A writer's journey...

Tell us about you. My name is Raymond Hunter.  I used to be a hit man for the Italian mafia.  Now it’s fifteen years later, I’m a husband and father of two, and the mob wants me back. Tell us more about your family. I’ve been married for fourteen years to Brenda, the love of my life.  We have two children, Yvonne who is fourteen and Max who is ten. Yvonne’s happy as long as she has her cell for texting.  Max is the largest NASCAR fan I’ve ever known.  Everything in his room is covered with the logo, including his car-shaped bed, his school backpack, and several pairs of his pajamas.  Brenda works full-time in a small office where she’s responsible for a little bit of everything. What about you?  When you’re not a mafia hit man, what do you do? I worked hard to obtain my accounting certificates and became a certified accountant.  In fact, I run my own business.  Part of the reason for the choice was just the way my mind works naturally.  I calculate, we

“THEY SAY THE PAST HAS A way of catching up with you.” - Raymond Hunter We all like to think that we’re untouchable when it comes to life choices we’ve made along the way.  If we’ve made good decisions we’re more than willing to collect on the consequences of those choices.  It’s a lot harder when these result in heartbreak or another negative outcome.  Then we want to run from them. Raymond Hunter was one of those who figured, and hoped, that the past would never catch up.  But the day of reckoning has come.  He used to be a hit man for an Italian Mafia family, and the thing is he didn’t fall into this lifestyle out of desire or even seeking it out.  Time and circumstance pulled him into the vortex of the lifestyle--one moment in time that he would never be able to go back on and change, or can he? In my upcoming release Assassination of a Dignitary , it’s fifteen years later, and Raymond is forced to face his past.  The Mafia wants him back for one final favor

There is only one way to avoid criticism:  do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing. --Aristole When we set out to be published authors, we know that we're taking a chance on ourselves.  But it's even more than that. We're taking a chance on our writing, and for most of us, it's a very personal matter. We've made sacrifices to get our work to the point it can be published, and at some point, there's going to be someone who doesn't quite love our stories as much as we do.  This can hurt -- a lot.  But we don't give up!   Aristole said it best above.  I don't know about you but I'd rather get out there and reach those who do love my work.  I rather be something than nothing. And, this piece of advice doesn't just apply to writing.  It applies to every area of our lives.  If it makes you happy, if it fills a need in your soul, then it's worth the risk.  Be true to yourself and dare to be you!

Eleven Rooms. Ten Bodies. One Empty Grave. Brandon Fisher never expected this when he signed up as a Special Agent for the FBI. Working in the shadow of Supervisory Special Agent Jack Harper of the Behavioral Analysis Unit his career seemed set. But when the team is called to a small rural town where the remains of ten victims are found in an underground bunker, buried in an unusual way, Brandon knows he'll never return to his normal life. With one empty grave, and the case touching close to home, he fears he's become the target of a psychotic serial killer who wants to make him number eleven. Only thing is, everything Brandon thinks he knows is far from the truth. Excerpt taken  Eleven (Brandon Fisher FBI Series) ,  Chapter 1 Nothing in the twenty weeks at Quantico prepared me for this. A Crime Scene Investigator, who had identified himself as Earl Royster when we first arrived, came out of a room and addressed FBI Supervisory Special Agent Jack

In three words:  Quiet.  Solemn.  Unforgettable. You see I started with the Russo family of the Italian Mafia when I was twenty-one.  It wasn’t like I set out wanting to be one of them or even belong on the fringes.  There are so many young men who emulate and idolize the Mafia as if they think it’s glamorous as portrayed in the movies. True life is quite different. The Mafia only seeks its own interests and follows the lead of the Boss or Don.  He’s the one with absolute power.  He’s the one who ultimately decides your fate.  But this post isn’t about what it’s like to be a part of the Mafia, it’s about taking a life.  I’ve killed more people in my lifetime than I would like to admit with another about to be added to the tally.  Typically the marks I took out were people I didn’t know personally or have any attachment to.  Sometimes I came in to finish what Christian, the Don’s son, had started.  Don’t think Christian isn’t a killer because he’s the most unpr

Autopsies are conducted when the cause of death is suspicious or unknown.  Most of us would never see one, but if you’re a crime author, you should know what they look like and the basic format they follow.  This is the purpose of this post. Page one of the report will start with the summation of the basics and final diagnoses. It will read similar to this at the top:   Lambton County Medical Examiner’s Office Autopsy Report ME No.: 13-1352 CASE TITLE:  SUSPICIOUS DEATH DECEASED:  JOHN SMITH                              SEX:  M                 AGE:  25 DATE AND HOUR OF DEATH:  01-05-13; 05:16 a.m. DATE AND HOUSE OF AUTOPSY:  01-05-13;  3:30 p.m. PATHOLOGIST:  MICHEAL HENRY, M.D.                                   STAFF:   RENEE BAXTER, M.D. Following this will be a list of the final diagnoses, which is basically a breakdown of the autopsy findings.  It is signed off by the pathologist and staff as noted at the top of the report. Each p

Or should I say Madison Knight is the winner of the Betty Award .  She received favorite female detective from Betty Dravis, a woman who has a true spirit and a light that shines across the Internet--and that's not even touching on her other talents, the fact she is an award-winning author for one!  Thank you, Betty! :)

  You ever read a book or watch a movie and think that would never happen in real life?  Heck, I know the feeling.  I had it recently when watching the Bond movie Goldeneye with Pierce Brosnan.  You know the intro part where he rides a motorcycle off a cliff in pursuit of a crashing plane.  Yeah, as you guessed it (if you haven’t seen the movie), Bond catches up to the plane and saves it from crashing and makes his getaway.  Yeah, right.   Now that’s stretching credibility! But maybe your thoughts are on a scene of a book you’re reading and the main character slips up or overlooks something they should have picked up on.  You think they should have it all together and be right on top of things.  But is that how it works in real life?  When you’ve faced a heartbreaking situation have you always made wise choices? Think about the circumstances surrounding the scene.  Is the character experiencing emotional distress, or are they experiencing fatigue?  If you think about thin

Pen guns, a type of zip gun, have been utilized in many movies.  It brings with it the intrigue of spies and espionage.   You might remember the one used in US Marshals on the plane? So what is a pen gun?  First of all, it is equally as deadly as a handgun loaded with the same caliber of bullet.  It holds one bullet.  The pen gun made by Stringer is stainless steel.  It weighs five ounces and it’s five point six inches in length.  You can shave about one point four inches in the length when it’s folded and ready to use. To load the weapon, you unscrew the barrel when it’s at full length.  To ready the weapon for use, you pull out on it slightly and bend it.  It makes a handle and exposes a small trigger.    On the barrel, there is an arrow that points to one of two letters--S for safe, or F for fire.  You turn the dial until the arrow is lined up with F for fire and you’re ready to push up on the trigger. Once the bullet has been fired, you put the dial

Happy Monday!  Another week begins and you have the choice whether or not to make it a great one.  Remember YOU have the power to make it what it will become.  One of life’s gifts is that of a smile from a stranger.  How great does that feel when you match eyes with someone and their face lights into a sincere smile?  Well, I bet you can’t help but respond with one of your own. On the flipside of that when you run into a miserable person when you’re shopping, for example, and they have a scowl on their face and seem to be in a major hurry.  They are only looking out for themselves.  What sort of a natural reaction do these people elicit in you?  Don’t they repel you and make you want to give them space?  Or maybe they encourage you to react rudely in turn?  After all, you’ve done nothing to them, but they don’t seem to have a problem shooting you a mean look or making a snide remark? Here’s your challenge for the week:  smile at a stranger.  Not a fake one, but a sinc

Book Overview: This Christmas, murder doesn't take a holiday. Madison Knight should have ignored the call. Now she is spending Christmas Eve dealing with her least favorite thing...blood and lots of it. When a female victim is found in her home it has Madison and her partner tapping into the vic's personal life. With a rash of former business partners and lovers, all of whom wanted her dead, there are not enough hours to question them all. But trying to find the person who had the most motive isn't all that's on Madison's mind. As she struggles to establish balance in her own life, she knows she has to get her focus back. Justice requires it. Excerpt of Justified (A Madison Knight Novel) Taken from Chapter 4: By the time Madison walked into her apartment, it was well after midnight.  Her mind mulled over the facts in the case but stalled at the thought of all the blood. She blamed her distaste for blood on her childhood, and Chelsea’s a

This post highlights the third stop on the Assassination Blog Tour.  If you haven't entered for your chance to win a #Kindle copy on release day, what are you waiting for?  It only takes seconds to enter. Click  here  and enter via Rafflecopter below. Stop 3 The Italian Mafia & Dignitaries #AODTour Have a brief look at the history of the Italian Mafia and its relationship with dignitaries.   Hosting blogger:  Lorne Oliver About:    Lorne Oliver was born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.  In 2007 he moved his family to Prince Edward Island, Canada to further his cooking career.  It was there he had the opportunity to interview Royal Canadian Mounted Police and got inspired to write the suspense thriller Red Island.  It was 20 years in the making and finally has become a reality.