Update -- A Flurry of Covers

After the launch of Vengeance of Sundown (Lucas Fume #1) I have gone a little quiet here--I figured that would happen.  It's been a busy year, and the blog gets the least of my attention--which is always the problem with blogs--it takes stamina and a strong idea to keep them going.  As we go into fall, I'm rethinking the blog format (for the thousandth time)...so we'll see what happens.  End of the year can be busier than normal, as I continue my freelance indexing practice full time, and write as much as I can.  I'm glad to say that my last big writing deadline for the year is in sight, and I'm planning on taking a short break (after I finish a short story that's banging away in the back of my head--which means there's never really break, and that's okay).

So, for the first time, here are some cover reveals of upcoming projects.  Some of them aren't complete, final, but close enough:

My short story, "The Adventure of the Rounded Ocelot," will appear in this anthology (published by Tyrus Books).  A first for me--a Sherlock Holmes pastiche, that I was happy to write.  It will be published October 31, and can be preordered here.

I have another short story, "How to Swim," set to appear in the anthology, Indy Writes Books.  This one will publish in November.  The proceeds of this book will help fund Indy Reads, a literacy program based in Indianapolis.  The book features stories from Indiana writers such as John Green, Dan Wakefield, Ben Winters, and others.  For more information about purchasing, sponsoring, or donating, to a great cause, go here.

The Italian publisher, Editoriale Cosmo, recently bought and published The Rattlesnake Season (Josiah Wolfe, Texas Ranger #1).  This is my first translation, and I'm thrilled that Josiah Wolfe is being introduced to a new audience.  I'm not sure how to tell you to get your hands on this one, but I'll let you know as soon as I find out.  Unfortunately, there are no plans to write any more Josiah Wolfe books at the moment.  I get asked that question a lot.  All six books are still in print, and available through the normal avenues.

Here's the fist look at the cover for See Also Murder (Seventh Street Books), my second mystery novel.  This one will be published in May, 2015.  It's available for preorder now here.  Set in North Dakota in 1964, this novel combines both of my passions, indexing and writing, for the first time in novel-length.  More to come soon. This novel is based on the Derringer-nominated short story of the same title that was originally published in 2006.

Here's another first look, not the final cover.  Escape from Hangtown (Lucas Fume #2--Berkley Books) is set to appear late summer/early fall, 2015, and continues Lucas Fume's quest for freedom.  This time around, Lucas sets out to clear Zeke Henry of all the charges against him, so his friend and partner can enjoy the same freedom that he does.

And, finally, coming in January, 2016, A Thousand Falling Crows (Seventh Street Books).  A new mystery, set in Texas in 1933, and features Texas Ranger Sonny Burton who is pulled into a mystery after a near-fatal encounter with Bonnie and Clyde,  This novel is also based on another previously published short story, "Shadow of a Crow" (Beat To A Pulp Press), and was originally published in 2012. (Note that the above picture is not a cover, just a picture I took of a crow's eye.)


As usual, I'll post more news when I have it.  Thanks for stopping by.  ~~Larry

VENGEANCE AT SUNDOWN -- available for pre-order

I have a new Western series from Berkley (Penguin Random House) starting in August (2014), featuring ex-Confederate spy, Lucas Fume.

Here's the cover and summary:

  Lucas Fume has had plenty of fights in his life: spying for the Confederate Army, standing up to the railroad company when they tried to take his land, then getting framed for the murder of his business partner—only to lose his land as well as the love of his life. But Lucas isn’t finished fighting yet…

With help from Ezekiel ‘Zeke’ Henry, a fellow inmate and former slave, Lucas manages to escape prison. Riding with Zeke to St. Louis, he soon discovers that his former partner is still alive, using a different name, and doing big business with the railroads—and he has Lucas’s lost love with him. On the run from the law and up against a rich and influential enemy, Lucas is about to take on the most dangerous fight of his life.

You can pre-order the book here

Nostalgia Friday -- The Man who Shot Liberty Valance