Lou Paduano | Urban Fantasy Novels | Sci-Fi Crime Series

Pathways in the Dark Arrives Next Week!

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We’re only a week out from the release of Pathways in the Dark, book four in the Greystone series. You would think it would be old hat by now but when it gets to crunch time like this I am still a nervous newbie.

And I shouldn’t be. Not for this project.

I loved putting this collection together. It pushed me in different directions. It forced me to question certain notions about Portents and the world created over the first three books.

Mostly though, it challenged me on a story level to make this separate tales connect thematically. To really push the characters with unique challenges and test them before the next big thing comes their way this fall.

What’s included?

Six tales rest at the heart of this collection. Founder’s Day, which is still available for free separate from the rest of the contents, follows Loren and Myers chasing down clues connected to the fallen Church of the Second Coming. A classic whodunit that forces Loren to face his past mistakes and choose a better path.

        

In Collateral, see Loren and Soriya deal with the fallout of Henry Erikson’s search for immortality from The Medusa Coin and the damage it inflicts on not only the city but their fragile partnership.

Trustfall follows Alejo Ruiz during his leave of absence from the department. Thefts are on the rise near his daughter’s college campus and he is pulled into the case with danger lurking from both friend and foe.

The Apartment is a solo Soriya tale as she works to find her place in Portents. Connecting with the city has to take a backseat as a haunting threatens the lives of two brothers and leads to a greater understanding of what is happening to the Bypass.

Blackmail puts Detective Samantha Myers in the spotlight as more of her ominous past comes to light.

And Connections follows Soriya’s newest friend Gilgamesh, from The Medusa Coin, as he is abducted by the Cult of Anubis. Can Soriya save him in time before he becomes their ultimate sacrifice? Hints at what is to come in the series are brought to light in this tale.

What are people saying about Pathways in the Dark?

“I thought it was awesome.” – Christina (Amazon Reviewer)

“This series gets better and better and better. Very highly recommended must read.” – Steve (Amazon Reviewer)

“Pathways will keep you on the edge of your seat and begging for more.” – TE (Goodreads Reviewer)

Pre-order your copy today!

The ebook is available now for pre-order at the low price of $0.99!! Paperback fans will be able to order their copy starting February 20th!

            

Founder’s Day Launch!

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It’s finally here! Founder’s Day is available now!

The sequel to Resurrectionists arrives and Greg Loren is put to the ultimate test.

On the eve of the Founder’s Day Celebration in the heart of Portents, someone is murdering city officials and dressing them up in a signature black robe and cloak. Detective Greg Loren and his new partner, Samantha Myers, are called onto the case only to discover a startling fact linking the murders to the deaths of each of the city’s founders.

What do the murders have to do with the Church of the Second Coming? Will Loren be able to find the killer before the entire city of Portents is at risk?

The seeds are planted for the end of the first cycle of the Greystone series in this tale.

This tale also serves as a primer for the upcoming Greystone Collection, Pathways in the Dark, coming February 20, 2018!

Why this tale from Pathways?

When putting together Tales I knew having a Soriya/Loren story as the freebie was a necessity. This time around not having them together was more important to the overall narrative. Their split is vital to where things are headed and you’ll see more of that shift in the tales preceding this one in the Pathways in the Dark collection this February.

Plus, the added bonus of tying the tale into Resurrectionists was a nice touch to keep the story flowing for the reader.

I hope you enjoy it!

Get your free copy of Founder’s Day today!

      

Come back next week for more commentary on The Medusa Coin!

Thanks for reading!

Writing Update – October 19, 2017

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I’ve been hiding from the world of late. My social media presence was never staggering but has been extremely limited the last few weeks. Why? I’ve been writing! Best excuse ever, right?

NaNoWriMo and The Lost Outpost

If you’ve been following my blog the last week you may have noticed some attention placed on NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month. I wasn’t sure I was going to participate this year, I have plenty to keep me busy as it is – but inspiration struck and now I can’t wait.

I put the finishing touches on a new script-level draft this week. The book is called The Lost Outpost and is my first foray into the sci-fi/space opera genre. New worlds, alien cultures, war and strife. Lots of interesting elements to play with and new characters to learn. It’s been quite the experience putting this together after living in Portents for so long but I’m excited to see where it goes come November 1st!

Founder’s Day

The pre-order should be up next week for the FREE novella sequel to Resurrectionists. Reading through it again, I forgot the fun that came with Loren and Myers’ growing partnership. Yeah, there’s murder and betrayal – lots of darkness abound – but the back and forth between these two characters made the whole project worthwhile.

I’ll be sure to share some links as soon as I have them!

Meanwhile, if you or someone you know hasn’t downloaded a copy of Resurrectionists be sure to snag it before Founder’s Day arrives on December 5th. Definitely want to read that first chapter before diving into the latest Greystone tale.

Reading

I am one-third of the way through my Fall Reading List for those keeping score at home. I think I have time for one more read before the insane drafting begins next month. We’ll see how it goes.

A Fistful of Rain by Greg Rucka – Loved it. Absolutely loved it. Mim Bracca is the kind of character you can’t help but hate and root for at the same time. I could not stop picturing Krysten Ritter from Jessica Jones as the main character, couldn’t stop hearing her voice even. It fit so well.

A fast read with plenty of character moments. Can’t recommend it enough.

Advance Team

I’m opening the Advance Team up again for new readers. If you’re interesting in receiving a free copy of the next Greystone book in exchange for an honest review come release time shoot me an email at lou@loupaduano.com.

Can’t wait to hear from you!

Thanks for reading

Pathways in the Dark Teaser

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Earlier this week I shared a first glimpse at December’s digital only FREE release – Founder’s Day. Like Resurrectionists before it, Founder’s Day serves as a primer for the rest of the short story collection coming out in February – Pathways in the Dark.

Background for Pathways in the Dark

This was the title of the first book way, way, way back in 2008. I thought it summed up my feelings about the series nicely. Unfortunately it never fit with the narrative being told and Signs of Portents was born from that change.

But the title still fit and I knew it would. Somewhere.

When I put the final touches on Tales from Portents last year, I realized how much I enjoyed the short story format. It was a nice break from writing out those epic novels and really opened up new ways of telling tales set in the Greystone universe.

I come from a comic book reading childhood (he said staring at his Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus next to his computer…) so I’m accustomed to larger epics broken up between smaller – yet still important – moments in a character’s life.

That was the purpose behind Tales. Background on the characters and the world.

Pathways in the Dark is very much the same, yet – to me – it feels completely unique. Tales was a prequel. With Pathways, everything is in the present.

The importance of the moment…

Theme became the connecting point for these stories and all tied back to the title of the collection. Pathways in the Dark represents a glimpse at each character following the events of The Medusa Coin. From Ruiz to Myers, from Soriya to Loren, each player faces an obstacle that calls their path forward into question.

Pathways is about how to find your way back to the light at the darkest of moments. How to build a life from ashes. How to succeed. And how to fail…

Pathways in the Dark arrives in February

pathways in the darkThe shadows are growing around Portents.

Detective Greg Loren attempts to recover from injuries sustained during his hunt for the Medusa coin but is pulled into more darkness as the full extent of Erikson’s attempt at immortality is discovered.

Soriya Greystone works to connect with the city she protects, stumbling on fluctuations caused by the evolving Bypass and an ancient cult attempting to bring back the god, Anubis. On top of the dangers surrounding the pair, the Founder returns to the city and brings death with him.

Danger is around every corner and Portents grows darker as war inches closer to the surface in these tales from the Greystone collection.

War is coming…

I said it last time. We’re rolling downhill on our way to one explosive finale come next September. Pathways takes you one step closer to the end.

And not everyone comes out of the dark…

I can’t wait to share more from this incredible project. Lots of cool tidbits and teasers coming closer to the end of the year.

Thanks for reading.

Founder’s Day – A Glimpse Ahead at Greystone

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It’s been a crazy launch month for The Medusa Coin. I am always amazed at the support from writers and readers alike, willing to do anything to make sure we are all doing our part to spread the word about indie authors. It has been an incredible community to work with this past year and I hope to be able to do more in the future.

What comes next?

The Medusa Coin changes things for the series. I won’t spoil the book here. I’ll save that for later in the month when I start my commentary on the manuscript.

Much like a single book there is a feeling like we’ve been climbing to the top of hill, pushing this gigantic boulder in front of us. The Medusa Coin was the apex, slowing building and building and now comes the fun part.

Falling down.

Loren and Soriya are headed toward an event, one utterly unavoidable. But in their way are certain obstacles – each unique to our two principal players.

Loren’s arrives this December with the release of Founder’s Day.

Founder’s Day – First Look

Founder's DayOn the eve of the Founder’s Day Celebration in the heart of Portents, someone is murdering city officials and dressing them up in a signature black robe and cloak.

What does it have to do with the Church of the Second Coming? And will Loren be able to find the killer or will the entire city of Portents be at risk?

The seeds are planted for the end of the first cycle of the Greystone series in this tale!

Founder’s Day is a direct sequel to Resurrectionists and will be available FOR FREE on December 5, 2017!!

The challenges in this tale…

I went over this one many times. The second I hit the publish button on Resurrectionists last year I knew this story was coming.

The challenge came in juggling priorities in this story. Not only was it a sequel to Resurrectionists, it served as the primer for February’s release – Pathways in the Dark – AND set the stage for book five’s incredible climax of the series’ first major arc.

Talk about pressure.

With Pathways, especially when it came to this tale, I was able to open the door to some new ideas. I was able to widen the scope of the series but also ground it in a way that I hope will still entertain readers set on myths and monsters.

Founder’s Day is a true test for Loren, one that will require all his detective skills to solve.

More news and a preview of the tale coming your way next month!

Resurrectionists Commentary Part 3

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We’ve made it to the last author commentary for the Tales from Portents collection at last! My hope with these author commentaries is to offer insight into the decisions made in putting the project together and the challenges therein. It’s also fun to point out the little Easter eggs throughout.

So, the final SPOILER WARNING is in effect!

The Founder

In the original version of Resurrectionists there was a clear villain in the form of the Founder.  He had dubiousFounder intentions and the mystery behind his identity was very much in play.

Then I thought better.

Is there a villain in Resurrectionists? Not really. Using this crucial component of the Greystone series as more a morality tale for Loren and Soriya than a battle between good and evil strengthened the emotional core of the story.

The face of the Founder

The first and second draft held the same premise: at the climax of the story, the Founder was arrested and unmasked for the city to see.

The aftermath chapters centered on his story before diving into Loren’s suspension and subsequent leave of absence. In essence, all character growth, the heart of the story being told was blocked by the need to explain who and what the Founder truly was.

It didn’t work.

It was awkward and it raised more questions than it answered. And it sure as hell took some of the juice away from the pain Loren was going through after the debacle.

Pulling away from Loren in this moment as well as from Soriya as she watches him leave at the end of the story, would have undercut the strength of these scenes, and the reason the story existed in the first place.

The unmasking also put more emphasis on explaining how the resurrections occurred as well. That was something I wanted ambiguous. The less said the better. Spelling out the mystical, defining every aspect of a supernatural or faith-based element in the narrative is never for the benefit of the story or the reader.

Leaving those questions, allowing the reader to make their own judgement engages the audience more. Or it frustrates the hell out of them. (Definitely not my intention…)

The other benefit of leaving the Founder in the wind with his mask and motivations intact?

Founder’s Day

FounderIt leaves things open for a kick-ass sequel.

That’s right. Coming December 5, 2017, Founder’s Day will be coming your way.

FOR FREE.

On the eve of the Founder’s Day Celebration in the heart of Portents, someone is murdering city officials and dressing them up in a signature black robe and cloak.

What does it have to do with the Church of the Second Coming? And will Loren be able to find the killer or will the entire city of Portents be at risk?

The seeds are planted for the end of the first cycle of the Greystone series in this tale!

The End.

That brings us to the end of the commentary for Tales from Portents. I hoped you enjoyed this insight into the insanity I bring to all my work. The constant battles. The thoughts behind even the most miniscule of details. Everything is important and it is all to make the reading experience the best possible.

I hope you agree.

Thanks for reading!

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