction out Tomorrow!

I will publish the first Lucy Harlow Detective Story - Oxygen Restriction on Smashwords Tomorrow Friday 20 April at around 4pm UK time. This first story in the series is Free of Charge!

I will also put it up on Amazon.

Oxygen Restriction sees young Lucy embroiled in a tale of fetish and murder on her first assignment as a budding sleuth.

Best wishes

Saul

Oxygen Restriction - A Lucy Harlow Story

Oxygen Restriction is almost ready for publication. This is the first story in a series featuring young sleuth Lucy Harlow. The files are done, so too the cover and synopsis. I will probably go through it once again in midweek with a view to publishing on Friday or Saturday. However I may go earlier depending upon how I feel. I will let you know on this blog when I am ready to publish. The story will be free of charge on Smashwords and is around 8000 words.

Here is the synopsis.

Incurably nosey Lucy Harlow takes a job as a PA to David Black, the owner of a specialist engineering firm, and lands in a small office taut with sexual tension. Beautiful but bitter secretary Rachel Owen is obsessed with Black and is already jealous of Lucy. But there’s something more sinister than unrequited love, with David refusing to travel, leaving the customer interface to a man he clearly finds distasteful, his technical director, Bill Turner. When David asks Lucy to babysit for him and his wife Miriam, Lucy takes the opportunity to find out what’s going on. She discovers a disturbing photograph of a naked Miriam in a wallet in David’s jacket, but little does she realise that it will set her on the trail of a serial killer...

Oxygen Restriction is a story of fetish and murder, and is the first case for budding young sleuth Lucy Harlow.

Best wishes

Saul

Oxygen Restriction - Lucy Harlow Story 1.

Hi folks,

This is what I wrote about Oxygen Restriction, the first Lucy Harlow story, when it was being drafted:

'Oxygen Restriction'. a tight little crime mystery involving five characters in the crucible of a small firm. Lucy, a nosey girl and fledgling sleuth, is on the trail of a serial killer of young women in the US. This story will be free of charge and will be published on Smashwords.

I finished the fourth Lucy story 'Summer Soldier' yesterday and have been through it today. I am happy with it and will put it away now for a while before revisiting it.

Oxygen Restriction was actually finished on 2 March (8000 words) and my intention was to publish it free of charge on 17 March.

However, since then I had a change of heart and thought I'd hold back on publication and actually concentrate on writing some more stories in the series. This is what I have done and, as said above, the fourth one is now done. Therefore it now seems the right moment to publish the first.

With this in mind, I did the cover today for Oxygen Restriction this afternoon. I was in a little bit of quandry as to how to theme the cover for this story, but I have come up with something to my satisfaction.

Oxygen Restriction has been reviewed and revised four times to date. But now with the benefit of not seeing it for a number of weeks I will give it two more reviews next week. After the first review I will draft a synospis. So hopefully it should be all systems go to publish this on Smashwords and Amazon next Saturday 21 April 2012.

That's the intention, and I'll keep you posted.

Best wishes and regards

Saul

Summer Soldier Completed

Hi folks,

I completed Summer Soldier today. It amounts to just over 8700 words and is a neat little tale. I will go through it tomorrow and then put it away until August, with the aim of publication mid to late August.
I now have four Lucy Harlow detective stories to go to war with and the aim is to publish them over the months late April to August. As I have said the first, Oxygen Restriction, will be published during the last weekend of April. I am happy with the work that I have done in recent months, and I hope to start writing new material again in September when the summer is over. For now I am going to try to enjoy the summer such as it is in the UK, and follow my hobbies. I will keep the blog updated as I bring  the four Lucy Harlow stories to publication.

Best wishes and regards

Saul

Summer Soldier

Summer Soldier is story about Lucy Harlow on the trail of a serial rapist. It is the fourth in the series of Lucy's private detective tales, and after it is completed I will take a break from writing new material until the autumn. Summer Soldier is now being written and amounts to 3500 words so far. I anticipate to finish it before the weekend since I am not at work this week. After this has been drafted and had its first review (early next week), I will turn my attention to publishing the series.
First up will be Oxygen Restriction which will be free. I have targeted Saturday 28 April for this.
I will then publish TV Torment, Opera Flowers and Summer Soldier in sequence for 99c a piece over the summer (May thro' August). That's the plan.

I'll keep you updated

Best wishes

Saul

Opera Flowers

I finished Opera Flowers, the third story in the Lucy Harlow series, yesterday. It is 12,500 words, which I consider a nice size. Therefore I have three crime stories in the can. The fourth, Summer Soldier, is taking shape, and I will be working on it over the Easter holidays. Once this story is moving forward I will publish the first Lucy Harlow story, Oxygen Restriction.

I wish you all a happy and peaceful Easter.

Best wishes

Saul

Lucy Harlow - update

Hi folks,

I've been busy writing my series of crime stories featuring Lucy Harlow private eye. I have written the first two Oxygen Restriction and TV Torment. I have finished 8700 words of the third - Opera Flowers. As a writer, I believe first and foremost in the work. I know there is a big thing about marketing especially for self-published authors (and indeed published authors too) but I can't get away from the idea that the work is the most important thing. Therefore, I have been concentrating my efforts on completing these stories. Over the Easter period I hope to be able to devise a fourth story and once this is on the way, then I will begin to move the first story to publication. The first two stories have been worked through, reviewed and revised. But there is nothing like being patient and putting them away for a while before revisiting them. Patience is a virtue and I am trying to be patient with these tales rather than rushing them.

Best wishes and regards

Saul