Lou Paduano | Urban Fantasy Novels | Sci-Fi Crime Series

Pre-Order The Missing today!

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The next installment of the DSA arrives next month. You can pre-order your digital copy of The Missing today!

Pre-order your digital copy now!

There is a reason behind everything, if you choose to see it.

When the Trust systematically destroyed Ben Riley’s life, there was collateral damage to those around him. Emily Wright has been missing for the last eight months, her entire existence erased. Now, after endless worry, a mysterious phone call from Emily has brought Ben to Wichita with Morgan Dunleavy in tow.

Their lead offers no answers until the pair meets Lizzy Doyle—a photojournalist with an obsession over the missing of the world. With this new and eccentric player comes a fresh case. A coed has been abducted, and the search is on.

Are the two cases connected? What secret does Lizzy bring with her about the missing? And when Ben chooses to follow this mysterious new companion over Morgan, will it spell the end of their partnership?

Meanwhile, Susan Metcalf makes a startling discovery that brings her face-to-face with the head of the Trust, at last. Will she survive the encounter? Or has she doomed the DSA with her recklessness?

Dangerous decisions send the team spiraling in the latest thrilling installment of the DSA.

A tease for the story.

I love running subplots. They are the most fun to play around with, to seed new clues, and to bring to the forefront when needed. The Missing is the next big payoff moment to one such subplot that’s been playing in the background throughout the entire series.

Where the hell is Emily Wright?

It might not be the question you WANT answered, but it remains one of the most prevalent to Ben Riley. He needs to find her, needs to know she is safe, and will do anything he can to make that happen.

That’s the impetus behind this novel, and the start of something really cool coming your way over the course of the year.

Who is Lizzy Doyle?

If you were a fan of Cal Cooper from Spectral Advocate (And who wasn’t? The guy was a dynamite character. Someone should give him his own series…) then you’re going to enjoy Lizzy Doyle’s introduction to the DSA universe. This was another aspect of the world I wanted to tackle, one that really felt interesting in a creepy conspiracy/web of lies kind of way.

Will this be the end of her story? That’s totally up to you.

The Missing arrives March 13th. Pre-order your copy today for only $0.99.

I really hope you enjoy this new chapter in the DSA.

Happy reading.

Writing Update – January 29, 2024

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We’re already a month into the new year? Madness. I don’t understand how these writing updates continue to sneak up on me. It’s been a crazy opening month behind the writing desk. Let’s get to the writing update!

Writing Update

The Missing

I opened the year by reviewing the next release in the DSA series. The first proof was gorgeous, except for one glaring error. The cover read Season ONE, not Season Two…

How I never noticed that when I was showing it off six months ago is astounding, but it’s all fixed now. Thank goodness I went ahead with the early proof.

Other than the occasional tweak, this one was pretty rock-solid from the final edit. I love introducing new elements to the world of the DSA, and the new character of Lizzy Doyle was a lot of fun to write.

The Missing arrives March 13th, and the pre-order is now up on Amazon if you want to snag your digital copy for only $0.99.

This one deviates from the path a little bit. I hope people enjoy the story, since it has some strong Ben-Morgan scenes, but I am worried about backlash akin to The Bridge in Season One. (Must be a curse of the Book 3’s…)

Cracked Chrysalis

I typically wait until closer to release to do my final checks on a book. Something about Cracked Chrysalis was hanging over me lately, though. The past two weeks I’ve been working to clean up the narrative and expand certain sections.

This book is so important to the overall arc of the series. I really need it to shine. I’m not saying every book isn’t key, they all carry their moments, but this one really ramps up the danger for the team. Multiple threats from the past collide and it pays off threads that date all the way back to The Clearing in big ways.

Suffice it to say, I’m incredibly pleased with how the pass went. The book is going to knock your socks off. And where things go from here?

Oh, boy. The future is looking dicey for the DSA…

 

Army in the Obelisk

More review for the month. Are you sensing a pattern?

I did a final pass on this standalone Greystone adventure so I could finally format the paperback edition. I love this story. There are so many touchstones to the main series, yet it is a thoroughly fun read from start to finish.

Again, I made some minor tweaks. A few of the action scenes needed to be beefed up, but overall this was really fulfilling to put together. The twelve-part structure offered a nice challenge from a storytelling perspective which is always something I enjoy tackling.

I’m closing in on how this book is going to come your way. Answers will be arriving by the end of February. (I hope…)

Errant Knight

Greystone 7 is DONE! The final edit (for now) is complete. Usually by this point in the process I am screaming at the screen, wanting nothing more than to be done with the book. I typically hate everything on the page by the final edit. Nothing feels right and I question every decision made throughout the entire process.

For some reason, Alpha and Omega and Errant Knight haven’t gone in that direction. I absolutely love both books. They might be my strongest ever, in fact. I’m as shocked as everyone else. Positivity after months of ripping entire scenes apart and praying for narrative cohesiveness is a rarity for me. (I’m taking it as my growing maturity with the process, but we all know that’s not true.)

Hopefully the rest of the series goes as smoothly.

Phew. That was a busy month for the writing update. I should take some time off… HA!

What’s next?

Lots of scripting coming my way over the next few months. The end of Greystone. DSA Season Three. Who knows what else…

Scripting should allow me more time for in-person events as well as figuring things out on the digital front. We’ll see.

Thanks for reading!

2024 Release Schedule

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2023 saw the start of DSA Season Two. This year marks the end of the season with four big releases! Check out the release schedule below.

2024 Release Schedule

March 13th – The Missing

There is a reason behind everything, if you choose to see it.

When the Trust systematically destroyed Ben Riley’s life, there was collateral damage to those around him. Emily Wright has been missing for the last eight months, her entire existence erased. Now, after endless worry, a mysterious phone call from Emily has brought Ben to Wichita with Morgan Dunleavy in tow.

Their lead offers no answers until the pair meets Lizzy Doyle—a photojournalist with an obsession over the missing of the world. With this new and eccentric player comes a fresh case. A coed has been abducted, and the search is on.

Are the two cases connected? What secret does Lizzy bring with her about the missing? And when Ben chooses to follow this mysterious new companion over Morgan, will it spell the end of their partnership?

Meanwhile, Susan Metcalf makes a startling discovery that brings her face-to-face with the head of the Trust, at last. Will she survive the encounter? Or has she doomed the DSA with her recklessness?

Dangerous decisions send the team spiraling in the latest thrilling installment of the DSA.

You can pre-order your digital copy of The Missing today!

June 12th – Cracked Chrysalis

I can’t give away the details for any further release. But I will show off the incredible cover MiblArt put together for this installment!

Pre-orders will be up for this one starting next month!

September 18th – Secret Histories

December 11th – Terminal Point

If you’ve read Foundations (you should, it’s fantastic!) then you’ve seen the words terminal point come up. This is the big finale to that story and the entire Wellspring Saga.

Greystone Serial

Army in the Obelisk is FINALLY heading your way. Twelve 8-chapter parts tell the tale, and it is one of the largest Greystone stories ever told. I’m so excited to share it with you. It’s been a long time coming.

Details on the release schedule (and the medium to enjoy it) will be heading your way in the coming weeks. Enjoy the cover below!

2024 is going to be huge for DSA and will kick-off the final cycle of Greystone!

Happy Reading.

New Year, New Goals

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Last year was a great new beginning for me in the writing business. New releases coupled with a revival of the old blog and newsletter really helped me get back to where I was before the world imploded. For 2024, I wanted to push forward and build bigger on a number of fronts, so I have some new goals with this brand-new year.

New Goals

2023 was a year of frustration on the writing front for me. The number of distractions continued to grow to the point where I kept pushing back deadlines and reconsidering my next release rather than digging in with the zeal I typically enjoy.

I took that into account when planning out my schedule for 2024. As of this writing, my releases are set through the end of 2025. Instead of pushing ahead and getting aggravated at life forcing itself in at every turn, I’m easing into what comes next.

There is plenty to keep me busy:

  • Greystone scripts for Book 9 and Book 10.
  • DSA Season Three scripts.

That’s the start. By the end of the year, more drafts will be set (Greystone Book 8 and DSA 3.1, specifically), but rather than fight against the hurricane (the two-year-old is currently screaming at me through the baby monitor to illustrate this point nicely), one of my main new goals is to find different ways to grow my readership.

New Tactics

The marketplace for books continues to evolve with each passing year. If you had asked me five years ago if ads were a necessity to put eyes on your book, I would have said… probably, but not totally necessary. There were still categories and keywords to play with to promote awareness of your title online.

Not anymore.

Amazon is pretty much ad central now. Facebook, Bookbub, and so many more are firmly on the ad bandwagon, squeezing out people like me with limited to no ad budget. It’s a sad state of affairs, but it doesn’t have to be the only avenue of success.

In-person events

In-person events are a huge part in building an audience. I attended close to a dozen shows last year. This time around, I’m hoping to be a regular presence in a few local marketplaces while also expanding my reach to some new venues as the year goes on. I dread these events from a social anxiety standpoint but love them for the chance to share the books with new and interesting people.

Amazon Ads for DSA

Beyond in-person events, I am going to enter the ad machine on Amazon. I know, I know. Then they win! However, I think it has its place when trying to cultivate a readership. So, there will be some fun re-learning how to do all that business.

Newsletter Building

Building the newsletter is priority number one. Having people getting my regular updates is absolutely critical to any long-term success in this business. That’s where my focus will be for 2024, with a constant stream of releases throughout the year to help garner attention.

Exclusive Content

To build it and make the newsletter sustainable, I am working to create a subscription model for new releases and exclusive content. You’ll be hearing more about this in the coming months, including where to find it since Substack is no longer an option, in my opinion. I hope you find the prospect as intriguing as I do. A new Greystone adventure will premiere through this model, as will Coventry by the end of 2024, if I plan things right.

Excited? Terrified? Join the club. Either way, 2024 is going to be a year to remember.

Happy reading.

Year End Wrap-Up!

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This has been a crazy year. After almost three years of keeping my head down and simply plugging away on the writing side of things, I decided it was time to get back to publishing. I knew it would be challenging with a two-year-old at home, but pushing back my release schedule felt more like fear than anything else.

A round of thanks.

That’s right. None of this matters without you here to read the books, so a very deep and heartfelt thank you for your continued support. There have been a number of emails and messages sent my way about what the books have meant to you, and it always makes my day to hear that. Sometimes I am literally banging my head against the wall, trying to coax the words out of me, when I will receive a missive from a reader that changes my whole mindset.

It’s a tough gig, living in these worlds alone for so long, banging out pages in solitude. Any time someone sends me a note of encouragement or their own thanks for something I’ve written, it does make the sacrifices worth it.

So again, thank you. For reading. For writing. For being with me on this insane journey. Thank you.

My convention friends.

Not everything is done in solitude, and I can’t tell you what it has meant to be back at conventions this year. I’m not the most open person in the world, so there are a lot of nerves involved in preparing to sell myself directly to potential readers.

I appreciate everyone who came up to my table and chatted with me about the books. It was a pleasure to meet with you, to hear what you’ve been enjoying at the different cons, and to hopefully start a connection that will last for many years to come.

Next year, I’m hoping to hit up a few new venues, while maintaining a presence at my favorite cons. Be sure to say hello!

DSA Season Two and beyond.

I came into 2023 with a plan to get DSA back on track. I hated the gap between seasons, though I realize it was completely out of my control with the world imploding.

Getting The Wellspring and Foundations released was a huge undertaking but so satisfying in the end. The launches have been fantastic (nerves and all) and the feedback truly gratifying.

The rest of the season is heading your way in 2024.

What comes after that has been bouncing around a bit over the course of this year. Despite the help I’ve received on the homefront, my writing time has been more limited than I’d like. I’m hoping to change how I put books together, tweak my process in certain ways, to ramp up production on a few fronts. There are some cool new projects on the horizon, including a new format that I’m really excited to explore.

Will there be more Greystone after DSA Season Two? Absolutely. Whether or not I keep plugging away to the end of the story is a question that still needs to be answered, though.

To many happy returns.

Here’s to a happy holiday season for you and your loved ones.

2023 was a great way to get back into the swing of things. I’m hopeful for an even better 2024.

Take care and talk soon.

Foundations Deal Ends Today!

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The special $0.99 launch price for Foundations ends today!

A special thank you.

You’ll be hearing this from me a lot this month but thank you for being here and supporting the books. The launch for Foundations was everything I hoped it would be. I can’t wait to hear what you think of the story and hope you’re excited for what comes next for Ben, Morgan, Metcalf, and the rest of the incredible cast.

Be sure to snag your copy of Foundations before the launch deal ends tonight. You can also still grab a signed paperback from the online store. I have a few copies left, with more on the way!

Coming up after Foundations:

Foundations is just the start of the reveals coming your way in 2024.

The DSA continues in March with The Missing!

There is a reason behind everything, if you choose to see it.

When the Trust systematically destroyed Ben Riley’s life, there was collateral damage to those around him. Emily Wright has been missing for the last eight months, her entire existence erased. Now, after endless worry, a mysterious phone call from Emily has brought Ben to Wichita with Morgan Dunleavy in tow.

Their lead offers no answers until the pair meets Lizzy Doyle—a photojournalist with an obsession over the missing of the world. With this new and eccentric player comes a fresh case. A coed has been abducted, and the search is on.

Are the two cases connected? What secret does Lizzy bring with her about the missing? And when Ben chooses to follow this mysterious new companion over Morgan, will it spell the end of their partnership?

Meanwhile, Susan Metcalf makes a startling discovery that brings her face-to-face with the head of the Trust, at last. Will she survive the encounter? Or has she doomed the DSA with her recklessness?

Dangerous decisions send the team spiraling in the latest thrilling installment of the DSA.

The Missing arrives in just three months!

DSA Sale ends this Sunday.

Don’t forget, the massive DSA sale ends on December 10th.

The Clearing is FREE.

Every other book in the series is only $0.99.

Catch up on the DSA today.

Happy reading!

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