Cover for Old Detectives Home

I’m pleased to share with you the cover for Old Detectives Home, the first book in the Omnipodge Trilogy of mystery novels, which will be published in April by Encircle Publications.

 

Here’s a preview:

Imagine a retirement home populated with residents such as an aging Hercule Poirot and a dementia-suffering Sherlock Holmes and run by staff including Art Doyle, Dash Hammett and Dot Sayers. In this light-hearted spoof of the mystery genre, every character is either a namesake of a person from the mystery writing world or a character from a mystery novel. On anything but a dark and stormy night, a dead body is found. The staff managers find themselves unable to control the unruly old detectives. Mix in clues and red herrings galore as the cast of suspects investigate each other. Hold on to your rockers as the top detectives of all time reunite at Old Detectives Home to solve their most difficult whodunit—but first without killing each other.

 

I’m also available to give presentations to book groups, libraries and service organizations via Zoom or in-person. Mikebef@aol.com

COVID in Elementary School

Our grandson is in first grade. There are two classes of first graders at his school. In the other class, the teacher is out with COVID this week, so there is a substitute teacher. In his class, one of the students tested positive, so our grandson came home with a rapid test kit. I swabbed the inside of his nose and waited the fifteen minutes. The good news: he tested negative. We’re supposed to test him again at the end of the week. I’m glad the school is taking precautions but staying open.

 

Edits for Old Detectives Home

My editor provided very constructive edit suggestions for my upcoming mystery novel, Old Detectives Home. One very useful change was to eliminate the redundancy of reviewing the clues too often, as this slowed the pace of the story. The story is much tighter now with the changes made.

Here’s a preview of Old Detectives Home, due out in April: Imagine a retirement home populated with residents such as an aging Hercule Poirot and a dementia-suffering Sherlock Holmes and run by staff including Art Doyle, Dash Hammett and Dot Sayers. In this light-hearted spoof of the mystery genre, every character is either a namesake of a person from the mystery writing world or a character from a mystery novel. On anything but a dark and stormy night, a dead body is found. The staff managers find themselves unable to control the unruly old detectives. Mix in clues and red herrings galore as the cast of suspects investigate each other to figure out who done it. 

Left Coast Crime Conference 2022

One of my favorite conferences for mystery fans and authors is The Left Coast Crime Conference. This year it’s being held in Albuquerque April 7 – 10. Typically, 400 to 500 people attend. In 2020 the conference was cancelled after one day, and last year it was virtual. The name of the conference comes from it being located in a city in the western part of the country. During the four days, attendees can choose from a wide variety of panels about the mystery genre. I will be hosting the Meet the New Authors breakfast at which we’ll introduce debut mystery authors. The best part of the conference is the opportunity for mystery authors and readers to mingle, chat and share stories and experiences.

The Saga of My 18 Published Books, Part 2

My first publisher, Five Star, didn’t ask for e-book rights for the first four books in the Paul  Jacobson Geezer-lit Mystery Series, so I self-published the e-book editions and an e-book box set of the four books. For the next five books Five Star published, they asked for e-book rights. Once Five Star exited the mystery line, I obtained rights for the five e-books they had published. In addition, I also obtained e-book rights for the four books published by four other publishers who went out of business. Working with my new publisher, Encircle Publications, here is how my e-book backlist stacks up. I have self-published eight of these books, and Encircle has published one of them. Encircle has also published four new e-books for me. I have self-published one new e-book, Coronavirus Daze. Consequently, all 18 of my books are available in e-book editions as well as print.

I have worked with one other publisher, Books in Motion, who has published nine of my books in audiobook editions.

The Saga of My 18 Published Books

My first book, Retirement Homes Are Murder, was published in January, 2007. The current count is 18 published books. Over this time, I’ve worked with eight publishers as well as self-published some of my books. Here’s the first installment of my saga: print editions. I originally worked with Five Star who published nine of my books in hardcover and six of them additionally in large print. Unfortunately, they decided to exit the mystery line. Over the years I also had four mystery novels published by four other publishers as trade paperbacks. These publishers are now all out of business as well. The good news is that I have rights to all of my backlist from these publishers. In addition, eight of my mystery novels have been published by Harlequin Worldwide Mysteries as mass market paperbacks. My current publisher, Encircle Publications, has published four new books and reissued seven of my original books as trade paperbacks.  I have self-published one book, a novella titled Coronavirus Daze, and reissued six of my earlier books as self-published trade paperback editions. Thus, all 18 of my books are currently available as trade paperbacks. In my next post, I will discuss e-books and audio books.

Christmas Season

Preparations are underway at our house for Christmas. We’ve sent out a family newsletter, the artificial tree is up and decorated, and some amount of present wrapping has been accomplished. Our 6-year-old grandson has completed his fifth annual craft Christmas tree to display on our dining room mirror. We’re getting there.