I’ve been noticeably absent from the posts on my Author Blog, and I apologize for that and thank you for your patience. But there were two excellent reasons for my absence. The first is that I have been babysitting my two grandchildren, Mason age 2 and Olivia age 4+ months. It gives my daughter a break, and it allowed her and her husband to pack up their house and get it ready for sale, which just happened last week. With their growing family, they needed a bigger home.
The second reason is that I’ve been happily writing my eleventh book, The Disappeared. My publisher, Black Rose Writing, has already requested to review it for publication, even though it is only half-finished. That pleases me, but I want to do BRW justice, so I asked if I could send it after I hit 50,000 words. They agreed to give me that. BRW has been more than good to me, and I never want to abuse their trust.
When I Read
I have been thinking about this post for a week or two. To me, that’s called “prewriting.” I constantly mull things over and let the ideas, questions, and situations percolate before I set about creating on the page. It has served me well with my books, and so far, it hasn’t failed me for the two blogs I write. You can find all my writing on my website at www.jrlewisauthor.com
When I pick up a book or my Kindle, I want to get lost in the pages. I value quality character development and setting, which can be used as a character. So when I read, I walk the western Massachusetts hill country in Joan Livingston’s books. I find myself in the ER and watching AJ Docker work with his patients and solve a non-medical (most times) mystery in Gary Gerlacher’s mysteries. Or, I hike the Colorado hills with Tyler Zahn in mysteries written by Cam Torrens. Sometimes, I’m in a patrol car sitting in the backseat with either Alex Cross or Big John Sampson driving through D.C. on their way to a crime scene. Sometimes, I am on a stakeout in New York City with Michael Bennett, both settings and all three characters in James Patterson’s mysteries.
Any book I pick up, I want to get lost in it. I want to breathe the air, see the sights, hear the noise, and feel the tension. To me, that is the goal of any writer, myself included.
When I wrote Betrayed, the setting was the Navajo Nation Reservation in northeastern Arizona. I wanted the reader to see the red, rugged buttes and mesas of the Arizona red desert. The setting was as much a character as are George, Brian, and Brett, three of the seven adopted Evans brothers. While George is Navajo, Brian and Brett are not. The territory and terrain was new to them, and they faced trial and obstacle and near death on top of a mesa in the early morning scorching heat. It was necessary for the reader to experience all of that with them, and even be with them on that mesa or at the swimming hole, or on the hillside as they hunted elk. And it was important for the reader to witness the abject poverty of the Navajo in the place they call home. That poverty is an important part of the story.
In my book Spiral Into Darkness, it was important for the reader to walk the crime scenes of the serial killer as law enforcement tried, and failed (many times), to come up with the who and the why of the murders. The reader experiences the bitter cold and freezing whiteout in a blinding snowstorm where Brian hunts the serial killer in the woods outside his home, even though he is next on the serial killer’s list.
With all of that being said, I have never traveled in or thru western Massachusetts, or hiked the Colorado hills or mountains, or seen an ER through a doctor’s eyes. Likewise, I’ve never been to New York City, and I’ve never been on a stakeout. I’ve only been a passenger in a cop car a few times (and not because I was picked up or cited for anything nefarious). The only exception to the above is that as a writer and individual, I grew up and lived in Wisconsin, so I know firsthand what Brian went through in that woods.
But because of the terrific writing of Joan Livingston, Gary Gerlacher, Cam Torrens, and James Patterson, I could see it, feel it, and in some cases, struggle along with a character or two. These four writers take the craft of writing seriously, and I would describe each as a visual writer. They write with the idea that the reader needs to be present in the pages they write and in the setting they construct. If you’ve not done so already, I urge you to pick up an Isabel Long mystery (Livingston), an AJ Docker mystery (Gerlacher), a Tyler Zahn mystery (Torrens), or an Alex Cross or Michael Benntt mystery (Patterson). You can’t and won’t go wrong if you do. It will be money and time well spent.
Another 5 Star Review for Black Yéʼii
Black Yéʼii is a tense, fast-moving thriller that balances brutal stakes with an eerie, almost spiritual undercurrent. When a teenage boy realizes a message from his mother may have been sent by her killers, the story ignites into a race against time that pulls law enforcement, past secrets, and unsuspecting teens into the crosshairs of returning gang violence.
Lewis excels at blending action with emotional weight, particularly in his portrayal of teenagers who are brave, reckless, and unaware of how close danger truly is. The novel’s most distinctive strength is its atmosphere: moments of stillness, ritual, and inherited belief lend an unsettling sense that something darker than human cruelty may be at work.
Though accessible to new readers, the book rewards longtime fans with subtle connections and familiar faces, reinforcing the feeling of a larger, living world. Suspenseful, grounded, and quietly haunting, Black Yéʼii expands Lewis’ crime universe while standing firmly on its own. – K.J. Fieler, Author of Shadow Runner
Amazon Link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1685135374
Audible Link: https://tinyurl.com/mr47x5ec
The Synopsis (book blurb) for The Disappeared
Fans of Hillerman and C.J. Box, fans of the series Dark Winds, and fans of my book, Betrayed, which is a bestseller on Amazon in two categories, will like it. Here is a draft of the synopsis of The Disappeared.
Set deep within the rugged expanse of the Navajo Nation Reservation, fear spreads like wildfire. ICE agents are detaining Native Americans, even those carrying proper identification, under the cold glare of floodlights and bureaucracy. Some are released after days of questioning; others vanish without a trace.
Among the missing are George Tokay’s girlfriend, Rebecca, and two of his closest friends—young, full of promise, and suddenly gone. Desperate and furious, George joins forces with a small, covert unit of the Arizona National Guard and three hardened FBI agents—Kelliher, Storm, and Dahlke, veterans of previous investigations.
Their search cuts through desert canyons and forgotten roads, uncovering a labyrinth of corruption and deceit. Each clue reveals another layer of danger, and every ally might be a betrayer. As suspicion mounts, a terrifying possibility surfaces: the disappearances may be tied to the brutal Sinaloa or Juarez Cartel, and the hunters may soon become the hunted.
In Closing
I would love to hear your thoughts and read your comments. Please feel free to use the comment section below. As always, thanks for following along on my writing journey. Until next time …
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