July 2024 Newsletter

Summer is a great time to read if you can find time for it! Things have been busy around here, so I make sure to find time to read in the morning with my coffee before the rest of my house wakes up. After a long Spring of starting and not finishing books—either due to lack of interest or another book catching my interest (cheating, I know!)—I finally found some books that pinned my attention down. It’s about time, or else I thought my Goodreads might jump out of my screen and throttle me.

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Thankfully, my reading slump is officially over! I am currently nearing the end of “The Yard” by Alex Grecian on Audible, and I love the cast of characters and the post-Jack the Ripper London Grecian submerges the reader into. With only about two hours left, I’ve already downloaded the second book in the series, “The Black Country.”

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I am also halfway through “Start Without Me: (I’ll Be There in a Minute),” by Gary Janetti. This book was an impulse buy at the Barnes and Noble on Long Island when visiting my parents during my son’s spring break. When reading a murder mystery or watching a series on TV (Will Trent is my latest TV obsession), I needed something light to bring balance. The book consists of compiled anecdotal stories beginning with the comedy writer’s childhood in Queens through to his current life in Los Angeles. I find myself laughing out loud at least once or twice a chapter. It is equal parts relatable and entertaining.

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Aside from bouncing between these two books, I have been knee-deep in my research for my next novel, which is set in Coney Island in 1907. America’s Playground saw its Golden Age from 1903-1911. It was an era of amusement for mostly middle-class families looking to escape the city's bustle and heat. Coney Island’s three main resorts—Dreamland, Luna Park, and Steeplechase— held unique attractions and rides that allowed people to explore their fears and desires. Dreamland is the main focus of my next novel. And perhaps, what is so interesting about Dreamland is that its history is so compact. The wildly popular amusement park burnt down in 1911, reprising briefly for its “Freak Shows” in the time after, it never quite returned to its magnificent state. In a place that heralded a million lights that could be seen 30 miles out to sea, Venetian villages, concert halls, grand hotels, a Lilliputian village (a town made up of 300 little people), wild animal shows, and those famous infant incubators, there was much room for drama, lies, exploitation, and mystery. Only 10k words in so far, I am excited to share more Coney Island factoids along the way.

I am also excited to announce that the audiobook for my historical thriller, The Tenement Nurse, is currently in the works and will be released this Fall. More to come on that in the next newsletter!

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The Tenement Nurse is currently on SALE: $2.99 E-book & $8 Paperback

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