Sign Up = FREE Book!

So, I don't know how long I'll run this little promotion, but I figured what the heck, it's Christmas!  Let's start 2025 with some FREE BOOKS!

Starting today, I will be giving away digital copies of my debut novel, THE GOUGE, to everyone who signs up to my mailing list.  

I want to say up front, I will not blow up your inboxes with a bunch of nonsense junk mail.  Literally, over the past three years, I have only sent out two emails to my subscribers, and both were simple announcements for the release of my books.  I also promise to never I share your information with anyone for any reason.   

I've created a Landing Page HERE where you can sign up.  Once I see your signup, I will send you a copy of the book in the format of your preference.  Please be patient with me as I am being a bit cheap, and I'm not paying for the Mailchimp premium plan which will send notifications to me on signups.  I will be checking the signups manually.  If you don't receive a copy of The Gouge after a few days, please feel free to contact me in the comments here.  I may have just overlooked the signup.

Remember, this is only for a limited time.  I don't know when I'll end this promotion, so get it while you can!

Thank you all for a fantastic 2024.  Have a great 2025, and Happy Reading!

M.H. David

SIGN UP = FREE BOOK

2024 In A Nutshell...

So, looking back over this past year, I realize I've only posted to this blog about five times. I started the year with so much hope for this blog. I thought I could manage, at the bear minimum, one post per month. However, I've been burdened by something all year that kept beating me down and kept me from making the effort. I know it sounds like I'm making excuses, and maybe I am, but it really is the truth. There were several events this year that deterred my writing, but the main one was that my oldest son moved out of the house at the beginning of the year. He also moved two states away so he could attend a film school, so that's put one heck of a buffer zone between us.  His moving out seemed to set the stage for the rest of the year for me. 

I really miss seeing my son everyday, and I struggled for several months about whether I spent enough time with him while he was younger, when he really wanted my presence. I don't think I did all that bad as a father to him, but I let that infection thought of "Could I have done more?" worry my mind. I've been told all parents go through something like this when their kids leave the nest; "It's just a phase," they say. There have been a lot of "phases" to being a parent, but this has been the least fun one yet.  This one felt like it nearly defeated me.

I think I've finally adjusted to the change. I visit him as often as I can, we text a lot, and of course talk on the phone. We even managed to make it to a concert together earlier this year. Each time we speak, I have to fight the urge to tell him I wish he'd move back home. I don't want to put that on him. He knows I miss him, and that I love him, and that I'm proud of him and the things he's doing. He doesn't need to be subjected to any guilt for leaving home and finding his own way. I want him to be happy, but I also want him to know that dad is always here if he needs help. 

This post was seriously meant to be about making a commitment to this blog for 2025, but it took a very personal turn, and I'm not sorry for that. However, I do think I'll stop here for now. 

Wishing you both a very Merry Christmas, and so much love and joy for the New Year! 

God Bless,

M.H. David

This Was Never My Intention...

I want to say right now, this wasn’t my plan when I wrote the first line of The Gouge.  The Gouge was meant to be a stand-alone story, and that is all.  I’m not a big fan of books in a series, mostly because it seems like a gimmick to sell the next book.  Okay, it’s cool, but it really wasn’t what I was aiming for.  When sat down to write The Blue Hole, (again it was meant to also be a stand-alone story) I decided to do something just for fun—I decided to make a character from The Gouge, Detective Jason Burns, make what was supposed to be just a cameo appearance in The Blue Hole.  I chose to do this for two reasons:  One, because I needed a detective for the story in The Blue Hole, and two, I lazily didn’t feel like creating a backstory for a new detective.  Afterall, the work had already been done with Burns’ character and his backstory fit the bill close enough for what I wanted. 

Along the course of writing and finishing The Blue Hole, the book as a whole kind of morphed into a two separate stories—Story 1:  My original idea for The Blue Hole, and Story 2:  What Burns was going through.  Burns’ story actually took on a life of its own—it wasn’t supposed to be so focused on him, but more on the case which related to the original story.  Turns out, I really liked the way the two stories collided with one another. 

However, early on, after the initial release of The Blue Hole, it was pointed out to me that there was some confusion about the end result of Burns’ story in The Blue Hole—it felt incomplete.  The story is all there in the final pages of The Blue Hole—some of it more deductive and assumptive than the rest, but it’s there.  Could I have done a better job showing this?  I’m sure I could have, and I’m sorry I didn’t.  I’m not perfect, but I’m going to work on getting better with that.  To be honest though, there were some aspects of Burns’ story which were far too complicated to wrap up in detail in just one book, and include the rest of the original story in The Blue Hole.  So, naturally, guess what I’ve decided to do. 

The story will be continued in my next book!

That’s right, I’m going to ride that gimmick train!  Again, this was not the plan at the beginning of this story telling journey, but it’s what I’m faced with now.  I’m very excited about this next installment, and I have to say I am more thrilled about the idea of the connecting stories than I probably should be.  So far it’s been fun to write, and I can’t wait to share it with you both! 

So, if one of the two of you reading this are wondering when you can read this next installment, I will have some exciting news very soon!  If you don’t want to miss any news about the next book, it wouldn’t hurt to sign up for my email list on the left sidebar of your screen.  Don’t worry, I don’t send out pointless emails or spam.  It’s not monthly, weekly, or anything regular—to date I’ve sent out two emails to the group.  But if you want to be one of the first to get news on the new book, sign up!  But I might ask you to stay “quiet” about it for a little bit.  Hint?  What hint? 

Keep reading!

MHD  

If You've Reviewed a Book, You Are Awesome!

People who rate and review books are amazing!  Not only have they used their own hard-earned money to purchase the book, but they went out of their way after reading it to tell people what they liked about it.  Believe me, nothing brings more satisfaction to an author's spirit than reading a review from an authentic reader.

Sure, from time to time there are going to be a few bad reviews too.  There has to be.  Everyone is entitled to their opinion of a book.  Whenever these critical reviews pop up, I try to look on the bright side of this; someone still took the time to buy the book and read it.  (Hopefully, anyway.)  If I didn't meet their standards, I guess that's on me.  If I could please everyone with my writing, I wouldn't have a day job.  Right!

If you've recently bought a book, or read a book, please take the time to post a review. Even if it's short and sweet like, "Hey, this book wasn't all that bad."  Shorter reviews are better for future sales anyway.  Shoppers may not spend a lot of time reading over wordy reviews with potential spoilers.  Keep it simple.  Maybe mention a popular book or author the book is similar to.

If you're not great at putting your opinion into words, selecting a star rating is also a fantastic way to show support.  Five stars is preferred, by the way, but if you feel you need to select a lower rating like two stars, or even one star, please be a champ and explain why you gave that rating.  Sometimes these lower star ratings can confuse prospective buyers if they don't know why it was rated that way.  Example: If a book was a genre, you don't normally read, and you were giving it a shot, say just that.  It will tell other viewers that the rating isn't so much a grade on the quality of the book, but rather not matching your tastes.  There's nothing wrong with that.

No matter what, I stand by the title of this post:  If you have rated or reviewed a book ever, I think you are an awesome individual!  Thank you to all that have reviewed my books, and others!  You are making the dreams of so many authors come true!  These Five Stars are for You!

Keep Reading!

BIG NEWS! THE GOUGE AUDIOBOOK IS HERE!

The Gouge is now available in Audio Book Format!

I want to thank Raymond Holdridge II for lending his voice to my story.  When he auditioned for the reading, I knew right away he was perfect for the job.  I have a feeling you will all agree!  You can find more about Raymond and his directorial and voice over work on his Instagram page right HERE!  Also, check out Smoking Polar Bear Productions 

The Gouge is my debut novel, and for it to final be available in such a fun format is a real dream come true.

If you already own the Kindle edition of The Gouge, that means you can download the audio book version at a huge discount!  Just visit the book's Amazon page here:  THE GOUGE on AMAZON

ABOUT THE GOUGE:

Carson ran away from Cypress Creek to escape his dark past; his father was the serial killer dubbed, "The Man in the Woods."  Twenty-two years have passed, and a simple text message threatens to bring all of Carson's secrets out into the open.

The freshly slain bodies of two teenage girls have been discovered in the woods of Cypress Creek, and the methos of which the girls were killed are identical to those found nearly twenty-two years earlier on his father's victims.  The now retired detective who worked the first case has long suspected that Carson knew more than what he revealed during interrogations; now is his chance to prove it.  

Carson returns to Cypress Creek to finally face his past, but it is soon clear that he isn't the only person in that small-town harboring dark secrets about that fateful night in the woods.

THE GOUGE on AUDIBLE

BOOK REVIEW: The Manic Mission: Children of the Mob, BY: C.J. Simone

 

This was a wild ride right from the beginning.  In the first pages there’s action, mystery, thrills, and suspense, and it doesn’t let up from there.  Gabe is a very complex, and talented character with bipolar disorder.  He’s also the son of a mobster, and he has a noble mission.  Gabe’s disorder plays a key part in his actions, and the way the rest of the cast interacts with him. 

The story is told from many different points of view, and this really helped pronounce the empathy for some of the characters.  I felt like there was a lot of dialogue, but that’s not a bad thing.  In fact, all the dialogue felt passionate, and their voices were authentic in tone.  It was easy to hear the voices saying the words written, and that of course assisted in drawing me into the story.

This was a fun first installment to what I’m assuming will be a continuing series.  Recommended to people who enjoy mob style stories like The Sopranos .  Looking forward to the next installment!    

The Manic Mission can be purchase on Amazon HERE!

Thinking Cookies!

I've decided my first post of the year is going to be a sweet one!  

This definitely is not the healthiest of posts, but I’m going to level with the both of you on how I keep my focus.  When I sit down to write, I tend to have a package of a certain sweet snack by my side.  I call them, “Thinking Cookies.”  Don’t laugh.  We all have that snack that we really believe helps up think and work, mine just happens to be a cookie.  Why is this I wonder?  Why do we tend to think better while we are nibbling (or sometimes scarfing) away on a treat?  Maybe it’s a comfort thing.  Luckily, science has shown us that it’s really just the sugars and fats increasing the dopamine levels in my brain, thus making it easier for me to focus on the characters in my stories, and all of their secrets.  So, do I really like cookies, or do I just like the dopamine?  It’s probably not worth thinking about—Nah, I like cookies, and they make me happy.  I function better, and I write better, when I’m happy.  Simple as that!    

And by the way, it really doesn’t matter what kind cookie.  My go-to is usually the Oreo, but I can get by with just about any kind of cookie—chocolate chip, no-bake, peanut butter, sugar, or those butter cookies that come in the tin can—the list goes on and on.  As I’m writing this post, the thinking cookie of choice happens to be my wife’s homemade oatmeal cookie.

So, as I said at the beginning, I know this isn't the healthiest of tips, so please save any shame you might want to throw my way.  I know this is not a great habit, and I promise it is not a regular habit either.  Either way, I face the consequences of it often and have to work hard to burn off all the extra calories I put into my body, and even then it still doesn't feel like enough.  

Do you have a favorite snack when you’re trying to concentrate?  I’d love to hear all about it, as well as what you do to cut yourself off when you know you’re about to over do it. 

Keep Reading!