Worth Your Weight In Pie

Needed Doin’ Is All

Field notes from the world of the Silas Lopez Mysteries.  Vol. 1 Newsletter 2

Why Did I Get This Email? Because you know me. This is where I’ll share news about my books and writing. Announcements will always be at the top. But if it feels like more than you want to deal with, the unsubscribe link is at the bottom.

Announcements

PEOPLE: SHOVELS DOWN—IT’S TIME TO PRE-ORDER!!

I know the Northeast has had historic snow, but this is not a drill. 🤪

I need to ask you for a favor, and there’s no graceful way around it. I need you to please take a moment to pre-order The Washashore for $0.99. Preorders just opened today and for a limited time, the price is set as low as possible at $0.99 to give my closest followers early access to the project! For less than the price of a bad taco you can help a newbie author make a dent in the big bad Amazon algorithm!  It’s a win-win: you get the finest mystery novel a dollar can buy; I get a much-needed vote of support on launch day. THANK YOU!

From the Blog:

Why I Wrote The Washashore from the Heart Out Rather Than the Ground up. In this overview of the writing process I talk about why it made sense for me to write all the Silas & Wren chapters first, before I wrote any of the rest of the book.

Seeing Before Writing I had a chance to ponder some parallels between the photographers’s and writer’s eye. I had thoughts. Essay includes a large gallery of photos capturing the special magic known as Cape light.

Back Issues? Eariler editions of this newsletter.

Critic’s Corner

Early Reviews for The Washashore

The first few blurbs and reviews are in, and here’s what the critics had to say:

“⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Good crime writing should draw you right in, and…The Washashore…does just that, serving up a solid police procedural with some subtle coastal noir touches. My suggestion: give a copy of this fine piece of crime fiction to your friends and family who have lost faith in the system and need to know that community and justice are still defensible ideals and attainable goals.” —Reader Views, 5 Stars

“A gripping, addictive page turner. Atmospheric, character-driven, and relentlessly suspenseful.” —Mary J. Cronin, International best-selling author, entrepreneur, & podcaster

“⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Mirabile’s portrayal of Provincetown is textured and atmospheric, grounding the mystery in a vividly drawn community. Readers who enjoy character-driven crime fiction with a strong sense of place and careful attention to investigative detail will find much to appreciate in The Washashore.” —Readers’ Favorite, 5 Stars

“A main character with guts and heart, a warm love story—a smart, satisfying mystery read.” - Cheryl Richardson, #1 New York Times bestselling author.

From The Workbench

What I’m working on right now

Book One—The Washashore

With The Washashore, now available for pre-order, my creative focus has shifted from drafting to launch mode. (If you haven’t grabbed your $0.99 pre-order copy yet, now’s the time—the price returns to normal on launch day.)

A fair amount of that “launch mode,” by the way, happens over on BookTok and Bookstagram, where I have been sharing snippets, behind the scenes process notes and character insights. If you are curious what it looks like when an author tries to market their mystery series in real time, that’s where a lot of my effort is expended. (And if you are already following me over there—thank you. It means more than you know.)

Speaking of behind the scenes, I am also deep into initial production decisions and planning work on the audiobook edition. It turns out producing an audiobook feels less like publishing a book and more like casting and directing a play. It’s a fascinating process, and I’ll be sharing reflections on that journey in the blog soon.

Book Two—The Holdfast

Developmental edits for The Holdfast arrived in late January—and thankfully, they were thoughtful, precise, and mercifully light. I’ve since completed a focused round of structural revisions to deepen a few key characters and tighten areas flagged by early readers.

The manuscript is now with the same excellent line editor who worked on The Washashore. During this 4–6 week editing window, I’ll be concentrating on supporting the launch of Book One while continuing to outline and shape Book Three in the #SilasLopezMysteries series.  (continues below.)

Things to Look Forward To

Here’s the current roadmap:

• April 7 — The Washashore officially launches. Pre-order copies will be delivered that day. (And yes, the price has to go up after launch.)  

• Late Spring / Early Summer — Audiobook release  

• Late Summer — The Holdfast pre-orders open, with a launch date just before or just after Labor Day  

There’s a lot in motion right now—equal parts humbling and energizing. I’m learning constantly, and I look forward to sharing more about the craft, the business, and the behind-the-scenes process over on the blog.

Stay subscribed so you don’t miss what’s next.

In Silas We Trust

What Silas Has Been Gettin’ Up To

A few Silas Lopez sayings have been coming to mind lately as this publishing and marketing process has begun to come together.

When I think about how the writing and marketing pieces fit:

“Way these animals work together make your heart sing.” -Silas Lopez

When I think about how far I’ve come and how much I’ve learned:

“Most folks got more in ’em than they know.” -Silas Lopez

When I think about how much work remains to get book two done:

“Burnin’ daylight, people! Let’s get after it!” -Silas Lopez

When I think about plans for book three:

“Let’s change horses. We got another fence line to ride.” -Silas Lopez

Postcard From The Dunes

Notes on Life in Provincetown

Dark Humor by Matt Goldman is the fifth installment in the excellent Nils Shapiro series. Goldman is an Emmy Award-winning Seinfeld writer. Most of the series is set in Minnesota and provides a great sense of place as it follows the adventures of a private dective and his partner as they work with the police to solve crimes. Dark Humor actually takes place mostly in Amsterdam and Salsburg, which makes it extra fun.

If only the latest season of Shetland had more episodes! I swear I’d watch that police procedural crime drama set in the Shetland Islands just for the gorgeous opening credits, which depict spectacular Shetland Island landscapes. The show is based upon the novels of Ann Cleeves and has a great cast (though I miss Douglas Henshall who starred as DI Jimmy Pérez in the first seven seasons.)

Before I Go

Thanks for being part of this community.

If you know someone who’d get a kick out of the Silas Lopez Mysteries — or who might enjoy these newsletters—feel free to pass it along. Word of mouth really does matter more than anything else.

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

Finally, if you know of a book club that enjoys author conversations, or if you ever want to be on the early-reader side of things, just let me know.