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November 2018: Happy Thanksgiving

November 2018: Happy Thanksgiving

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It’s hard to believe that it’s the start of the fall/winter holiday season. We had a good number of Trick-or-Treaters on Halloween this year, the leaves are off the trees, and Thanksgiving is only two weeks away. Lot’s of fun family time ahead.

I’m still working feverishly on finishing up The Murder Run: The Travelers Book 6. (All the details have to be just right!) So this month, I’d like to share a little bit of my thinking about the writing of the third book, The Blackmail Photos.

The Blackmail Photos concerns the classic honey pot, where a mark is seduced to be blackmailed. This is straightforward business for the Travelers. No man is going to be able to resist her charms or stand up to his closing of the trap. But I wondered…just how many ways could this plan go wrong? What would be some interesting or surprising problems to propel the plot? And how could this plot expand on what we know about the Travelers’ relationship from the first and second books? So that’s how we end up with the horndog would-be congressman, the scheming wife, and the sheriff brother in-law. And from there, well, it’s off to the races. Just how will their motivations and desires clash with the Travelers’? And how will the Travelers gain the upper hand?

Finally, right now The Traveling Man is $0.99, and The Computer Heist is currently $0.99 on a countdown deal until November 14. So if you’re new, or you know someone who would enjoy the series, here’s the link to the series page: Click here

Happy Thanksgiving to all my US friends! Until next month…

October 2018: Promos and BookBub

October 2018: Promos and BookBub

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In August, I started reading PD James’s novels. I’ve read Cover Her Face, A Mind to Murder, and Unnatural Causes thus far. Don’t know how I missed them earlier. They are very different than my books—they’re in the Agatha Christie tradition, but they are beautifully written and the plots are hard to figure out before you get to the end. Lots of fun.

Thanks so much with your help on my Travelers series promotions last month. You got to buy the earlier Travelers books you hadn’t read yet at a discount, which helped to raise their visibility on Amazon, which in turn leads to new readers finding the series. As you well know, these books are not for readers who prefer Good Guy vs. Bad Guy plots, so it makes it a little harder to find readers who will enjoy them.

As part of that promotion, I had a featured deal for The Traveling Man on BookBub. If you’re interested in free or discounted eBooks, BookBub is by far the largest eBook site and the most careful about the books they will promote. So if you’re looking for something to read until the next Travelers book comes out, here’s the link:

https://www.bookbub.com/home/overview.php

The new Travelers book—The Murder Run: The Travelers Book Six—is now off with the copyeditor. I can’t wait to hear what you think of it. I’m still hoping to release it before the end of the year. As soon as there’s more news, you’ll be the first to know.

One last thing. Here lately, I’ve been sharing links to free eBook promos. I think of these promos the same way I think of the discount book table at the front of the book store, as a place to take a look and maybe find a book you will enjoy. If you’re like me, you buy books, you borrow books from the library, and you read free books. So I hope these promo sites are just one more opportunity for you to find a fun read. There will be another free promo later this month. I’ll let you know when it starts.

September 2018

September 2018

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I just got back from my son’s wedding in northern California. He and his now wife put together a beautiful ceremony in the redwoods. As you can imagine, we had a wonderful time visiting with family and friends, which we never get to do enough of. And I got a chance to enjoy the ocean, which is a big treat for a Midwesterner like me. But now it’s back to work.

In July, I wrote a little bit about how the Travelers series got started. This month, I want to focus on The Computer Heist: The Travelers Book Two.

Always, in every book, one of the key concerns is how to make it different from what has gone on before, while still being part of the Travelers universe. Each book needs to be exciting and suspenseful and not easy to figure out. That’s why we’re reading, right? For the pure escape. And that’s the value I want to deliver to you.

So here the crime involves the theft of a computer program and the machinations of everyone who has something at stake at the software company. Instead of the Travelers being completely on the inside of the con, and having to hold off competitors, (as they are in The Traveling Man) they find themselves having to discover what the con is really about if they are, in the end, going to get paid for their efforts and stay out of jail.

And part of what they have to figure out is who the other players are and what their level of criminality is, because they don’t want to harm anyone who’s not in the game, or as they would say, anyone who’s a civilian. And they want to gain the advantage over the other players by knowing what their limits are, which will increase their ability to manipulate them.

If you haven’t yet read The Computer Heist, The Blackmail Photos, or The Freeport Robbery, the eBooks are all on Amazon Countdown Deals until Tuesday September 18. So if you want to catch up on the series, now’s the time. Here’s the link to my author page with all the listings: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00W81SHBI

And if you know someone who would like to read The Traveling Man: The Travelers Book 1, the eBook is free on Amazon today through Friday 14 September so that new readers can find out about the series. Here’s the link: http://amzn.to/1Nnd373

All of you who are caught up with the series (Thank you!), rest assured that I’m hard at work on the new book, tentatively titled The Murder Run, and hope to have something more to say about it next month.

August 2018: The Dog Days of Summer

August 2018: The Dog Days of Summer

In the college town where I live, we’re enjoying the last quiet days before the students come back to town and double our population. The last two weeks of August are crazy around here, with returning students outfitting their apartments, catching up with friends, and looking for jobs before school starts. We try to stay away from big box stores until everyone settles in.

So here we are savoring the so-called dog days of summer. “Dog days” makes me think of crime thrillers that involve dogs, which reminds me of Robert Crais’ novel Suspect, which concerns police officer Scott James and his K-9 dog. You may know Robert Crais for his Elvis Cole/ Joe Pike books, but this thriller was the first one of his I ever read. Lots of fun, and an interesting take on how dogs think. If you haven’t read it, you might want to check it out, particularly if you’re a dog lover.

Over the last month, while doing research about phone tapping for the new Travelers book, I came across the use of fake cell towers to compromise a target’s cell phone. These devices are called Stingrays, and they’re used by law enforcement and bad actors. They put out a strong signal in a small area, so they have to be placed near the target (A drug house, for example). The target’s phone thinks the Stingray is a regular cell tower, and the cops (or crooks) can gain access to the info on the phone. Here’s an article: https://www.aclu.org/issues/privacy-technology/surveillance-technologies/stingray-tracking-devices-whos-got-them

Finally, I found another free ebook opportunity. Fill Your eReader With Thrillers, Mystery & Suspense eBooksis running until 15 August. There are over 40 eBooks on this list, all free with an email list signup. Three or four of these books may be repeats from another giveaway, but most I haven’t seen before. So here’s a chance to get some free reading to carry you through the rest of summer. https://books.bookfunnel.com/free-thrillers-mystery-suspense-ebooks/1hxolxti9f

Happy reading!

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July 2018: Origins of the Travelers

July 2018: Origins of the Travelers

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Howdy, Michael here,

Hope you’re enjoying your summer. Some Travelers Group list members have asked how the Travelers series came to be. Well, part of it was planning and part was serendipity.

Initially, I wanted to create a crime fiction series that was fun to read and fun to write. I especially liked old school crime thrillers, like those by Hammet or Chandler, and I liked super realistic crime TV shows and movies, like The Wire or True Detective. And, as I’ve mentioned in lots of places, I’m fascinated by people’s tendency to want something for nothing. But how could these interests be combined?

So I read, or reread, a lot of crime thrillers, focusing on the types of characters other writers were creating. I read John Sanford, Lawrence Block, Patricia Cornwall, Robert B. Parker, Richard Stark, Patricia Highsmith, Jo Nesbo, Kate Atkinson, Robert Crais, Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Sue Grafton, just to name a few.

There seemed to be plenty of alcoholic, ne’er-do-well private eyes and cross-the-line cops. I didn’t think I could add anything new there. And the idealistic do-gooder—well, that really wasn’t my thing. A con man, on the other hand, I thought maybe I could do something interesting with that. And so the Traveling Man was born, a seasoned con man, a manipulator who lives by a code to only rob crooks, as he defines them, a grifter with only one weakness—his wife.

But as I began to write the story of the Seanboro land grab and explore the possibilities of the various criminals and criminal wannabes who were hoping to get rich, the wife became a more and more important character, until I was writing not just about the Traveling Man, but about the two of them, and how the nature of their relationship affected their choices. The two of them pitted against a crime boss, a gang of thugs, and the cops. And so the Travelers were born.

If you haven’t yet read The Traveling Man: The Travelers Book 1, the eBook is free on Amazon today through Thursday July 12 so that new readers can find out about the series. Here’s the link: http://amzn.to/1Nnd373

Have a read and then drop a review to tell me what you think. A few words will do. Here’s the review link: http://amzn.to/2eS8rdW

Thanks for reading,

Michael

travelers@michaelpking.org

https://michaelpking.org

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Happy Summer

Happy Summer

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I was in Colorado last week. It’s one of those go to spots for those of us who live on the prairie. Did a little hiking, toured Odell’s brewery, and hung out with some old friends. Everything went exactly as planned, which is the way I like it when it’s not happening to characters in a novel.

Now I’m back at home and hard at work on the next Travelers book, which involves the theft of bank account codes, a visit to the vet, and a rash of murders.

In the meantime, two items I wanted to share:

Did you know that you can borrow eBooks from the library? Where I live, I can go online to my local library, click on a link, and go to an eBook library where I can borrow books to put on my kindle. Maybe you can do the same thing. I read a lot of books. I can’t always buy all the books I’d like to read, so this makes another great option, particularly when I don’t want to carry library books on vacation.

Also, Limitless Mystery is offering a mystery/thriller giveaway until June 29. It’s the usual deal. Receive a free eBook for joining an author’s email list.

This is a roundup of all sorts of mysteries and thrillers. There are over 40 books included, and I hope you’ll find some fun summer reading. They are all free, so check them out. Here’s the link: https://books.bookfunnel.com/limitlessmystery

Finally, thanks so much for helping out with The Kidnap Victim promo last month. Your interest in the Travelers series and your reviews on Amazon are essential to promoting the series to new readers.

Happy reading!

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The Kidnap Victim Release Celebration Specials

The Kidnap Victim Release Celebration Specials

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Just a reminder. Here are all of the specials to celebrate the release of The Kidnap Victim: The Travelers Book 5.

The Kidnap Victim eBook is $.99 from today through May 15 (Wednesday-Tuesday). https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CRY2MNJ

The Traveling Man: The Travelers Book 1 eBook is free today and tomorrow (Wednesday and Thursday). https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019DGN21A

The Travelers Series Books 2 & 3: The Computer Heist and The Blackmail Photos eBook boxed set is $1.99 through 15 May https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0788QZRQ8

The Freeport Robbery: The Travelers Book 4 eBook is $1.99 through May 15. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071NHN3VZ

So if you’re behind, now’s your time to catch up on the series.

Happy reading!

The Kidnap Victim is now out!

The Kidnap Victim is now out!

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Exciting news! The Kidnap Victim, the Travelers Book 5, is now out. It was supposed to be released next week, but I couldn’t wait. To thank all of you for your support, the eBook will be $.99 until May 15. Then it goes up to its normal price of $3.99. Here’s the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CRY2MNJ

To celebrate the release of book 5, The Traveling Man eBook will be free for two days—May 9 and 10, and The Traveler Series Books 2 & 3: The Computer Heist and The Blackmail Photos eBook boxed set, and The Freeport Robbery eBook will both be discounted from May 9 through May 15. So if you’re behind, now’s your time to catch up on the series. And don’t worry, I’ll remind you on May 9 so you won’t miss out.

Here’s the description of The Kidnap Victim:

When the hard men come with their guns. . . and bundle you into the trunk of a car. . . who do you wish had your back?

The Traveling Man and a new partner have their eyes on a safe deposit box full of drug money when the new partner’s husband unexpectedly shows up, muddling up the score.

Meanwhile, the Traveling Man’s wife, who’s busy charming the daughter of her new boyfriend, is spotted by an old mark they previously swindled, a mark who’s looking for payback.

The Kidnap Victim is a gritty crime thriller with twist and turns galore. If you like fast-paced action, devious plot twists, and criminal mischief, you’ll love the fifth novel in the Travelers series.

And the review:

“For this latest Travelers outing, King . . . once again offers a lean, dialogue-driven blast of shifting alliances and action. . .. With minimal exposition, the author keeps his characters’ temperaments and decisions in the forefront of the story. . .. As always, King leaves his creations in intriguing new positions by the end, ensuring anticipation for the next high-stakes volume.This Travelers tale delivers another exceptional slice of gamesmanship, slippery morals, and emotional fallout.”—Kirkus Reviews

I can’t wait to hear what you think of the new book.