From the Desk of J.M. Poole

For those of you who are fantasy lovers, allow me to present the cover for the next Dragons of Andela title! Strike the Spark is currently being written and is slated for release probably at the end of April. If you haven’t checked out the first in the series, Harness the Fire, please do so! Especially if you might enjoy a story where the main protagonists are dragons. Five of ’em!

After this one, I’ll be returning to Pomme Valley and seeing how Zack is dealing with the discovery a hidden chamber buried within the foundation of the home he had inherited from his late wife’s great-aunt. Case of the Rusty Sword is the 16th in the series.

Finally, I’ll be returning to Lentari for a spell, seeing how a past villain is creating havoc once more, only this time. the very fabric of Lentari itself is in danger of being destroyed. The fate of the kingdom of Lentari is in the hands of husband and wife team, Steve and Sarah, who will have to use every ounce of their power to prevent this catastrophe. Blast from the Past is the 10th in the series, and is due for a fall/winter release!

The last several months have been trying, to say the least. Moving from the desert southwest up to the Pacific Northwest was quite a jump for us. Coupled with packing and unpacking, dealing with a house that was delayed (due to Covid) and then with my own father unexpectedly passing away in mid November, I’m sorry to say that I wasn’t in any mood to write.

But, I’m doing a lot better and have resumed work on the two stories that I’m writing concurrently: Case of the Stuttering Parrot (CCF15) and Strike the Spark (DoA2). Plus, as soon as one of ’em is done, which will probably be CCF15, I’m going to be returning to Lentari and working on Blast from the Past (ToL10). It’s a busy schedule and, provided I don’t get any more shocking news, I should be able to maintain it. Fingers crossed for me!

I hope everyone is staying safe out there and you all have an enjoyable Holiday Season. Remember … calories don’t count during this time of year. 🙂 🙂 🙂

J.

As I write this, it makes me laugh to admit that, for the first time ever, I’m homeless. No, it’s nothing bad. Or permanent. We were renting a house in Phoenix, and the opportunity presented itself to finally leave the scorching summers behind. Where are we off to? The Pomme Valley area, of course! Our new house – due to be finished by the end of the month – is in the Southwestern Oregon area, and we couldn’t be happier! Our house was supposed to be done by the first, but this teensy little thing called COVID happened. Turns out, not many construction workers or laborers chose to get vaxxed, so to say there have been a few delays is an understatement. But, everyone is back to work and we’re thhhiiiiiiiiis close from getting into our house. Fingers crossed there are no more delays! Until it’s done, we’re staying with family in Northern California.

For those curious about which books I’m currently working on, well, believe it or not, there are three. Top of the list is the second volume in the Dragons of Andela series. Strike the Spark is coming along nicely, and I anticipate it being done (finished writing!) by the end of the year. Next month is November, and that means another round of NaNoWriMo, where an author tries to write a 50,000 word story in a single month. I’ve participated for a number of years now, and can proudly say I’ve won quite a few. This year, I’m going to be writing Case of the Stuttering Parrot (CCF15). Ruby the parrot overhears something she shouldn’t have, and as a result, all kinds of interesting things start happening around town. And finally, I can say that the next Tales of Lentari book, volume 10, has been plotted and is close to being able to be written. As for a title, it’ll be called Blast From the Past, and it features a former villain escaping his prison and wreaking some serious havoc. It’ll be Steve and Sarah’s most perilous adventure yet!

Finally, the last bit of news I have is that the latest audiobook from the Corgi Case Files series has cleared Audible’s quality-control, and is now available for purchase. Case of the Great Cranberry Caper (CCF11) is out, just in time for the holiday season!

I think that’s all the news I have. Bases covered? Well, let’s see. Latest DoA title? Check. Latest CCF – aka NaNoWriMo 2021? Check. Breaking news about the next Tales of Lentari series? Check. Mentioned the latest audiobook? Check check. That’s all for now. If you’d like to be alerted to any new titles, sign up for my newsletter. Stay safe out there, people! Happy reading!

J.

Secret Staircase Books has been trying to get a Featured Deal on BookBub for quite some time. Well, at long last, they were successful! On 9/12/2021, Case of the One-Eyed Tiger (CCF#1) was the featured deal of the day! What was the result? CCF#1 hit the all-time best sellers list! Not in its intended genre (which it did) or several others I didn’t know it was included in (it did on those, too), but Amazon’s overall store ranking. It hit #1!! Thank you very much, Secret Staircase Books! I’m told CCF1 was downloaded 40,000 times! Woo-hoo!!

I’m putting the final touches on CCF14, Case of the Missing Marine. It’s due to be released at the end of October. Plus, I’m also in the process of moving to the PV area, in Oregon, so I have to get it done before we head north. Wish me luck!

Zack receives an invitation he cannot refuse: an Audience with the queen of England! It would seem the good queen has heard of the exploits of Sherlock and Watson, and would like to meet them. What could possibly go wrong?

Available as a pre-order at these fine retailers!

Let’s see, what else is new? Well, for all you fantasy fans, Harness the Fire has been completed and will be released in just a few days. If you haven’t already, you can reserve your copy here! Follow along with Zeira and her fellow dragons as they attempt to figure out what is happening to their world and what they can do to save it, even if it means having to track down a few of those elusive bipeds and make them riders, willing or not.

Case of the Ragin’ Cajun (CCF13) is up for pre-order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, and so on. My publisher tells me they plan to release it by the end of next month, but what they’ve been doing is pushing the date forward if they know the title is ready to be released. So… I’m guessing it’ll be early to mid July. It’s just a guess. 🙂

On the fantasy front, Harness the Fire (Dragons of Andela #1) should be finished within the next week or two. It’ll go through it’s customary editing process, and then be given to the beta readers. I’m predicting it’ll be released by the end of July, early August. And, if it happens sooner, then I’m not gonna argue!

Next up for book titles will be CCF14, Case of the Missing Marine, followed by either the next DoA or, and I’m strongly considering this, a new Tales of Lentari story. I’ve got several bouncin’ around my head, and I’m eager to revisit everyone’s husband & wife team. What do you think? Would anyone like to see another Tales of Lentari story? Please leave a comment below!

Hello! One of my books, Case of the One-Eyed Tiger, has been included in a collection of mysteries that are going to be made free to the public. Essentially, the more authors you follow on Bookbub, the better the chances are that you’ll win copies of books. So, if you haven’t already, come follow me on Bookbub! Check out some of the other authors that are participating! It’s a fantastic way to grab some free books! Click the image above or here to check it out!

Looking for a story that has an Irish flair to it? Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day comes Case of the Shady Shamrock!

A mysterious package appears on Zack Anderson’s doorstep. When he opens the crate, there’s an elaborate silver chest, obviously quite old, with Celtic markings and no apparent way to open it. Zack is almost content to accept the artifact as a decorative item … until people start coming after it. The only conclusion is that the box contains something of great value. Zack, Jillian, Sherlock, and Watson are on the case, tracking down the unusual item, learning tidbits about the box’s history, and discovering that it dates back to an unsolved theft in Ireland more than a hundred years ago.

Can Zack, Jillian, and the corgis piece together the clues and find out what’s inside the little chest before it gets snatched from their hands forever?

Available at major retailers!