Today is the first day of summer and I’m excited to share what I’ve been cooking up for you. Coming August 26th, SHEPHERDS OF FRAGILE CREATURES, the second book in The Last Shepherds Trilogy! Find out what happened to determined FBI Agent Catalina Davidson and the serial killer Rakshasa. Ebook available for preorder right now at Amazon or other ebook stores (paperback options available closer to release).

If you want a sneak peek at the book, you can read the first chapter online now by clicking here. This is the near-final version of the chapter. There are likely to be a few final changes, edits, and fixes before release.

Back of the book blurb

The small town of Sally’s Point in western Washington thought an early start to fire season was the sole threat to summer tourism, but then an unseen force began attacking people in the woods. A handful of incidents could be covered up, but there was no hiding the discovery of a comatose Chicago police detective.

Fearful of what’s to come, an anonymous late night phone call brings the FBI into the middle of a cold war between the town, a commune of true believers, and the creatures that call the forest home.

They will discover that the balance that kept all of them safe is far more fragile than anyone imagined. For there are forces at work in the forest of Hoh that do not wish to share this world anymore.

The preview won’t be entirely new to those of you who bought the ebook version of SHEPHERDS OF LOST THINGS. Looking back, it was a bit audacious to put a preview chapter and a pre-order link out there with a release date set a mere nine months into the future. In my defense, I did have a detailed outline and entire chapters roughed out. All I had to do was write a chapter every couple weeks and I’d be coasting into the release with ease.

Then my mother died a week after I released LOST THINGS. In going through her belongings, it was clear she’d not gotten to read the book before her passing. Never did she get to find out that I’d based detective Wendy Bataille on her. Like all of us, thought that she had more time.

Needless to say, my mother’s death put a real damper on my creative output. The first draft of FRAGILE CREATURES was completed months after I’d planned. Which meant it got into the hands of test readers later than planned. Still, those who’ve read it say it’s just as thrilling as the first book.

This is the first sequel I’ve ever written, and I struggled with how much of LOST THINGS needed to be recapped for new readers and returning readers who might have forgotten some events. It was also a challenge on how long to spend setting up the return of characters versus just charging ahead with the story. I assume returning readers have expectations about learning about what happened in the period between LOST THINGS and FRAGILE CREATURES, but the story also demands that things progress at a pace. Especially in a thriller novel, where I believe that the flow and pacing of the story is sacrament.

I hope you enjoy it. Know that I’ve started outlining the final book, SHEPHERDS OF TIMEWORN DREAMS, but I’m not ready yet to promise a release date. I’ve got the ending figured out, down to the last sentence, but the first chunk of the book isn’t clear to me yet. So I need some time to get that figured out before I sit down and write the book. In the meanwhile let me know what you think of SHEPHERDS OF FRAGILE CREATURES after you read it.