Newsletter — August 2026

THIS NEEDS DOIN’

It’s time to get your pre-order in so you have The Holdfast on launch day.

The official launch is in four weeks.

Your early show of pre-order support is vitally important in helping the book find its readers.

If you’re new to the series, and looking to catch up before Book Two launches, book one, The Washashore, has a reduced price until 9/15.

FROM THE WORKBENCH

Book One — The Washashore:

Audiobook progress has been swift. Mack Sanderson has completed the raw recording and is currently working on pick-ups to re-record small nits before it goes into editing.

Book Two — The Holdfast:

September 15 release. 75 hand-selected readers have ARCs, and the feedback is positive. Delighted that NYT bestselling author William Landay is hosting the launch event on September 16 at Wellesley Books.  

Book Three — The ?

Working hard on outlining and very pleased with how it is taking shape. The title has been chosen (secret for now). Writing continues this summer into fall; plan is to have a draft by end of year.

POSTCARD FROM THE DUNES

It’s too easy to lose track of what you’re actually doing amid the flurry of getting a book out the door.

You get so focused on cranking the wheel and working through the punch lists—the final tweaks to the electronic files, the mad dash through ARC applications, finalizing last-minute details—you forget what the work is leading to.

As the days melted into August, the substance of the last couple of weeks had kind of slipped past me. I’d been working on. . .

NEWS & EVENTS

News:

Book Two, The Holdfast, is in the hands of advance readers. Some very nice feedback is starting to trickle in.

Upcoming Events:

• Aug 18—Making Light, The Commons, Provincetown MA

• Aug 20—Postponed: Highfield Hall and Museum, Falmouth MA

• Sept 16—Holdfast Launch with William Landay, Wellesley Books, Wellesley MA

• Sept 23—JFK Museum, Hyannis MA

FROM THE BLOG

Crime Spree Magazine Feature: The Dog Who Gave His Soul — What happened when I was invited to submit an article to Crime Spree Magazine.

Notes from The Recording Booth — Come with me into Mack Sanderson’s recording studio as he works on The Washashore.

Anatomy of A Scene — I pick apart another one of my scenes; this one about Silas walking into deep water, literally and metaphorically.

NOTES

Knopf editor and bestselling author Jenny Jackson and I had neighboring tables at a recent fundraiser. We chatted, swapped signed books, and she was delightful. So I dove right into her new novel, The Shampoo Effect. The writing is tight, fast, clever, and often very funny. There’s an underlying pathos, too: Jackson expertly captures a close-knit, privileged social world full of people remarkably good at complicating their own lives. It’s not a world—or, frankly, a cast of characters—I’m naturally drawn to, which made the accomplishment all the more impressive. Jackson kept me reading anyway.

QUIPS

Silas Lopez lines that have been on point recently:

On being too busy to realize what’s going on: “I’m busier than a one-legged man at an ass-kicking contest.”

On needing to take a break and enjoy some beach time: “Hit my limit on badge work for now.”

On getting a messy ARC program up and running: “Ain’t seen anything so sideways in a long while.”

On putting The Holdfast into readers’ hands: “Uh-oh. Done it again.”

On watching early reviews start to come in: “We’ll pick through this thicket together.”

On making it to launch day: “You’ll rope this thing yet.”

GOODREADS GIVEAWAY

The Holdfast is currently featured in a Goodreads Giveaway. Ten winners chosen randomly on September 1 will be mailed a copy of the paperback.

BEFORE I GO

Thanks for being part of this community.

If you’re reading this, you’re one of the people who have given me that most precious commodity: your attention. I don’t take that lightly.

If you know someone who might get a kick out of the Silas Lopez Mysteries—or these newsletters—please feel free to pass this along. Word of mouth really does matter.

If something here caught your eye, I always enjoy hearing back. And if you prefer longer-form pieces, I post those on the blog.

Finally, if you know of a book club that enjoys author conversations, or if you'd ever like to be on the early-reader side of things, just reply to this message, or drop me a note in the contact form.

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