Well, to be blunt, there is no such thing as “between” books. “Among” books maybe, or “all done” with books perhaps, but no “between.”

At the moment, I’m still dealing with Eyewall; plotting strategy for the release of ______ (yes, sad to report, there’s still no official title for novel number two); and working on Supercell, novel number three.

I’m currently QCing the audio version of Eyewall. Marshall Seese, the narrator, shoots me several chapters each week and I listen to and critique each one. He’s about halfway through the book and thinks he’ll be done by early April. I can’t wait. Marshall is doing an absolutely super job.

I’m also preparing to give a talk to a writers group, the Northeast Georgia Writers, in early March about my journey to becoming a commercially published novelist.

Right now, there isn’t much I can do for unnamed novel number two except gather my thoughts relative to a general approach for publicity. The book is due out later this year. I’ve thought about people I might strong-arm for jacket blurbs, am investigating various avenues of generating a buzz (no pun intended) for the book, and figuring out what I’ll need to do in terms of Website and Facebook updates.

For Supercell, I’ve written the first seven chapters, have completed an outline for the book, and am now scratching out dialogue that will appear later in the novel. At the moment, I don’t want to write any more complete chapters–which will be centered on tornado chasing–until after I go on my own chase in a couple of months.

After the chase, with Silver Lining Tours, I’ll be able to write those chapters with the same authenticity that made Eyewall so believable. As you probably know, I took a little jaunt through the eye of a hurricane with the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters. (Ironically, at the time of my flight, I had no intention of writing a novel. That came much later. I just wanted to understand how the Hurricane Hunters went about their business.)

I’ve also spent time talking with Dr. Greg Forbes, The Weather Channel’s severe weather expert, and one of the foremost tornado gurus in the world. It’s insights from people like Greg that help me infuse my stories with credibility.

So, to reiterate, there really is no such thing as “between” books. The bottom line for me is that’s it’s not looking good for golf over the next few months.

That sound you hear is folks all over north Atlanta with homes along fairways expelling a collective sigh of relief.

-February 15, 2012-

IMAGE: The author hard at work listening to Marshall Seese hard at work.

But first, what is the International Thriller Writers? It’s an honorary society of authors who write books broadly classified as “thrillers”–murder mystery, espionage, suspense, etc. ITW has almost 1400 members from 22 countries. Some members, if you’re an avid thriller reader, have instantly recognizable names: James Patterson, Ken Follett and Clive Cussler, just to name a few. Then there are guys like me: Buzz Who?

So Eyewall has made the first cut in the annual debut novel contest. Should I be ho-hum about this? Maybe not. In the words of Pat Van Wie, the Belle Books editor of my second thriller: “WOW!!!   This is ‘mega’ good news.  You’re playing with the big boys….”

But we’re both on the same team. How does someone who is outside our band of merry men (and women, mostly) view the selection? Here’s what Liz Wolfe, the Awards Coordinator at ITW says: “20 books out of each category move on to the second round.  I’m not sure I can tell you how many books were entered in the First Novel category but I can assure you the competition was substantial.  It’s quite an accomplishment!”

Okay, now my head is starting to swell. But I can always count on my wife to let the gas out of the Hindenburg. “Hey,” I tell her, “guess what? Eyewall made it to the second round in the Best First Novel competition at International Thrillers Writers!”

“That’s nice,” she says. “Don’t forget to take the dog for a walk.”

So what happens next (after I take the dog out)? Five finalists in the Best First Novel category will be selected. The winner will be announced at ITW’s annual ThrillerFest in New York City in mid-July.

So here’s how I view things–permit me to use a baseball analogy. Making it to the second round of the ITW competition is like being invited to spring training with a major league baseball club. If I make it to the Final Five, then I’ve made the team! I get to take the field in Yankee Stadium or Turner Field.

But you know what? I’ve got an awful lot of dog walking to do between now and then.

-January 27, 2012-

IMAGE: My wife, Chris, and me at Eyewall’s launch party.

That was the title of a weekly “marketing tip” I received recently via email.

The essence of the tip, it turned out, wasn’t so much that publishing is broken as that its current business model is broken and a new one is in the throes of being born. For example, with rare exception, the days of big advances (up front money) are over. And–this is rather intimidating for many of us–publishers are beginning to look for authors skilled with social media.

That is, there’s a premium being placed “on authors who are adept with social media and offer a ‘media-genic” personality.” In simpler terms, at least some publishers are gravitating toward acquiring the work of writers who blog, tweet and do Facebooky things–and probably a lot of other stuff that old farts like me haven’t stuck their toes into.

Anyhow, I forwarded the email to members of my writers critique group since we’d just had a discussion the previous Saturday about the tectonic shift taking place within the publishing industry. I thought the article would be of interest to them.

I didn’t expect the response I got from a couple of members. Both vented about the negative aspect of authors having to become marketeers in the new world of publishing.

Said one, “For me the point of writing is to enjoy it, not start my own business where I have to be the marketing department on a national level.”

Said the other, “If we are confident in our work [and] don’t view it [as] some temporary or some cheap thing we must unnaturally hustle our asses off to tout (Websites, blogs, Twitter, Facebook and other self-serving gimmicks), we will do well–despite those who want to scare us.” And later: “I’m a writer, not a carnival barker.”

The responses surprised me. Well, a little bit. I understand where they’re coming from. As writers we’d rather write than “carnival bark.” Maintaining a Website, blogging regularly and nurturing a Facebook presence take time. More often than not, it’s time stolen from our real love, writing.

But. Since writing is a form of communication, it’s a given that authors wish to touch others with their words. I’ve never bought into the notion that we write for ourselves. Well, maybe as a form of catharsis some people do, but not me.

As I write, I’m always thinking How can I keep readers engaged? How can I keep them turning pages? I’m thinking about how to effectively and entertainingly communicate.

Part of that communication involves making people aware that you’ve written something you’d like to have them read. So I’ve embraced–somewhat reluctantly, I’ll admit–several of the new forms, electronic genres, of communication. It ain’t that bad. Things such as Facebook and Websites appear to me to be cost-effective, and even occasionally fun, ways of connecting with readers.

I view marketing as a shared endeavor with my publisher. They engage in certain efforts, and I try to chip in with others. The old days, the days of handing in a manuscript to a publisher and then sitting back and waiting for the royalty checks to roll in are gone.

Book publishing isn’t broken, but it’s certainly cracked and wobbly and searching for a new direction in life. And I think that means we, as authors, must find new directions in ours, too.

I’d like to know what you think, either as authors or readers. Fire at will.

-January 20, 2012-

I didn’t quite believe that, or at least thought it bizarre, since my head tends to explode, or at least wobble violently and belch smoke, if I have to think about more than one thing at a time.

Now, however, I’m a true believer. Here I sit at the dawn of 2012 with not three but four, count ‘em–well, you can’t, but trust me–novels tumbling through my head like Cirque du Soleil performers.

There’s Eyewall, of course, still selling reasonably well. There’s the next one in the queue, which I’m embarrassed to say remains untitled, but I’m leaning toward Briar Patch–anyhow, it’ll be released later this year. Then there’s the one I’m working on at the moment, Supercell. And behind that, I have fuzzy visions of a fourth novel, which probably will be a complete rewrite of the first one I ever hacked out, Fire Wind.

It all becomes a delicate balancing act (back to the Cirque du Soleil analogy). For instance, I’m currently consumed with crafting Supercell into an exciting tale. In the meantime, every time I give a talk about Eyewall–I’ll be speaking to a local book club in about a week–I have to go back and review the main characters in the novel, including their names, so I don’t get them mixed up with key figures in Briar Patch (or whatever it’s going to be) and Supercell.

And while my writing and research efforts are now focused on Supercell, I need to be preparing PR/marketing ideas for novel #2, since it will be coming out in a matter of months. (First idea: get a title for it.)

So here I am with notions relative to three books ping-ponging around in my high-mileage brain while trying to beat back thoughts about a fourth one. It doesn’t do much good, though. The thoughts just keep on coming. Like Republican primary ads.

At times, it feels like I have an unexploded IED in my head.

-January 7, 2012-

Marshall is known for his smooth, on-air delivery and has been a voice-over talent for a number of TV productions. He was also the correspondent for The Weather Channel’s “Force Four,” a documentary on Hurricane Hugo (1989) that won a Cable Ace Award, cable TV’s highest accolade.

What I didn’t know about Marshall, even though I worked with him for a number of years, is that he has a hidden talent. Until I listened to his audition for Eyewall I didn’t realize he’s essentially an actor: He can speak in different voices for different characters! The portrayal that really knocked me out was his take on the old soothsayer, a wizened elderly lady who issues a veiled warning to the pilot of the Hurricane Hunter early in the novel.

Surprised, I asked Marshall where that came from.

That’s when he told me that he and his old friend Harry used to do that kind of stuff in high school. Marshall’s dad worked for WBBM radio in Chicago and would bring home scripts from a drama show airing on the station.

Marshall and Harry would read the scripts or create their own vignettes, usually cowboy stories or cops and robbers yarns, and extemporize the characters on the fly.

The basement of Marshall’s house served as their studio. Marshall had a small library of sound-effect records (78 rpm), and he learned other tricks of the trade along the way: like squeezing corn flake boxes to make the sound of someone trudging through snow; clattering coconut halves together for galloping horses; or shaking sheets of hanging metal to create thunder.

Marshall and his friend also helped to put WMTH-FM, their high school’s radio station, on the air in 1960.

Besides bringing home radio scripts, Marshall’s father was also the bearer of old weather maps commandeered from WBBM. Thus armed, Marshall and Harry would play TV weathermen, a profession then in its mere infancy.

Obviously, the weather gig stuck with Marshall. But not Harry.

Truth is, Harry went on to become even more famous than Marshall. You probably know Harry best as Indiana Jones. Yes, Harrison Ford, the movie star.

Maybe there’ll be a role for him in the silver screen version of Eyewall. Someday.

-December 27, 2011-

IMAGE: The always debonair Marshall Seese.

I don’t have people flocking to my book signings.

I do them for PR: to get my name and face out there, to get a chance to talk with folks about writing and weather, and hopefully to generate a bit of goodwill for books and bookstores.

The first stop I made was Louisville, Georgia. Yeah, I know; I had to look it up on a map. It’s a tiny town (pop. 2000) snugged away about 40 miles southwest of Augusta amidst cotton fields and dairy farms. 


Much to our surprise (my wife accompanied me), Louisville turned out to be a lovely place, a sort of Mayberry RFD with a really neat bookstore called the Book Worm. It’s really more of a regional store than a local one. It’s run by an engaging former school teacher, Margaret Newberry, and offers a downright homey atmosphere featuring an area where customers can sit quietly and leaf through books while sipping coffee or tea.

Oh, and right next door is a great little eatery, the Home Fresh Bistro, run by Mennonites. Both my wife and I had one of the best BLTs ever, there.

At the signing table in the Book Worm. Despite the event being on a Thursday afternoon, it drew well and I met a lot of really nice people. Sold over a dozen books, too! (Apparently, I have a thing for blue.)

Next stop, Brunswick, Georgia, and Hatties Books. Brunswick, where the shrimpers put out to sea, is on the mainland side of the Torras Causeway. The causeway leads to St. Simons Island, the setting for much of Eyewall.

The Hatties’ signing took place on a bustling Friday night, the monthly First Friday event during which the whole town comes alive. Shops and galleries serve snacks and wine, and live music permeates the air.

Did I mention the shops serve wine?

Hatties, thanks to its hard working and really nice owner, Marcia Stutz, was jumping. I met a gaggle of interesting people including a retired female FedEx pilot, and a lady whose son is an Air Force weather officer at Hickam AFB, Hawaii.

I also hooked up with some old writing buds from the area. One was Dr. John House–no, not that Dr. House. This one is an urgent care physician and nothing like the acerbic, outspoken TV doctor. The other old friend, Dean Patterson, is an ICE agent. ICE, to refresh your memory: Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He was probably making sure no one tried to smuggle a copy of Eyewall out of the country.

Like I said, lots of interesting people.

Signing books at Hatties. Yes, it’s a staged shot. Usually there were too many people in front of the table to permit a decent photo.

Finally, maybe the best part of the trip was a stay with my wife at the venerable King and Prince Resort on St. Simons and waking up to the sun lifting out of the Atlantic. Oh, and then to cap off our stay, drinks with my ace agents, Jeanie and Holly, in the lounge.

-December 13, 2011-

Typically, I’m a thriller-mystery-suspense kind of guy, but I guess I was ready for a change of pace. So I picked up a book that promoted itself as “a thrilling, multi-layered World War II adventure following two men and an unforgettable woman, from Pearl Harbor through the most dramatic air and sea battles of the war [in the Pacific].”

It was authored by a retired naval officer, P. T. “Pete” Deutermann, I met several years ago at a Southeastern Writers Association workshop. I recall that Pete, who’s written a number of thrillers, described himself at the time as a “mid-list” author. He may have been shortchanging himself, but if he ever was truly a mid-lister, after Pacific Glory, he is no more. He’s much better than that. Pacific Glory is a terrific book.

I dropped Pete an email after I read the novel, and he mentioned to me that he’d had to convince his publisher to allow him to “depart the genre” (thrillers) to let him write the book, one he’s wanted to do for a long time. Believe me, it was worth the wait.

Here’s the five-star review of the novel I posted on Amazon:

Pacific Glory is one of those (few) books I didn’t want to end. It’s an outstanding achievement, and I don’t throw that phrase around lightly.

I read primarily thrillers, including some of Mr. Deutermann’s previous books. But I was ready for a change of genre, and Pacific Glory caught my eye.

Novels often don’t live up to their hype, but I hoped this one would at least be “good.” It was much better than that. It was one of those rare works that kept me turning pages in bed at night long after I should have turned out the light and drifted off into happy dreamland.

Pacific Glory is a sweeping saga set against the great Pacific sea battles of World War II, culminating in what perhaps was the last great naval action in history, the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

The battle scenes are as authentic as any I’ve ever read. You experience not only the awful ”glory” of war, but its confusion, fury and horror, as well. The horror is palpable; some of the scenes are difficult to read precisely because they are so realistic.

What drives any good book, however, are its characters, and I became fully invested in the protagonists of Pacific Glory: a surface ship officer who has doubts about his own courage and ability to command; a naval aviator who can’t stay out of trouble with his superiors or women; and a navy nurse who struggles to get over the loss of her husband on the battleship Arizona, sunk in the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The characters, the action and the settings all combine to make Pacific Glory an exceptional read.

-December 7, 2011-

I understand there’s a learning curve involved and that almost all novelists have to follow the arc of that curve to learn the craft. But ten years? Perhaps–and there’s ample evidence for this–I’m just a slow learner.

But wait. In recent weeks, I’ve had second thoughts about lamenting a “lost” decade. Or, in the words of footballdom, “Upon further review….”

Eyewall has done quite well. People ask me if it has exceeded expectations. That’s a hard question for me to answer, since I honestly didn’t have any expectations for it. I just wanted to get commercially published.

As of the end of October the book had sold over 40,000 copies, mostly in eBook format. To those of you who bought it, said good things about it and maybe told a friend, a hearty THANK YOU.

So here’s the “upon further review” part: If I had sold the manuscript just a few years ago it would not have sold over 40,000 copies. Quite frankly, I might have been lucky to peddle a few thousand copies in trade paperback format.

That’s because before the explosion of eBooks and the rise of Amazon as an eBook retailing giant, the marketing options that exist today were not there.

My publisher, BelleBooks, could not have run the promotions and directed the pricing of the book like it was able to do this year. EBooks and Amazon have leveled the playing field for authors like me and small- to medium-sized publishers like BelleBooks.

Fortunately, BelleBooks was, as they say in the army, “leaning forward in the foxhole.” The company was prescient enough to understand and leverage the tectonic shift taking place in the publishing industry.

So I’m glad it took ten years. It was worth the wait.

Timing, as the old saw goes, is everything. In this case, over 40,000 everythings.

-November 25, 2011-

IMAGE: Me reading my Nook.

My brother, Rick, wanted to know what the normal retail price of the eBook was. (Obviously, he doesn’t own a Kindle or Nook.)

“$12.95,” I said, “but on Amazon.com it typically goes for $8.99 [currently $7.99]. It’s a bit higher on Barnes & Noble.com.”

“Wow,” Rick said, “that much?”

“Whaddaya mean, That much? The trade paperback version retails for $14.95. And most eBooks are less than half the price of their hardback counterparts, if they have one.” I’d never thought of $8.99 as being a particularly onerous price to ask for a book.

“I know, I know,” Rick said, “but all you’re doing is downloading a digital file. How expensive can that be?”

“Whoa, hold on there, bro’. What about all the effort that went into producing that digital file? I mean, what about me? Don’t you think I deserve some remuneration for my time and talent?”

“Talent?” Rick said, incredulity ringing in his voice. Brothers, especially ones you love, can get away with saying things like that.

“Okay, talent issue aside, I’m sorry I can’t churn out a novel in a couple of weeks, but there are hundreds of hours of effort invested in Eyewall and most other books.”

“Well, yeah–”

“And what about my agent, and the editors, copy readers, cover designers, and PR and marketing people who work for my publisher? Their efforts are no less for an eBook than for a traditional book.”

“But still–”

I was on a roll. “I’ll grant you,” I said, “that some of the overhead needed for dead-tree tomes is missing–like printing, packaging, distribution, warehousing, and managing returns–but even digital books need formatting and quality control.”

Brother Rick folded under my rhetorical onslaught. But what should he care? He doesn’t have an eReader and I give him copies of all my books for free.

I just wanted to make my point with him: When you purchase an eBook, you’re downloading a heck of a lot more than just a digital file.

-October 17, 2011-

Image: My brother Rick and me in Phoenix a couple of years ago. Apparently, we’re partial to blue shirts.

Your wife tells you you’ve got your shirt on backwards. Well, look, it was early. I wasn’t totally awake when I got dressed. And I thought it was just a high-necked tee shirt.

Ironically, however, it’s turning out to be a good day. Thanks to my friend and fellow International Thriller Writer, Allan Leverone, I found out that Eyewall is a finalist in the EPIC eBook Awards Suspense/Thriller category.

Okay, so you’ve read Eyewall and maybe are looking forward–gee, I hope so–to something else authored by yours truly. But my next novel, whatever it’s called (more on that later) won’t be out for about a year.

I’d forgotten, which probably goes hand-in-hand with the shirt incident, that there is another eBook currently available on Amazon that contains a short piece by me. Quite some time ago I entered a writing contest called “About My Mother.” I submitted a story–a true story–about an event in Mom’s life that took place in 1944.

It’s a tale that’s a little hard to believe, but actually happened. It’s called “The Nurse.” The piece was awarded second place. It and the other top nine prize winners were subsequently published in a Kindle book titled About My Mother. So, if you’ve got a Kindle and a buck, you might really enjoy reading it.

Mother, by the way, is still alive at 95 and living independently in a retirement complex. She complains about all the residents who get in her way with their walkers and go-carts (I think she means electric scooters) when she’s trying to walk. Love ya, Mom. Hope I’m still able to complain at 95.

Now, on to novel number two, nee The Koltsovo Legacy. The title currently in favor appears to be Viral. The cover of the book will make clear that it’s about viruses, not videos.

And finally, Stormy the Wonder Dog, our 8-month-old Shih Tzu, insists that I have a dog named Stormy in Supercell, the novel on which I’m currently working.

Lord, I hate pushy puppies.

-September 27, 2011-

Image: my mom and me in our younger days… about 4 years ago.