Today, November 23rd (OK, it’s technically tomorrow, but it’s nearly 11 p.m.), with the Kindle launch of Perilous Gambit, the Mike Stoneman Thriller series is officially a series. I know, you can be a series at 3 books, and 4 books is nice, but getting to 5 books makes it a legitimate series. Plus, there’s a story arc that threads through these five books and reaches a conclusion (or at least a milestone) with this story. There is a sense of completion. It has been a busy last 18 months, during which I put out 3 books. It’s satisfying, and the books are good. Legit good. Book #3 (Lethal Voyage) was a finalist for two book awards, and was the winner of the Kindle Book Award — named the best indie mystery/thriller of the year in a contest with only 7 fiction categories. So, it means something. I’m honored. It makes the hard work more satisfying to know that people truly like the stories — both my fans, random readers who find the books, and the judges of the contests.

I’m looking forward to the next stage. I’m not quite ready to retire from my day job, but on the horizon I’m starting to think that being a full-time author would be a pretty nice retirement plan.

I wish everyone a joyous Thanksgiving, a happy holiday season, and a wonderful 2022.