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

Fall Reading List 2017

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This was meant to be a summer reading list. Shows what I know. I figured I would put the finishing touches on The Medusa Coin and Pathways in the Dark and take some much needed time off – for the family, for myself. It didn’t happen. So what was once a summer list has now turned into a insanely desired fall reading list.

Will I read them all? That is my vow and I stand by it – at least until it completely falls apart…

Fall Reading List 2017

Stephen King – Duma Key

From the back cover – Edgar leaves Minnesota for a rented house on Duma Key, a stunningly beautiful, eerily undeveloped splinter of the Florida coast. The sun setting into the Gulf of Mexico and the tidal rattling of shells on the beach call out to him, and Edgar draws. A visit from Ilse, the daughter he dotes on, starts his movement out of solitude. He meets a kindred spirit in Wireman, a man reluctant to reveal his own wounds, and then Elizabeth Eastlake, a sick old woman whose roots are tangled deep in Duma Key. Now Edgar paints, sometimes feverishly, his exploding talent both a wonder and a weapon. Many of his paintings have a power that cannot be controlled. When Elizabeth’s past unfolds and the ghosts of her childhood begin to appear, the damage of which they are capable is truly devastating.

Why it made the list – Some of these are going to be easy answers. I’ve had this particular King novel on my shelf since 2008. Time to see if it deserved prime placement for the last decade…

Greg Rucka – A Fistful of Rain

From the back cover – Mim Bracca is riding the fast lane straight off the end of the world. Now she’s coming home without a job, without a future, and without a prayer—and only one last chance to get her feet under her, or go down forever. But home has its own terrors, including a past Mim has done everything possible to leave behind.

Now that past is coming back with the shocking speed and deadly intent of a sniper’s bullet, aimed to destroy her once and for all. When Mim suffers her first blackout, waking up dazed and bloodied, she’s certain she’s hit rock bottom.

She’s wrong. She’s only just begun to fall.

The photos are invasive, obscene, and all over the Internet for anyone to see. How they got there, where and when they were shot, and by whom, Mim has no idea. And before the investigation into the matter even begins, a brutal murder makes it clear that whatever Mim thinks her life has been up to now, she’s about to learn it’s all a lie.

The kind of lie that will kill.

Why it made the list – I love Greg Rucka novels. He has an affinity for a strong female lead and writes the hell out of each and every one of them. This is one of the few he’s written that stands alone so I am looking forward to it.

Stuart Jaffe – Southern Bound

From the back cover – When Max Porter discovers his office is haunted by the ghost of a 1940s detective, he does the only sensible thing … he starts a detective agency!

Thrust neck-deep into a world of old mysteries and dangerous enemies, he will face ghosts, witches, and curses. He will discover a world in which survival might be the easiest challenge. And he will do anything necessary to keep his wife and his life from falling away.

Why it made the list – This one comes from one of my readers and it definitely jumped out at me as something I would enjoy. The right mix of detective story and freaky supernatural elements.

Special thanks to Debbie for the recommendation!

Dean Wilson – Coilhunter

From the back cover – Welcome to the Wild North, a desolate wasteland where criminals go to hide—if they can outlast the drought and the dangers of the desert. Or the dangers of something else.

Meet Nox, the Coilhunter. A mechanic and toymaker by trade, a bounty hunter by circumstance. He isn’t in it for the money. He’s in it for justice, and there’s a lot of justice that needs to be paid.

Between each kill, he’s looking for someone who has kept out of his crosshairs for quite a while—the person who murdered his wife and children. The trail has long gone cold, but there are changes happening, the kind of changes that uncover footprints and spent bullet casings.

Plagued by nightmares, he’s made himself into a living one, the kind the criminals and conmen fear.

So, welcome, fair folk, to the Wild North. If the land doesn’t get you, the Coilhunter will.

Why it made the list – Dean Wilson is a stand up guy that does a ton of outreach on behalf of other authors. That alone deserves the recommendation but here’s the thing – the guy can write. A LOT. His back catalog is extensive. Why this one for me? A sci-fi western? Pretty much had me there.

L.A. Frederick – The Rain

From the back cover – New Hampton is bloodthirsty. The streets are a cesspool. Greed and corporate necessity rule the overcrowded city.

A mysterious doctor, his young protégé and a monstrous enforcer are playing gods, their wanton destruction going unchecked. The city’s Mayor seeks vengeance and believes the doctor’s work is the key to achieving redemption. These men will change the city forever, for better or worse remains to be seen. 

Crime is rife on the streets and only a few brave, have-a-go heroes, seem willing to plunge themselves into the depths of depravity to intervene and, ultimately, save the city from forces it is seemingly oblivious to. 

A handful of extraordinary individuals must decide where they fit in within the changing landscape of the indomitable city of New Hampton. Run? Hide? Fight? The ramifications of their decisions will echo throughout the city.

New Hamptoners look out for number one, slaves to the omnipresent man. Can the city survive this maelstrom or will the meddling powers-that-be doom everyone…

Why it made the list – L.A. reached out to me a few weeks back to cross-promote our work and I fell for the concept of the Government Rain Mysteries immediately. I can’t wait to see where this one goes.

Ian Rankin – Strip Jack

From the back cover – Gregor Jack has it all: young, wealthy, and charming, he’s a highly respected member of Parliament, with a beautiful wife–and a closet bursting with skeletons. When he’s caught in a police raid on an Edinburgh brothel, his house of cards begins to topple. Enter Detective John Rebus: he smells a set-up. When Jack’s flamboyant wife Elizabeth disappears, Rebus uncovers a full-house of orgies, drunken parties, an incestuous “Pack” of deceitful chums…and ultimately Elizabeth’s badly beaten body. Now Rebus is on a new quest–to find a killer who holds all the cards.

Why it made the list – In 2016, I told myself it was time to binge on the Inspector Rebus series. I love the character and it is definitely reflected in Greg Loren’s sarcasm and natural ability to piss off his superiors. As you can tell I didn’t get too far – this is only book 4. At least I can get one more off the list this autumn.

What’s on your list? Ever read any of the above?

I have a few others I’m hoping to add so there may be an addendum to this list. Some other great reader recommendations as well as some books that have been hanging around my Kindle since 2011.

Time to get reading!

Why Book Series Are So Appealing

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We live in a serial storytelling world. From the endless supply of sequels in Hollywood to the season length plotlines in our favorite television show to our favorite book series, we can’t escape them. And who wants to, right?

When I sat down to figure out the first project I would be releasing, Signs of Portents circled to the top. At the start of things the book was a one off. Tell the story and get the hell out of there. Move onto something else. Now it is a full blown book series. (Or will be after February’s release of Tales from Portents.)

And that’s a good thing.

Here are three reasons why book series are so appealing to readers and writers:

Creating stronger attachments.

Book series create stronger attachments. Think about it. You want to know what happens next in your favorite series. I recently read the Bill Hodges trilogy by Stephen King. The author could have left things alone after the initial installment of Mr. Mercedes but the character of Hodges stuck with him. Finders Keepers, while focusing on another narrative for two thirds of the book before pulling Hodges back into things did eventually create the through-line necessary for the “trilogy” to play out.

By the time I finished the second in the series I had pre-ordered a copy of the third. I had to know what happened to everyone involved in the story. How Bill Hodges would win the day. I felt compelled to follow Brady Hartsfield’s madness.

Covering all that in one book is possible but then it is done. Over. Finished. Not always a detriment and there are quite a few people out there that would argue that is all that is necessary. Put together a solid novel and let it out there. Beginning, middle and end. But sometimes more can be just as satisfying.

Seeing characters through more. The journey.

I’ve always been more of a television person than a film viewer. I prefer the journey of a character over more than one situation. It is more preferable for me to witness the fallout, the slow growth than the shift within the confines of a two hour movie. The same applies for people in love with book series.

What did they do next? Where do they go from here?

These are questions that I find myself fascinated with when putting together a story. Maybe it’s a weakness of mine. Maybe I have trouble closing out a single work because I’m afraid to end something so definitively. The journey, however, has always been the fun of it for me.

Characters, much like reality, go through more than one life changing situation. Each one shapes us as people, and as readers. That is where the effectiveness of a book series lies. How is each circumstance handled differently and why? How the protagonist evolves, sometimes against our better wishes, is something we have to see. Those expectations, that thrill at seeing the next chapter of a character’s existence is thrilling for readers.

It’s all about comfort.

For both readers and writers of a book series. Comfort in sitting down with old friends. Comfort in knowing certain tropes of the narrative. John McClane is going to be covered in blood and saying Yippee-ki-yay-something or other… Loren is always going to piss someone off with his attitude and his need to snap his gum at the absolute worst time. Soriya is always going to need to fight. Always.

We love that about series. The absolutes. It’s like wearing a warm blanket.

For writing especially. Book series offer the writer a break from designing every element and building world after world. Portents exists now. It is laid out. The Central Precinct exists. It has rules to it. Six floors. Loren’s office is on the second. Rules.

Even the cover has rules to it now. A style to it that should stay in keeping for the whole series. Because of that there is an ease in entering the world instead of trepidation at every turn. Should there always be something new to add to the world, helping it evolve over the course of the series? Absolutely. Should there be old standby’s, callbacks and nods to previous books in the series for the reader’s benefit? Definitely.

What do you prefer?

Do you prefer to follow a specific series or are you more in the vein of a one-and-done reader? What is it about either one that appeals to you? What do you look for in a series?

Drop me a line on social media or directly. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks for reading.

Great Motivators

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No one cares.

I come back to this story every once in awhile and I wish I didn’t. It’s upsetting but more than that – and why it always circles back in my mind – is that it is the greatest motivator in my arsenal.

In college I majored in creative writing but I was also a member of the Honor’s Program. Not a bad thing to be part of, it opened doors to new ideas, different philosophies. But it took over my workload and writing became a memory. So I dropped the program.

During my exit interview the head of the department asked for my reasons. I gave them easily enough. Writing is my passion. If I’m not doing it why bother being here? His response?

No one cares.

When asked for what he meant he replied earnestly:

No one cares about your writing.

I couldn’t believe it. This man, teaching about the greatest philosophers in history telling me no one cares about the written word? I had no response, other than to check to make sure my ears weren’t bleeding.

Then he repeated it.

No one cares.

It certainly made dropping the program that much easier.

It gave me doubts, that statement. Doubts about my self-worth, about my goals in life, about everything. It still does to some degree, every time a family member asks when I’m going to get a real job, people that have never bothered to crack open one of my books because of a Big Bang marathon on the tube. (Hey, it happens.) How could I not feel that this man, this oh so wise professor, was correct?

To some degree he was and still is. Some people won’t care. I’m not here to win over the world. I’m here to write and I’m not alone in that regard.

The power of the written word is in everything we do, in everything we take in, from books to television to film to theater. Our culture is dependent on it. On our need to express ourselves and our individuality. To find our own voice in the wilderness. It is why social media has such a hold on us. It is why people love to create. To put everything they have into some tangible product, some all encompassing message.

It is why EVERYONE cares.

Where this lovely little tale comes into play – and coming back full circle to the beginning of this rant. This man hurt me that day so long ago. He belittled the power of what I could do because I wasn’t doing what he wanted me to do. It made me angry and it drove me to keep writing. Not just to remain stagnant but to keep improving, to keep learning about my craft and how to create better and more interesting stories.

Anger, while sometimes leading to the dark side of the force, can be a great motivator but flip it around and it becomes hope. Hope that this man genuinely is wrong about the world – how it is today and how it can be an even better one with my voice in it.

Use what you have, use what you’ve experienced, not always in the tale you want to spin but to drive you to tell the one that is bursting inside you. Let it motivate you. Let it drive you. Because we need more voices in the world. Bigger and brighter and unceasing, no matter what you’re told.

Thanks for reading.

Some great writing books to motivate you:

Steven Pressfield – Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t: Why That Is and What You Can Do About It (how appropriate)

Jeff Goins – You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One)

And the gold standard on the subject –

Stephen King – On Writing: 10th Anniversary Edition: A Memoir of the Craft

What The Hell Was I Thinking?

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I’ve always loved bonus features. It is the main reason I continue to buy movies and television seasons in a streaming world. Documentary style looks at the making of process, audio and video commentaries, even gag reels fascinate me. They add an extra layer to the story being told, the influences, and the struggle to make it happen.

Writing Process

Why not do the same here?

The Process

I think looking deeper into the process stimulates something in my own writing. In the choices I make and why. It can also be inspiring. I remember reading Stephen King’s journal entries in the back of Song of Susannahand wishing that happened more often. Mark Waid’s commentary in the back of his Fantastic Four hardcover collections for Marvel were a treat to read. You can hear his glee at cracking his story in Hereafter or his agony at figuring out the turn in Unthinkable. Great stuff and an incredible insight into the every day struggles of storytelling that most don’t put much thought into (if at all).

The caveat. (There has to be one, right?)

I can’t reveal everything. Post book launch analysis is one thing but answering questions or delving into subjects that might allude or blatantly reveal secrets in future installments of any or all projects would seem just cruel, both for me and for you. It’s a tightrope but it’s one I’m willing to walk. The benefit and the fun of it is just too great to toss aside.

I hope you agree.

 

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