It’s August and I’m ready to tell you about my new book. It doesn’t come out until January 2025, but an author has to start promoting early. From Goodreads giveaways, to website refreshes, to social-media posts, it’s critical for every author to get the word out while trying not to be a broken record about it.
Let me tell you: I’m excited to talk about this book. It’s getting some amazing early buzz and several early reviewers are naming it the best thriller they’ve read all year, and the title is averaging 5-star reviews on Netgalley.
When I begin a new book, I don’t think much about plot or even characters, at least not initially. I think about emotions. What emotions do I want to exist at the core of this book? In the case of Tell Me What You Did, those emotions were fear, rage, and, ultimately, peace.
Tell Me What You Did is a psychological thriller about the lengths a person will go to redeem themselves, revenge, and the power of confession—even if there’s no forgiveness, even if that confession does nothing to erase the past.
The heart of this story is Poe Webb. She runs the top ranked podcast in the country, and hers is unlike any other. People come on air to tell her the truth. To confess. To confess their crimes.
It’s all working so well until Poe gets a caller into the show who knows way too much about her.
Tell Me What You Did is about peeling back layers, uncovering secrets, and choosing between revenge or letting go. And if you like a multi-media experience, you’ll find a peppering of QR codes throughout the book. Once you scan them, you’ll undercover some recovered video evidence that will put a chill down your spine.
I can’t wait until you meet Poe–I’m not sure a character ever flowed as naturally from my mind and onto the page as much as her. Poe embodies fear, rage, and peace. Just as I had hoped.
Happy reading.
New episodes of Making It Up are out! Over the past month I chatted with:
- Mary Adkins, novelist and writing coach
- Marc Guggenheim, Emmy-award winning screenwriter, television producer, comic book writer, and novelist
- International number-one bestselling author Jeffrey Deaver and his bestselling novelist writing partner Isabella Maldonado
All episodes are available on my website, my YouTube channel, and wherever you get your favorite podcasts.
As far as I know, these are the places I’m supposed to be where you can meet me and stuff. Check my event calendar for the latest updates.
September 16, 2024 6PM
In-conversation event with
novelist and singer Tim Booth
Tattered Cover Colfax
Denver, Colorado
September 28, 2024 6PM
In-conversation event with
TikTok personality Kyle Prue
Tattered Cover Colfax
Denver, Colorado
October 17-19, 2024
Unbound Writer Coaching Program & Retreat
Leader
Boulder, CO
What’s Entertaining Me
On the Page
The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession (Michael Finkel, 2024)
Yes, a book about art heists! I love art heists. Well, I don’t love them, but they fascinate me, and if there’s a book or a documentary about one, I’m all over it.
From the publisher: “Stéphane Bréitwieser is the most prolific art thief of all time. He pulled off more than 200 heists, often in crowded museums in broad daylight. His girlfriend served as his accomplice. His collection was worth an estimated $2 billion. He never sold a piece, displaying his stolen art in his attic bedroom. He felt like a king. Until everything came to a shocking end. “
Holy hell the guts on these two. Driving around Europe, visiting museum after museum, and literally plucking paintings off the walls during regular business hours. And all for the love of art—they never planned to sell a single item. Of course it was never going to end well for them, but the amazing thing is how long it took for them to be caught. A fascinating read.
On the Screen
Twisters, (Universal Pictures, 2024)
I went to the movies! Like, the actual movie theater! Hadn’t been since Oppenheimer last summer, and this time the kids and I were in the mood for a nice disaster flick. Now, mind you, the original Twister is as popular as it is bad, with some of the worst dialogue since Independence Day. But cows went flying and things got destroyed, so it was still a fun watch.
Well…Twisters decided to recreate the formula. There’s bad dialogue aplenty, plot holes bigger than the tornados, and gaps in logic so profound you don’t really care if every character gets sucked into the vortex. The saving graces are (in this order) Glen Powell and the tornados. Powell is the actor of the moment and has earned that title (watch The Hit Man); his easy-breezy nature and self-effacing charm work perfectly here. And the tornados are cool as shit!
So, yeah. Still a fun watch. But War of the Worlds it ain’t.
Photo of the Month
Flashback to 2011 and visiting the Tower of London. This little guy was about the size of a cat with the same amount of aloofness.
Update from my Kids
If you look closely that’s a hand-stitched replica of Scully’s face on a sweatshirt I got for my daughter. Now that’s a good dad.
Update from my Pets
Looking dumb and regal at the same time.
Humor of the Month sent to me by a friend
In my books, the comma would be omitted
Writing Retreats, Personal Coaching, & Online Writing Courses
Unbound Writer 2024 retreat – registration now open! There’s one in-person coaching program and writing retreat left this year. Come spend 2.5-days in Boulder, Colorado finding community, inspiration, motivation, and confidence in your writing.
October 17-19
All details and testimonials can be found here. Scholarships available. No more excuses, no more idle dreaming. Time to make your writing dreams happen.
I’m so happy to announce the first self-guided, online writing courses are now available!
At Unbound Writer, we’re so excited to help writers become authors.
That’s it for now!
Just a reminder to subscribe to my newsletter for more content and access to contests and giveaways. Oh, and if you follow me on social media you’ll see a lot more pictures of my goddamn pets. Until next month…
