Book 2 of the Jake Fisher Mysteries— Badger Investigations–is underway and the rough draft is currently about half complete. A late spring publication is anticipated–hopefully just in time for Summer readers.

The second of Jake’s first-person narration crime drama stories begins in September, with Jake fresh off of his first case (in 2023’s Hit & Run–published last Fall) and walking with a confident swagger. Classes are about to begin for the first time since the war, and Jake is warming up to his new position as Security Officer at Hunter’s Run High School. Soon he is approached by a colleague, Kelly Fryer, who needs Jake to do a rush snoop job and get pictures of her philandering husband so that she can file for divorce before Maryland’s no fault divorce laws go into effect. Jake begrudgingly accepts the job, only to find out that Kelly’s husband, Ken, is in much deeper trouble than previously imagined. Jake must avoid getting entangled in Ken’s issues with a biker gang and an Eastern European mobster while somehow getting incriminating pictures of Ken’s adulterous relationship under a tight deadline.

In addition to his troublesome case, Jake finds leaping over obstacles at his new job equally demanding. HRHS Principal Chris Lash warns Jake to keep his private investigation business far away from campus, and later an altercation with a problem student leads to his temporary suspension. With his two worlds crashing in around him, Jake must find a way to keep it all together before he loses everything.

Badger Investigations is the second in what hopes to be a long line of Jake Fisher Mysteries, all set in the rolling northern hills of Maryland’s Frederick County. Stay tuned and look for them on Amazon!

Good friend and local photographer and graphics guru Tom Walker has done it again! See below for a glimpse of his newly-created cover for Hit & Run–the newest Jake Fisher novel–now in the mystery genre. Consider it a tease for the book, which should be released in the next few weeks (if not days) on Amazon. The story is about Jake Fisher–now in his position as a private investigator and security officer–who has been given a hit and run case that turns out to be something much deeper and more deadly–forcing him to run across several hit men out to erase both him and his client. See Tom’s website for all your photography needs at www.thomaswalkerphotography.com

Jake Fisher is back, alive and kicking–and he is working in Hunter’s Run High School again– but this time as its security officer. Along with help from SRO Sheriff’s Deputy Matt Miller, Jake takes on his first case–a hit and run car accident in Thurmont that has resulted in the tragic death of a local family. At first it seems like a simple case for the rookie sleuth, but the deeper Jake digs into the identity of the murderous driver and his motivation, the more convoluted the mystery becomes. Jake must dodge hired killers bent on hiding long-held secrets by an all-too-familiar nemesis. The Badger must enlist the help of old alliances to protect his client and himself from a well-armed enemy with deep pockets. Looking for a November release date!

September, 2023— I’d like to give a big thanks to fans and friends who came out on a hot Sunday over Labor Day Weekend to visit the Rudolph Girls & Birdie’s Cafe Local Author book signing event! Nearly a dozen local authors graced a warm, shady patio behind Birdie’s Cafe in Westminster, Maryland this past weekend to meet and greet with fans, sign books, and celebrate the merging of two great local businesses, as Rudolph Girls Book Store partners up with Birdie’s Cafe in Westminster. It was truly a wonderful experience. I got to meet and chat with my fellow authors, learn their back stories, and even buy a few of their books. But far and away the highlight of the weekend was seeing how many turned out to have copies of the Cataclysm Series signed. Book 1–First Days After sold out, and numerous copies of the most recent finale (Book 6– First Life After: Resurrection) also were popular choices this weekend.

It’s no secret I like to make characters out of my friends–sometimes changing their names, backgrounds, and occupations just a tad. Many of those characters new and old were present on Sunday, including Wendy Yubashiri, Maureen Kelly, Emily Avila, and Daniela Harper. Also stopping by was my super-talented cover artist and longtime compatriot, Tom Walker of http://www.thomaswalkerphotography.com

Wrestling families and Winters Mill families stopped by as well. But perhaps my favorite was someone who claims to be my biggest fan (and I’m not inclined to doubt her)–Maureen’s Mom, Lorraine Rooney, who traveled from the Eastern Shore (by way of Long Island) to pay her respects. Wendy and Emily kindly posted some great photos on their Facebook pages. All in all, I felt very humbled by the affection sent my way this weekend. Thanks so much to everyone for being a part of it!

Daniela “Harper” getting a copy signed Sunday on Birdie’s patio.

FIRST LIFE AFTER: RESURRECTION-– BOOK 6 (and the final piece) in the Cataclysm Series has just been released on Amazon. (See below for link). As of this post it is available in Kindle and paperback formats, with hardback coming soon–once I’ve worked through some formatting details. Book 6 finds us in the post-war period. World War III is over, and the world is trying to get itself back to normal. Hunter’s Run High School is working to reopen soon, and teachers and staff are headed back to try and put the pieces back together–but they’re doing so without the help of Jake Fisher, whom they believe was killed in a flash flood in Zion Canyon months ago. But somewhere out in the Arizona desert, an old Aztec shaman has run across an unidentified body of a middle-aged man, whom he will attempt to resurrect both physically and spiritually. That man will have to undergo rigorous physical and spiritual changes in order to make it back to life and re-enter a world where he believes everyone he loves has perished. Meanwhile, the sinister Church of Many Blessings is licking its wounds after losing ground on a multitude of fronts. Their drive to rise again to power will take a different twist this time, and their mysterious true source will be revealed. The ending to this one will take us into a whole new genre and set of stories in the mystery category–one where you’ll see our characters in a whole new light. Don’t miss it! (link below)

BOOK 6 IN THE CATACLYSM SERIES– “FIRST LIFE AFTER: RESURRECTION” is finished in draft form and is undergoing edits as we speak! When we left Zion National Park in Book 5, Jake Fisher was standing in the Virgin River in Utah, fighting Chinese commandos hand-to-hand while trying to protect his family, friends, and lady-love. [Spoiler Alert for Book 5– The Army and a giant flash flood were both looking to decimate the valley, and things were not looking good for Jake and company.] As you can probably tell from the title, Jake Fisher may just not be completely dead.

BOOK 6 opens up in Northern Arizona, where an old Native American hermit spies dead bodies along the riverside and decides to investigate. Meanwhile, back on the East Coast, the war is over and the world is beginning to return to normal. Hunter’s Run High School is gearing up to have students next Fall, and they will face some challenges filling positions and dealing with the down–but not completely defeated–Church of Many Blessings, whose members have new goals and new methods for trying to advance their agenda.

BOOK 6 will be the last in the series. After this, we will be staying with our characters, but moving them into a new genre–mysteries! I’ve always wanted to write mysteries with a tough old private eye working his way through dangerous cases. Why not let that private eye be Jake Fisher? How he comes back from death and somehow arrives at this new situation, however, is what you’ll be reading about in Book 6– First Life After: Resurrection. Looking for a Spring 2023 release on Amazon– looking like late April / early May. I also hope to pick up again this Spring with more YouTube interviews with the real people who inspired the characters. Updates are coming–stay tuned!

Wendy Perzynski–the real-life person behind the character of Wendy Yubashiri–is the second in the interview series of “Be Careful Or You’ll End Up In My Novel.” Wendy Yubashiri is one of a half dozen characters who have appeared in all of the first five novels, and figures prominently in Book 5, The Road to Zion.

The real Wendy works at Winters Mill High School in Westminster, MD with me. She runs the Time Out room, subsitute teaches, and does a dozen crucial tasks all during the day at WMHS, making her indispensable there. In Book 5– Jake Fisher risks life and limb to try and save her from what he thinks is a dangerous situation–only to find out that it’s even more dangerous for the Badger himself.

Thanks again to Aloe Vincent for his work!

Hey Cataclysm fans! In what I hope to be the first of a big series of interviews, our first one is up on You Tube. Many thanks to my son, Alex Lowe, whose videography and editing skills made this possible and very cool. His work can be found on https://al0epicturesandvideo.myportfolio.com/

The first interview is for character Boo Andrews, the ex-Marine mercenary and former best friend of Jake Fisher. Boo appears in Books III (First Months After) and IV (First Year After: Enter the Badger). The real guy behind the character is my own best buddy of nearly forty years, Andrew Bouie. Andrew’s real life is a bit different from the fictional Boo, but our smart-ass banter and attempts at one-upsmanship are pretty comparable. Thanks, Andrew, for agreeing to be our first interview. We hope there will be many more to come!

The 8-minute interview can be found below:

Book Five of the Cataclysm Series, First Years After: The Road to Zion, is now published in various formats and available on Amazon! Readers can get it on Kindle, in paperback, and now–a new feature for Amazon KDP– hardback as well!

The premise: Over a year after the first bombs were dropped in World War III, the country finds itself at a stalemate versus enemy forces. With the mastermind of a plot to surrender the country now in prison, the focus now turns to the new mutate Utopia in Zion National Park, where Laura Fisher has created a thriving community with scientific advances that have produced amazing new abilities among her flock. But when enemy forces determine that the community—and Laura—can be used as the ultimate weapon in the war, the government realizes that actions must be taken to protect Zion at all costs. Jake Fisher, Laura’s ex-husband, fears that Laura is keeping the scientists in Utah against their will, and so embarks on a road trip with his friends, Eddie and Maureen, to save them. Jake must face both his superpowered ex as well as a unit of Chinese commandos bent on stealing—or eliminating—the living weapons that can turn the tide in World War III.

Cataclysm fans– get your copy today!

On August 18th, 2022, come out and support local writers and independent bookstores at Rudolph Girls Bookstore at 15 E. Main Street Suite 112, Westminster, MD. Sisters and co-owners Nikki and Ali are hosting a local author event on Thursday, August 18th at 6:30 p.m. Join us for light refreshments as well as author readings and signings. I am very excited to be one of the writers invited to participate. Hope to see everyone there, where I will unveil the very-soon-to-be published Book V in my Cataclysm Series– First Years After: The Road to Zion (Due out any day!)