Thursday, February 23, 2017

The Tesla Legacy, An International Thriller


If you have never read about Nikola Tesla, you're missing a fascinating inventor. I became intrigued with him several years ago, and the result is a new  novel titled, The Tesla Legacy, An International Thriller (ISBN 978-0-692-84423-6), that will become available this month in print and e-book from Wooden Pants Publishing. e-book link is http://bit.ly/1teslale
 
 
Picture a retired mathematics professor and conspiracy nut with a butt-kicking, surrogate-daughter sidekick. Elmore Kranz bombards the police with his predictions of disaster until one of them actually happens, to the point that he’s implicated in the plot. Even with the assistance of his one ally, rookie cop Brittney Chase, people start dying around Elmore as attempts are made on his life. Following up on inventions from eccentric genius, Nikola Tesla, Elmore and Brittney team up to solve a hundred year old puzzle while trying to thwart a secret government agency and an Afghani terrorist group who seek to get their hands on a doomsday weapon.

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Grandson Lessons – Tough Guy Face

My eighteen-month-old grandson has very expressive facial features. Most of the time he is a happy guy, but once in a while he will let us know when he is displeased. He doesn’t hold back whether happy or unhappy.

But there is one facial expression that always makes me laugh. I refer to it as his tough guy face. He scrunches up his nose like a tough guy in a TV show. He may not be all that tough, but he knows how to disarm me.

Thursday, February 9, 2017

Left Coast Crime Conference 2017

In March, one of my favorite conferences takes place—The Left Coast Crime Conference. This year it’s in Honolulu, so darn, I have to force myself to go back to where I grew up. This conference features mystery writers and fans and is an action-packed four days of catching up with old friends and making new ones.

I have the pleasure of being on a panel titled, Favorite Heroes and Villains: Why Do We Remember Them, which will be moderated by Penny Warner and include other panelists Susanna Calkins, Colin Cotterill and Augie Hicks. With this great group of authors we’ll have a lively discussion.
I’ll also be moderating the Meet the New Authors Breakfast. This is an opportunity to introduce authors who have published their first mystery/crime/suspense/thriller novel within the last year. Each of the new authors will describe to the fans at the conference the most important thing to know about their debut novel.

Thursday, February 2, 2017

Grandson Lessons – Friends and Strangers

Our eighteen-month-old grandson has an opportunity to meet people at the park, library and other places we go. Some are people he knows and some are strangers. I enjoy watching his reaction to other people.

People he knows he greets with a smile. When there is a stranger, he tends to stay close to me and watch for a while. I sense he is assessing the person and situation. Nothing wrong with this in our day and age. Unfortunately, little kids have to be cautious about strangers.