SHIELDED (The Book)

    If you know me, you'll figure out that while I'm writing one book, I usually get ideas for at least one other, and sometimes two or three. I still have a romantic drama in my head that must come out, but it's not at the forefront of my mind, so I really can't do much about it. I have to write what's pressing, and whatever I'm being led to write - it's just the way it is.

    So, I'm in the middle of writing my 22nd book, another Nick Posh thriller titled "The Mother Road", which will be out in mid-June, and all of a sudden, and for very little reason other than I've been watching a lot of cop shows, I decided to write a cop book rather than a romance. When I saw rather than, I mean that usually if I am not writing books with Nick Posh as the central character, a detective from the 1930s, I'm writing a romance book. Not this time. This time, it's another cop or detective story, but he's a little different from Nick.

    To begin with, Axton Cordell isn't married, doesn't want to be married, and will never marry again. He's a widower, and he's not capable of loving or trusting anyone the way he did Karita. Axton is dedicated to the job, to finding and fighting justice. He lacks the ability to put himself first; he's always been that way.  The book is set in the modern day, the current time, in fact. It takes place in Baltimore, a busy, messy city with a rich history and a penchant for hardworking souls who have seen life's grit but haven't been broken by it.

    The new book is a crime book, not a mystery. I don't like mysteries. They tend to have pat answers that come out of nowhere and save the day - a thriller is the way to go for me. This one is not necessarily a nail-biter, but it is interesting, full of facts, and it explores different sides to the city of Baltimore, its people, history, and traditions. It takes you on a journey worth going on; one you'll feel a part of. In the end, you'll have to decide for yourself if the story is over or just beginning.

    Without giving too much away, I will tell you that I'll use a whole lot of cop-show knowledge with this one. There will be terms you'll recognize from just about every popular crime show ever produced. You'll be in the crime lab, in the police precinct, as well as in the courtroom. You'll see the seedy side of a good man's life and the good side of a bad man's life. You'll understand that the lines get blurred when it comes to law, justice, and how we think things should turn out.

    I won't tell you more. I won't tell you why I titled it the way I did, but there is a reason. I hope you like the book. I don't know if there will be a sequel. I haven't decided. If it happens, it happens; if it doesn't, it won't. Either way, Shielded will be a good project for me this summer, and should be out before Labor Day.

Photo Credit: Me.