A Pair of Stories

Just tonight, KXLY (local Spokane ABC station) ran two stories about me and my writing career...as well as my being a police officer.

One was by Nicole Hensely, a web journalist, who took a series of photographs and wrote an article to accompany those photographs. She also quotes a few passages from my books. The link to Nicole's story is HERE.

Robyn Nance, a television journalist for KXLY, did a video feature that appeared tonight. They interviewed me and featured some of my novels. The piece, much like Hensley's, was very favorable. Hensley delved into the idea of place (real places) in fiction, while Nance did a great job of capturing my real personality. I was most grateful that she used footage that was important to me -- why I write about cops, and what I admire about the men and women I work with.

The video story is HERE.

I want to say thank you to both Nicole Hensley and Robyn Nance for featuring my work and treating me very well!

Get Lit! Spokane Invited Me!

I will be taking part in the Get Lit! Festival, sponsored by EWU, April 10-15, 2012. The festival is a very cool collection of fiction, non-fiction and poetry authors, all of whom particiapte by invitation only.

I will be doing a reading on 4/14 (Saturday) at 10 AM, as well as being part of a panel discussion later on that same day, at 1:45 - 3:15 PM. This will take place at the Phase 1 building of the Riverpoint campus for EWU right here in Spokane.

Get Lit! is a great expression of local artists as well as a great expression of love for the arts by locals. I hope some of you will make it there, whether to see me or any of the other great artists. (Hint:  Jess Walter will be there, so that's worth the gas money alone).

Two Books Make 'Best of 2011' List!

Independent book critic Kevin Tipple has published his best reads of 2011 list, and two of my titles are on it!

My short story collection Dead Even is there, as well as my fourth River City novel, And Every Man Has to Die.

Kevin has always made a point to review my work, including the time he encountered subject matter that he really didn't want to explore in Heroes Often Fail. But he did so anyway, citing his respect for my other work and a willingness to take a chance. Ultimately, his review of that book was a positive one.

For 2011, he obviously liked Dead Even and And Every Man Has to Die more than a little, since they made his 'best of' list. I'm glad a critic (and one who reads a ton of books) thinks well enough of my work to put it on a list like that.

Both Dead Even and And Every Man Has to Die are available in paperback from Gray Dog Press. The ebook versions are available wherever you get yours...Amazon, B&N, etc.

Thanks for choosing Zafiro titles, Mr. Tipple!

Royalties to Remind.Org

Now that 2011 is over, I'm making good on my promise to donate all of my ebook royalties for my crime novel The Last Horseman to Remind.Org.

Remind.Org is dedicated to helping our returning soldiers in a variety of ways. Some are physical, others emotional or mental. It is a worthwhile organization that serves a worthy cause.

You can read more about my decision to support them here.

The grand total for 2011 ebook royalties for The Last Horseman was $141.22. I sent Remind.Org the money today, via their website.

I know, it isn't exactly earth-shattering, but it is a start.

Another classy touch that Remind.Org does is allow you to donate in honor of or in memory of a soldier. I decided that my donation this year would be in memory of Staff Sergeant David Biehl. David is the son of a personal friend of mine, his mother. She introduced him to my books and he was an enthusiastic reader. David served two tours in Iraq.Whenever I think of him, I remember how much his mother talked about the patriotic passion he had for serving in the U.S. Army. I am also reminded of how serving one's nation during wartime brings with it a psychological cost for those who have served. Sometimes the effects of combat linger long after the danger to life and limb has passed.

How can you help our returning warriors? Well, you can certainly donate directly to Remind.Org. I plan to once again donate all of 2012's ebook royalties for The Last Horseman, so if you want to read an action-packed novel set in Spokane and see 100% of the royalties go to Remind.Org, you can buy a copy. Or give one as a gift. Or get a friend to buy a copy. Or just spread the word. The book is available through any ebook outlet (Amazon, B&N, etc.).

If you're reading this and you are a fellow writer, then I would ask you to consider doing the same thing I've done here with one of your titles, even if you do it for just one month out of the year. If you accept this challenge, please comment on this blog post.

No matter how we do it, come January 2012, I'd love to move the decimal point one space to the right. But I'd be just as happy to know that people sent money directly to Remind.Org.

Here's what The Last Horseman is about: Sandy Banks is the last of The Four Horsemen, a vigilante group of ex-cops determined to right the injustices of a broken court system. But now the project is disintegrating, putting him in the middle of chaos. Betrayed by his final partner, blackmailed by the project head and pursued by federal agents bent on busting the case wide open, Sandy scrambles to escape this mayhem with his soul intact.

Have a safe and happy 2012, folks. And please take a moment (often) to think about the men and women who serve our nation, endure great danger and carry heavy burdens, all in support of our continued freedom.

Frank

UPDATE on Three Novels (and a texbook)

Jim Wilsky and I are finishing up the final draft of BLOOD ON BLOOD.

BLOOD ON BLOOD is a gritty, hard boiled crime novel. As Gar Sawyer lays dying in prison, he tells his sons Mick and Jerzy about a jewelry heist he made years ago. This sets the two half-brothers on a frenzied search for the lost loot. Jerzy is the hard core hood, Mick the failed cop and tarnished hero. They have to work together in order to unravel the mystery they face but every step of the way, they are angling against each other at the same time. BLOOD ON BLOOD is a tension-laced action ride.

I expect BLOOD ON BLOOD to be out in the first half of 2012, depending on which route Jim and I go with this novel.

I've finished the second draft of a mystery novel called AT THIS POINT IN MY LIFE. It is going to a couple of readers before a third draft.

AT THIS POINT IN MY LIFE tells the story of retired Spokane detective Jack McCrae. 'Mac' doesn't feel like he's left much of a mark on this world. No family, no wife, and a mediocre career. Then a young woman from his past appears and asks for his help finding a girl that she believes may be her sister...and Mac's daughter. The two embark on a dangerous journey of discovery, battling small town dynamics and old secrets to get at the truth.

I expect AT THIS POINT IN MY LIFE to come out in early 2012 if I go the indie route or later in the year if I go with a publisher.

On another front, I'm currently working on the first draft of the sequel to Waist Deep, which is called LOVELY, DARK AND DEEP.

In LOVELY, DARK AND DEEP, former cop Stefan Kopriva reluctantly accepts a job to find out who assaulted Monique Perrin, who works as an escort. He quickly uncovers the dirty side of politics in River City, exposing a web of corruption that includes sex, bribery and worst of all, murder.

I expect LOVELY, DARK AND DEEP to be out no later than the second half of 2012.

These aren't the only projects I'm working on, but they are either the most complete or in the #1 position as far as what I'm giving the most of my time to.

On a somewhat (but not really) related note, the textbook on police report writing that I wrote along with my colleague and friend, Doug Strosahl, will be available January 2nd. It is called A Street Officer's Guide to Report Writing. It is a conversational, relaxed approach to a critical law enforcement skill. You can read more about it here.

And that's your River City Update, folks. I'm Frank Zafiro, and I...am...outta here. Have a happy holiday season!

New Review of BENEATH A WEEPING SKY

My 2010 novel, Beneath a Weeping Sky, has been reviewed by Brian Triplett of examiner.com. He writes a very fair article about this book, the third installment in my River City series.

On balance, I'd say this is a positive review. It also gives the potential reader an honest look at the book, which admittedly isn't for everyone. Sexual Assault is a tough subject. And getting into the head of a serial rapist doesn't appeal to everyone. Still, this was a book that really explored those recurring characters -- Katie MacLeod, John Tower, and Tom Chisolm, especially. It is also the first book that really features the genius that is Renee, the crime analyst.

When Beneath a Weeping Sky was published, I felt like it was my best book. I don't know if it still is (I think I'd go with Waist Deep these days, but it's a photo finish) but I still like it a lot. It was a stretch for me as a writer and I felt a great deal of growth from start to finish. So seeing a review pop up almost two years later is kinda cool.

If you want this or any River City novel, you can get them from Gray Dog Press. In fact, right now they are offering the entire River City collection at a 20% discount, just in time for Christmas. Or, if you prefer eBooks, the books are available in all formats.

My favorite line of this novel? Tough call, but I'm going to go with this one:

“What?” Battaglia protested. “Why am I on rat duty?”

"Bastard Mummy" Review

Here is a review of "The Bastard Mummy."