Saturday 3 February 2024

"THE LONG CON": RESEARCHING THE NIGHT SIDE:

 Pre-writing: The Research Stage

When a new story idea is formulating in my head, the first thing I do is pick out a beautiful notebook, usually a large-sized lined one that becomes the dedicated notebook for that novel. I now have two bookshelves filled with notebooks. They're a reminder of all the work that went into each book.

Once I've jotted down some of my ideas and have a loose story structure, I begin researching for details and background info that might help me flesh out the story. In the case of THE NIGHT SIDE, I did a great deal of reading about psychics, the Tarot, and the investigators that make it their business to search out the con artists and grifters who use their psychic business as a cover for extortion and fraud.

The Facts and Figures

A recent US study on psychic businesses (Tarot card/palm readings/astrological advice etc) outlines the following statistics:

  • 4 in 10 US adults believe in psychics
  • there are at least 94,000 psychic businesses in the US
  •  it's a $2 billion-dollar industry
  • online business is expanding at an increasing rate, especially since COVID..
  • psychics solicit business through the mail, on social media, telephone hotlines, open storefronts and sometimes even approach prospective targets on the street.
While the majority of psychics offer legitimate services at reasonable prices to clients who understand what they're going to receive for their money, there are those who cross the line into criminal practices. Who might promise to remove a curse, restore a client's health, make them rich or find the love of their life only if they come up with enough cash!


 Manipulating the Target 

Psychic scammers prey on grieving, lonely, emotionally, mentally and physically vulnerable people. They gaslight the victim and manipulate them by:
  • forcing them to pay for costly services with escalating fees
  • involving them in rituals that require the purchase of expensive items (candles, herbs etc)
  • threatening them with future bad consequences/more curses if they don't keep paying.
What Motivates the Scammer?

These scammers are driven by complex motives, probably a combination of the following:
  • greed
  • dishonesty: many are consummate and practiced liars
  • desperation/monetary burdens
  • ego and the drive to build wealth
  • the thrill of manipulation
  • the 'buzz' they get from fooling others.
Many of these scammers rationalize their wrongdoing by neutralizing their actions, convincing themselves they're actually helping their victims who are only getting what they asked for. This eradicates GUILT!

More on inspiration for THE NIGHT SIDE in my next blog post!


BOOK NEWS

Here's some great news about THE NIGHT SIDE:
  • the audiobook version of THE NIGHT SIDE will be out on March 12th. You can pre-order here
I'm thrilled that the amazing Helen Laser is narrating it! Helen is nominated in the Audie awards for  Best Audio Narration 2023. She narrated YELLOWFACE, the best audiobook of 2023 as well as THE PERFECT FAMILY MAN! You can find out more about her here.
  • the paperback version of THE NIGHT SIDE will launch in the UK on 27th June 2024. Pre-order here. In the US and Canada in August. Pre-order link coming soon.
EVENTS
Check out my podcast episode with Crime Writers of Canada. Listen to it here.


BOOK REVIEWS

Devils At The Door by Tessa Wegert (Book 5 in the Shana Merchant series)

After I finished this taut small-town mystery, I found myself wondering why I'd never met Shana Merchant before. As a main character she's so compelling: gutsy, brave, stubborn, flawed and emotionally vulnerable. In other words a thoroughly human and relatable character. 
In this instalment of the series, Shana is struggling with the traumatic events of the past as well as the idea of settling down with boyfriend, Tim and maybe having children. Her life is complicated even further when her brother asks her to take in her troubled teenage niece, the rebellious and sullen, Hen. who lands on her doorstep and begins to cause havoc in their small town when she's found at the scene of a suspicious drowning that results in the death of a local teen.. Shana finds herself in a race against time to uncover the truth and find out how exactly Hen is connected to the crime. 
The world of Alexandria Bay is so vivid and well drawn that I was immersed in the small town, its colourful characters and unique setting on the St. Lawrence, near the Thousand Islands and the Canada/US border. The story is thoroughly engrossing with so many twists and turns that keep you guessing right until the surprise ending. A great read that kept me luring me back for more.




Monday 29 January 2024

The Angel at the Hearth

THE ANGEL AT THE HEARTH




While doing research for my book,The Savage Instinct, I kept coming across a term that was used to define the role of women during the Victorian era. The term Angel at the Hearth or Angel in the House defined the ideal image and essence of womanhood. It was widely portrayed in the art and literature of the time and was used as a standard to define the perfect woman, mother and wife.
This idea actually gave rise to a whole genre of painting known as domestic pictures in which the ideal wife was portrayed as an earthly though angelic Madonna, soothing, comforting and submitting to her husband. Selflessly encouraging, watching over and nurturing her children while presiding over a well ordered, highly moral household.
A poet named Coventry Patmore actually coined the term in his narrative poem The Angel in the House, first published in 1854 and dedicated his first wife, Emily, whom he considered the ideal woman.
Emily Patmore, painted by John Everett Millais

Though the poem wasn't very well received at first, the ideas soon took off some years later with popular artists and writers. Julia Margaret Cameron, the celebrated Victorian photographer offered her own interpretation of The Angel in the House. In this portrait of Emily Peacock, Cameron frames her subject in soft, white fur and uses muted lighting to give the appearance of gentle beauty.
Painters vied to portray the ideal Victorian household. The picture below entitled Home Sweet Home by W.D Sadler is typical of paintings of this era.

While this might seem like a perfect way of life for some, it could be stifling for a woman with aspirations or interests outside the home. Middle or upper-class women who were unmarried were regarded as "redundant" and unimportant with no actual status or role, and when they sought to fulfil themselves by working outside the home they were seen as rebellious and unusual. In popular media of the time they were often portrayed as objects of ridicule. Check out this late 19th century cartoon from Punch in which the elderly and unattractive (of course!) spinster tells her friend she's given up campaigning for women's rights, to dedicate herself to finding eligible widowers or women's lefts.

At the other end of the spectrum, lower-class working women like seamstresses, governesses and maids were seen as objects of pity and portrayed by socially conscious artists such as Richard Redgrave whose painting, The Poor Seamstress, captures the image of the poor working class woman, slaving from morning till night, sacrificing her life in a dark attic to feed her children.

And those women who dared to step away from the rigid bounds of respectability became fallen women, who would suffer dire consequences as portrayed in Redgrave's, The Outcast, in which a young woman and her illegitimate child are forced from the household into the dark, snowy night by the stern, respectable patriarch of the family. Earnest entreaties from a distraught sister go unheard, while Mother comforts her sobbing son.

Perhaps it is Edmund Leighton's painting, Till Death Do Us Part, that truly portrays the idea that many Victorian women had little choice in determining the course of their lives. In this picture, the dejected young bride casts her eyes downwards in sorrow as she walks down the aisle with her rich elderly suitor, while her dashing young lover looks on, knowing she's lost to him forever.

The only self-determined choice for a fallen woman was depicted in George Frederick Watts' painting, Found Drowned, based on Thomas Hood's poem, The Bridge of SighsHere a poor young woman atones for her sins by paying the ultimate price.


These are just a few of the paintings I came across in my research, but they're a fascinating way of understanding the mindset of that era and the way it has influenced us and continues to influence us to this day! 
Also, the fact that these pictures were painted around a hundred and thirty years ago is a sign of how far we've come in terms of women's rights in many areas of the world, but should also serve as a reminder that a large majority of women still suffer terrible restrictions to their rights and freedoms in many other parts of the world.




Thursday 21 December 2023

HOLIDAY NEWS, REVIEWS and RELAXATION


By now you should be winding down for a relaxing weekend with friends and family. Maybe you're lucky enough to be extending your holiday by going somewhere warm and tropical. A cruise, perhaps or a stay in an exotic resort. Whatever you choose I hope you have time to sit back, relax drink some egg nog and READ a good book!! That's why today's post is longer because I'm recommending some great books I've read this year. I'm also going to mention some amazing poems to listen to as well as music I've been using while working on my latest novel. 
THE NIGHT SIDE LAUNCH NEWS



I had a lovely launch party with family and friends who've also been loyal fans. If you missed any of my podcast appearances, you can still see them at THE THRILLER ZONE and the POISONED PEN BOOKSTORE. You can also check out my article in Crimereads entitled Mystic Threads, Spirit Mediums and Psychics in Crime Fiction. Don't forget to comment or leave a thumbs up! 
Also, the best gift (gifts) you can give an author are reviews on Goodreads or Amazon or whatever platform you read the book on, as well as requesting your local library to acquire the book or a set for book clubs. Any member can make that request. I'm always available for virtual or in-person book club appearances. Check out my website for details: https://www.marjoriedeluca.com/

Re: the Holiday Launch Giveaway, four lucky winners (in B.C, Manitoba, Arizona and California) received Kindle copies or hardcovers already. Sorry I couldn't send something to everyone who entered, but I will have more giveaways in 2024.

And now, the book recommendations!!

MEXICAN GOTHIC by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia




“There’re people and there’re voices. I see them sometimes, the people in the walls. They’re dead.”

This chilling, feminist thriller by the brilliant Silvia Moreno-Garcia plays cleverly with all the tropes of a Gothic domestic-noir: a decaying and apparently haunted Victorian mansion in a post-colonial burned-out mining town, exploited for years by English silver barons, a plucky heroine who comes to rescue her ailing cousin, held captive by her oppressive husband, and finally, a dark and terrifying secret just waiting to be uncovered.
Noemí, the main protagonist is an unlikely heroine. She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and vivid red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s tough, smart and brave, with an indomitable will. She isn't scared of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the decaying patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom (and weird mushrooms!).
Her only ally turns out to be the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. 
In its review, the Washington Post rightly calls this “a creepy, intoxicating mystery that’s almost impossible to put down,” but it’s also a chilling indictment of the real-life horrors of eugenics, racism and the plunderous practices of colonialism.
I was lucky enough to see this brilliant author interviewed at the Vancouver Writers' Fest this year. She's such an entertaining speaker and a diehard fan of classic noir movies. 



CALICO by Lee Goldberg
This was such a refreshing read. Successfully marrying a crime thriller with sci-fi and time travel is no easy feat and bestselling thriller writer, Lee Goldberg carries it off wonderfully. Loved the period detail in the historical sections and thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns and many surprises of the fast-moving plot which features a flawed and truly likeable female cop as the protagonist. It's also set in the dusty desert town of Barstow, California, which I've passed through many times on the road from L.A to Las Vegas. Goldberg makes this unlikely setting really come to life. A great read.


DIRECTIONS FOR DARK THINGS by Stephanie Sowden
This story about an aging heiress living alone in the Hollywood Hills and the desperate real estate agent who tries to help her unlikeable boyfriend by unearthing something secret and very important from the crumbling mansion, really drew me in and kept me interested throughout. The dual timeline story tells of Audrey, the heiress's tragic and dysfunctional family during the early golden age of pre-WW2 moviemaking. 
Sowden takes an interesting and possibly little known historical event of a fascist plot to 'take over' the Hollywood movie industry, and pave the way for the Germans to march into California, and weaves a twisty story around it.
The well-paced story and great sense of atmosphere, as well as the intriguing character of Audrey, made this a compelling read.





THE MYSTERY GUEST by Nita Prose

At first I was a little sceptical that Nita Prose could recapture the quirky appeal of Molly the maid at the Regency Grand,  who readers first met in her breakout debut, The Maid, but after a few pages, I was soon drawn back into her world. The novel acquires more depth with the parallel development of Molly's back story covering her childhood when her beloved Gran looked after her due to the absence of Molly's mother who remains a shadowy figure, but makes a tantalizing and brief appearance midway through. 
The story centers around the possible poisoning death of renowned crime author, J.D. Grimthorpe, who we discover has ties with both Molly and her Gran. The author deftly weaves this storyline around the quest to unmask the culprit, led by Detective Stark, Molly's nemesis in the first book. Surprisingly, she soon turns to Molly, a stickler for the smallest detail, for help in solving the crime. 
This book was basically a cozy mystery, which is not my favourite genre because of the overly simplistic police procedures and slight unbelievability of Molly's part in solving the crime, but fans of the genre will find this an entertaining and satisfying read and undoubtedly look forward to the next instalment in the series.

PROPHET SONG by Paul Lynch

 I'm a huge fan of dystopian novels. I started out my writing career in that genre and Prophet Song, this year's Booker Prizewinner, ranks up there with classics like Atwood's The Handmaiden's Tale, sharing many parallels like a strong, heroic woman as the main character and the fact that every horrific and unimaginable incident portrayed in the story is happening somewhere in the world today. An important novel for our times, the story jogs us us out of our complacency, despite the fact we've become desensitized towards the horrors that brutal political regimes can unleash on a country. We're accustomed to watching the devastation of war and the resulting societal collapse, on TV from the safety of our living rooms. We witness the agonies of streams of displaced men, women and children driven from their homes, and risking their lives to reach safety, and we believe it can never happen to us. Reading this book sends us hurtling into the nightmarish chaos of a country—in this case, Ireland—that is suddenly and without warning, overtaken by a fascist totalitarian regime. Lynch portrays an ordinary middle-class family caught up in the complete disintegration of life as they know it. Eilish, a microbiologist, is a mother of four whose husband, Larry, a teachers' union member, is one of the first to"disappear" leaving Eilish as the sole protector of her children and her aging father. The unrelenting , barely punctuated chunks of prose give the novel a breathless sense of events spiralling out of control in this story of a mother’s desperation to save her family and children from destruction when all human rights have been completely eroded. Lynch reminds us that this living nightmare is happening right now in some parts of the world, but could easily become a reality for anyone, anywhere. Even those of us living in the more affluent west. It's an astonishing novel and a deserving winner of the Booker Prize.

POEMS

Usually when I sit down to work I take some time to listen to poetry on YouTube. That usually fires me up to keep working. You might like to listen to some as well. Some poems I've used in the past include:

A LETTER TO REMIND MYSELF WHO I AM by the brilliant Shane Koyczan. Listen here.

THE RABBIT CATCHER by Sylvia Plath, read by Sylvia Plath. Listen to it here

STILL I RISE by Maya Angelou. Can't resist this one! Listen here.

RHAPSODY ON A WINDY NIGHT by T.S Eliot, read by Jeremy Irons. Listen here

NIGHT POEM by Margaret Atwood, read by Margaret Atwood. Listen here


MUSIC

Sometimes I listen to music. I'm writing a new crime thriller set around the music business that involves iconic older (fictitious) artists, so I've been listening to a wide variety of music from different eras and genres. Here's selection for you to check out:

EVEN FLOW by Pearl Jam. Check out a dynamic Eddie Vedder, grunger extraordinaire here

GLORIA by the iconic queen of punk, Patti Smith. Listen here.

ANGEL OF MERCY by king of the blues guitar, Joe Bonamassa here

THE LAST THING YOU SHOULD DO by two of my faves David Bowie and Robert Smith right here

I PUT A SPELL ON YOU by the incredible Ledisi  right here

YOU BRING ME JOY by a radiant Yolanda Adams right here

A HOUSE IS NOT A HOME by the amazing Luther Vandross here

GIMME SHELTER by The Rolling Stones and the mind-blowing Lisa Fischer here

Happy Reading AND listening!!
Happy Holidays

Wednesday 6 December 2023

BOOK LAUNCH NEWS



After an exciting week leading up to book launch day for THE NIGHT SIDE, I just wanted to send you a quick update to let you know about a special HOLIDAY LAUNCH GIVEAWAY to celebrate the book's publication. It's easy to enter. Here are the details:

  • go to my website at https://www.marjoriedeluca.com/ and you'll find the entry form. Fill it in and click SUBMIT, and you'll be entered to win one of the following prizes:
- one of TWO signed hardback copies of THE NIGHT SIDE (Canada and US entrants only)

- one of TWO Kindle e-books (US entrants only).

If you're on Twitter, you can win an extra SURPRISE gift by following me, retweeting and tagging my giveaway post, or if you're on Instagram, look out for my giveaway posts, follow me, Like the post and tag a friend in the Comments.

Winners will be notified by the 16th December.

I'll arrange something for all you UK readers out there in the near future.

Also I had a wonderful time chatting with Barbara Peters at the Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale, Arizona. If you're ever in Scottsdale, check out this terrific place. they sure do a whole lot to support authors and their readers.



You can watch the video of the podcast right here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoiNLEwW7eg


Pre-launch party pic!!

Happy reading and happy holidays to you all! I'll be back in the New Year with some great book recommendations and other exciting book news!



Wednesday 29 November 2023

LAUNCHING A NEW BOOK

 

LAUNCHING A NEW BOOK







Being a published fiction writer isn't just about writing what you, your agent and your publisher feel is a good, hopefully great novel. 

But first, just to be clear, as most would-be writers know, it takes a whole lot of agony, sweat, persistence and rejection to even write a book, sign with an agent who will then sell your book (best-case scenario) to a publisher, so I have to count myself as fortunate to have even reached that point. Most writers have to be incredibly patient, thick-skinned and absolutely determined to get there.



So, once your book is finally revised, edited, proofread etc. etc. there are a few more steps before publication day:

  • an ARC (advance review copy) goes onto NetGalley, a site where professional reviewers, bloggers, librarians, journalists are able to request a copy in exchange for an honest review. Then begins the long wait, during which you find yourself checking the reviews and hoping the response will be positive. 
  • Other ARCs go out to authors, trade publications like Booklist and Publishers' Weekly and various magazines and websites in the hopes they will review the book and include some quotable comments that can be used when publicizing it.
  • Depending on your publisher, they may arrange appearances on podcasts, guest articles in newspapers/magazines, zines or your agent might do the same.
  • Most of the rest is up to you, the author to use your social media platform to spread the word about your book on TikTok, Instagram, Twitter (X), and Facebook. Anything goes here: Book trailers, aesthetics reels that convey the flavour/atmosphere of your book, posts, stories, blog posts, book giveaways. Anything to get your book out there in the public eye. It's exhausting, but maybe it will pay off if you get enough buzz going!
I've discovered that readers/influencers/other authors are usually incredibly generous when it comes to helping get the word out and that's why one of an author's most important jobs is to build up a platform of loyal readers/ followers.




I'm happy to have been on one terrific podcast so far; The Thriller Zone with David Temple was a blast. You can check out the video by clicking here






I'm now going to be appearing on the Poisoned Pen Bookstore podcast on Friday December 1st at 5:30 p.m (MT). The links to view live or a recorded version are down below:



So after all this, we writers hope that readers will be interested enough to pick up our book and more importantly, enjoy the fruits of our labour. I love to hear from readers and I'm always willing to make real or virtual appearances at book clubs. It's fascinating to hear enthusiastic readers find meaning in your work. Check out my website at https://www.marjoriedeluca.com/ to find out more details about book clubs.

HAPPY READING!!



Sunday 13 August 2023

BOOK NEWS and REVIEWS


NEW BOOK COMING DECEMBER 2023!!

I'm so excited to tell you about my upcoming new novel from Severn House Publishers (a division of Canongate Books). It's called THE NIGHT SIDE and is coming out in hardback and and all major digital platforms on December 5th 2023. You can pre-order it now at Waterstones, Barnes and Noble as well as Amazon, Apple Books and Kobo. The Trade Paperback will follow in the late spring. Here's a synopsis: 

  TWENTY YEARS OF SECRETS. ONE DEADLY TRUTH 
 
When Ruby Carlson was eighteen, she ran away from her home in Stoneybrook, Montana, and vowed she'd never return. Never return to life under the control of her manipulative mother, Ida, a self-styled medium and psychic scammer who made a career out of ruining people's lives. Never return to the small town where enemies lurk at every turn. But now, twenty years later, Ruby is back. Her mother is missing, presumed dead, and Ruby reluctantly returns to a home filled with chilling memories to settle Ida's affairs. Did she really commit suicide by drowning, or is this another dark scheme? Ruby thought she knew everything about her mother, but finds herself unraveling a web of lies and secrets to reveal a story more twisted than anyone could have imagined . . .

Stay tuned for upcoming blog posts with more information about the inspiration behind the novel!

AUDIO BOOK NEWS




New audiobook versions of THE PERFECT FAMILY MAN and THE SECRET SISTER are now available on Amazon and the Audible store. I was so stoked to learn that THE PERFECT FAMILY MAN is narrated by the wonderful Helen Laser who also narrated the amazing smash hit, YELLOWFACE, July's Reese's Bookclub pick. I'll be reviewing it next blog post. Check the books out. They're amazing to hear on audio.

NEW COVER

Check out the new cover for my popular romantic suspense novel, LILAH, available on all Amazon platforms. This one really captures the snowy winter setting of Silver Narrows, North Dakota.




BOOK REVIEW





WHITE IVY by Susie Yang

 

Right from the get-go in Susie Yang’s twisty novel, we understand the protagonist, Ivy, is a morally ambivalent character trained by her immigrant grandmother at an early age to use her unassuming appearance for cover to steal items from second-hand shops and yard sales. Ivy continues this trend into her adolescence, blithely shoplifting anywhere and everywhere in order to acquire all the trappings necessary to be accepted into the ‘in-crowd’ at her exclusive private high school and, more importantly, attract the attention of her idol, ‘golden boy’, Gideon Speyer. 

Gideon becomes her perfect ideal of a man, but her darker side prefers loner and social outcast, Roux with whom she embarks on a torrid sexual relationship. When her hardworking parents discover her crimes, she’s sent back to China to ‘learn a life lesson’ but instead lands at her wealthy aunt’s home and continues to enjoy the excesses of materialism and learn everything she can about good taste and shopping. A short stay with the ‘poorer’ side of her parents’ family only confirms her determination to enjoy ‘the good life’ and become part of what she perceives as society’s ‘upper, privileged echelons’.

Interestingly, Ivy doesn’t conform to stereotype or to her parents' expectations, with her unspectacular college career that lands her a job as an elementary school teacher. But when she runs into Gideon’s sister and re-establishes contact it seems her plan to insert herself into his ‘privileged existence’ is back on track again as she pretends to prepare for law school entrance and continue a relationship with Gideon. Too bad it’s threatened by an unwelcome ghost from her past.

Ivy is an incredibly complex character. Vulnerable one minute, ruthless the next. Yang captures her internal struggle as she attempts to negotiate a society that values white privilege and all the trapping of their perceived socio-economic superiority, yet somehow causes her to devalue the financial success of her hardworking parents who turn out to be much more business-savvy and financially stable than their white counterparts.

What follows is a chain of unexpected events and a totally unpredictable ending where Ivy realizes she’s not so different from her mother in that she’s prepared to do anything to achieve her dream. Written in gorgeous razor-sharp prose, this is a remarkably subversive debut that introduces one of the most complex but compelling characters in recent fiction and cleverly shines a light on the alienation and forced ‘otherness’ of the immigrant experience.

Tuesday 13 June 2023

BOOK REVIEW: EVERGREENS by Liam Brown

EVERGREENS by Liame Brown
This fast-paced page-turner by Liame Brown poses the age-old question, Who Wants to Live Forever? The answer, it seems, is not as straightforward as we might think, particularly when the two people in a romantic relationship hold diametrically opposite viewpoints on the issue. The story is told from two points of view and spans a period of sixty-five years. We first meet Sophie and Ben in the year 2070 as elderly Sophie watches a youthful Ben as he lies in his hospital bed, aging in front of her eyes. Rewind back to 2005 when Ben and Sophie meet for the first time as carefree nineteen year old backpackers traveling during their gap year. Ben comes from a troubled, more deprived childhood while Sophie's life has been one of comfort and privilege, which Ben finds somewhat intimidating. So begins their on-again, off-again relationship which takes many twists and turns through the years, the most significant one being when Ben signs up for the Evergreens Project which guarantees that the clients will not age physically and will stay twenty-one forever. the problem is that Ben lacks motivation and becomes stuck in a rut with all the time in the world to figure out what he wants to do and if he even wants to do it.
The novel is a fascinating exploration of what might happen to a person facing a life that could go on forever. Suddenly priorities change, and relationships become risky when you know you'll outlive all your friends and you'll do it as someone who stays permanently young. The same goes for intimate relationships which might work, but only for a limited length of time before the differences between you and your aging partner become too great. Then there's the conflict between your youthful body and your aging mind and character. You might have the body of a twenty-one year old, but your experience and attitude towards life will be that of a fifty-year-old, which poses all kinds of challenges in terms of how you want to spend your time. Liame Brown explores these questions and more through the lens of Ben and Sophie's relationship. Only later does he widen his scope and begin to consider the societal effects that age-reversal technology might have on society. I'd like to have seen more of this during the novel, but perhaps narrowing the scope is a more realistic way to deal with such a massive question. Overall this was an enjoyable read with an intriguing premise. Thanks to Legend Press for sending me an early copy to review.

"THE LONG CON": RESEARCHING THE NIGHT SIDE:

  Pre-writing: The   Research Stage When a new story idea is formulating in my head, the first thing I do is pick out a beautiful notebook, ...