Bestseller!

Wow! Motion To Kill Is The Number One Bestselling Legal Thriller on Amazon's Kindle Bestseller List!

KILL THEM ALL

You won't want to miss Kill Them All, the latest installment in The Dead Man series, penned by my good friend, Harry Shannon. Here's a preview -

Matt Cahill was an ordinary man leading a simple life until a shocking accident changed everything. Now he can see a nightmarish netherworld that exists within our own. Now he's on a dangerous quest for the answers to who he is and what he has become...and engaged in an epic battle to save us, and his soul, from the clutches of pure evil.

When Matt wanders into a struggling Nevada tourist trap recreation of an "old west" town, he's unaware that he’s being trailed by a Special Ops team of professional mercenaries hired by a University desperate to unlock the secret behind his resurrection...and that he's put everyone around him in dire jeopardy. The mercenaries have no intention of letting Matt escape...or letting any witnesses survive. Matt finds himself in a deadly bind. Somehow he must rally the peaceful citizens into defending themselves against the sadistic, well-armed mercenaries… or sacrifice himself to save them from certain death.

Audio Books!

Boy, am I a dope! After telling you all the great ways you can get my books in time for the holidays, I forgot to tell you that you can download a bunch of them as audio books from the fine folks at Books In Motion! And you can download them for as little as $11.95 if you use the code BIMCLUB at check out!

Kevin Foley does a superb job of reading my books. If you like audio books, you'll love Kevin.

So download the audio editions of Motion To Kill, The Last Witness, Cold Truth, Shakedown and The Dead Man and listen to Lou Mason and Jack Davis fighting the good fight while the cold wind blows outside your door. And don't forget to use the code - BIMCLUB - at check out!

And, in case you missed it, check out this month's newsletter.

Say Hello To Jack Davis

Say hello to Jack Davis, star of my Jack Davis Thriller series. Jack is a mid-50ish FBI Agent whose life is turned upside down when he develops a movement disorder that makes him shake when he should shoot. The disorder is called Tics (a lousy name for a disorder if you ask me - nothing sexy about it). As Jack observes, it's not life threatening or life shortening but it is life annoying.

Jack and I share this movement disorder and creating his character has been a great way for me to process my own life-changing experience. I guess that's what they mean when they say "write what you know"!

These books were originally released in 2008 and 2009 by Kensington Publishing as original paperbacks. I'm thrilled to have gotten the rights back and to have the chance to introduce Jack all over again.

In the first book in the series, Shakedown, when Jack investigates a mass murder, a leak of crucial information and his imploding personal life throw him into the ultimate danger zone - where truth lies at the heart of betrayal.

And, if that wasn't enough....

In the second book, The Dead Man, participants in a study of the brain start to die exactly as they dreamed they would. When Jack investigates, he crosses paths with a serial killer and finds himself on both sides of the law and in the path of a murderer's terrifying rage.

Two of the best writers in the business, Michael Connelly and Robert Crais, had this to say about the Jack Davis thrillers.

Connelly says, "Shakedown is a really fine novel. Joel Goldman has got it locked and loaded and full of the blood of character and the gritty details that make up the truth. Page for page, I loved it."

And Robert Crais raves that The Dead Man is "a masterful blend of rock-solid detective work and escalating dread...both a top-notch thriller and a heart-rending story of loss, courage and second chances. I loved it."

Boy, after all that, how can you pass up Shakedown and The Dead Man? You can't. So grab them today for yourself and, while you're at it, give a few to your family and friends for the holidays!

Dead Times Four

Just in time for the holidays, I've put all four Lou Mason thrillers into a single ebook for only $9.99. If you've got a mystery or thriller fan on your gift list - including you - grab Dead Times Four.

If it was possible for me to embarrassed by high praise, these reviews would do it!

"Lou Mason is the sexy, brilliant but flawed counselor who is thrown into chaos and finds order...leading you to the edge." - Elizabeth Wenig

"Joel Goldman is the real deal!" - John Lescroart

Trial lawyer Lou Mason tracks the killer of two of his partners in Motion To Kill, the action-packed, can't-put-it-down first book in the Lou Mason Thriller series!

"The story line never skips a beat. Fans will set in motion a plea for Mr. Goldman to return with more Mason (Lou not Perry) legal thrillers." - Harriett Klausner

Lou Mason is back in The Last Witness and this time it's personal as Mason unearths secrets someone will do anything to keep. Goldman goes Grisham one better!

"Fast, furious and thoroughly enjoyable, The Last Witness is classic and classy noir for our time, filled with great characters and sharp, stylish writing." - Jeffery Deaver

A troubled young woman turns herself in for murder in Cold Truth and Lou Mason takes the case. A riveting, page-turning romp in the tradition of James Patterson!

"Wanted for good writing: Joel Goldman strikes again with Cold Truth." - The Kansas City Star

When Lou Mason is hired to prove a death row convict's innocence in Deadlocked, the past and present collide in an explosion of deceit, corruption and murder.

"Deadlocked, the fourth Lou Mason case, is the best and...when the action starts it is a real page turner delivered by a pro." - Mystery Scene Magazine

Think Lee Child's Jack Reacher meets Michael Connelly's Mickey Haller and you've got Joel Goldman's Lou Mason!

Dead Times Four is the perfect gift at a great price! Buy it today for someone you love or treat yourself to four unforgettable thrillers at an unbelievable price!

Persuasion, Promotion & Books

Check out Libby Fischer Hellman's insightful blog post on persuasion, promotion and books in the new world order where social media is king.

KILL THEM ALL

What better way to get into the Thanksgiving spirit than to KILL THEM ALL! The latest installment in the red hot paranormal, action adventure series, The Dead Man. Get it now for only 99 cents! Okay, so maybe that doesn't sound real Thanksgivingish but you'll thank me for the recommendation!

To E Or Not To E

Check out this video by my good friend, Libby Fischer Hellman, on the pros and cons of being an indie author.

Dead Times Four

Big news for the holidays! I'm releasing all four Lou Mason Thrillers in a single ebook titled Dead Times Four. You won't find a better gift for the reader on your list or for yourself!

Dead Times Four will be available on Amazon later this week.

Now here's the really big news - I'm giving away free copies!

All you have to do is post a review and a "like" on Amazon. That couldn't be easier if you've already read one of the four books in the series, Motion To Kill, The Last Witness, Cold Truth and Deadlocked. And, if you haven't, it will still be pretty easy and it will be a heck of a lot of fun because you'll get to read any or all of these knockout (if I do say so myself) legal thrillers.

Just send me an email at joelkgoldman@gmail.com and I'll send you Dead Times Four! Don't make me tell you twice! Though I probably will anyway.

Kindle Launches The Dead Man Series!

Kindle has launched Lee Goldberg & William Rabkin's The Dead Man Series, a new monthly paranormal men's action adventure series. Lee and Bill have penned a couple of these knockout novellas and put together a powerhouse lineup of contributing authors. I know because I'm lucky enough to be one of them! Look for my entry next year and get the first five now at an unbelievable price!

Septober Newsletter

Check out my Septober Newsletter and sign up for a chance to win Amazon gift cards just for subscribing!

DON'T MISS THIS!

I've got two terrific things to tell you about.

First, Deadlocked, the fourth Lou Mason Thriller, is now available as an ebook. Buy it! Review it! And "Like" it!

Ryan Kowalczyk denied slaughtering a young couple even after his best friend turned against him, sending him to death row. When Mason is hired to prove Ryan's innocence, a killer does whatever it takes to stop Mason. The deeper Mason probes, the greater the danger - until the past and present collide in an explosion of deceit, corruption and murder in Deadlocked.

Whew, boy - I don't know about you, but if I hadn't already written that book, I'd buy it in a heartbeat! And I'm not the only one. Here's what other people have said about Deadlocked.

"Lou Mason's best outing...highly recommended." - Lee Child

"The fourth Lou Mason case is the best and most though provoking and when the action starts it is a real page turner delivered by a pro." - Mystery Scene Magazine

"This is one of the finest legal thrillers I've read in years. Deadlocked is on a par with anyting written by John Grisham or Scott Turow." - Al Nye The Lawyer Guy

I said I had two terrific things to tell you about and I wasn't kidding. Here's the second one.

To celebrate the launch of Deadlocked, I'm offering the first book in the series, Motion To Kill, for a limited time at only 99 cents! You can't beat that with stick so grab both books today!

Too Good To Pass Up

You won't find a better way to spend 99 cents than buying Max Allan Collins True Detective!

Big News!

Here's the big news from my pal, Lee Goldberg, about his new series, The Dead Man, which Amazon's Thomas & Mercer has picked up. This is even bigger news for me because I'm writing one of the installments in the series.

Vote For Kahley!

My Pilates instructor, Kahley Schiller, is in a down-to-the-wire international contest for one of the best instructors in the world. Trust me on this, she's the best and deserves to win so please click here and vote for Kahley! Voting ends tomorrow.

What's Better Than Free?

Beats me! Check out my latest newsletter. Sign up and you may win one of three Amazon gift cards I give away each month!

And, for those of you keeping score at home (I know I am), as of this morning, all three Lou Mason Thrillers are on the Kindle Legal Thriller Bestseller list!

Motion To Kill is #12. The Last Witness is #50 and Cold Truth is #47! Thanks for all your support!

Best Pilates Instructor Ever!

My good friend and Pilates instructor, Kahley Schiller, is one of 10 finalists in an international competition for the Next Pilates Anytime Instructor Contest. Trust me on this one - she's the best in the business. Please click on this link and scroll down to Kahley's picture and vote for her! Maybe she'll go easy on us in the next class if she wins!

COLD TRUTH HAS LAUNCHED!

Cold Truth has launched and trust me it's hot!

When a troubled young woman turns herself in for murder, Lou Mason takes the case - yet something about her story doesn't add up. To catch a killer, Lou dives into the sordid world of money, drugs and a devastating black market where the price for the truth is paid in blood.

Here's what people are saying about the third Lou Mason thriller.

"Joel Goldman is the real deal. In Cold Truth, Lou Mason goes his namesake Perry one better and ought to make Kansas City a must-stop on the lawyer/thriller map."
John Lescroart, bestselling author.

"Wanted for good writing: Joel Goldman strikes again with Cold Truth."
Kansas City Star

"Joel Goldman's Cold Truth offers us a fast-paced legal thriller. This one makes good beach reading."
The Pilot, Southern Pines, N.C.

"It's a suspenseful, gritty story that keeps the reader engrossed till the very end."
The Facts, Brazosport, TX

If you love Michael Connelly, Lee Child and John Grisham, you'll love the first two books in the Lou Mason Thriller series!

When two of his partnes are killed, corruption, sex and murder fill trial lawyer Lou Mason's docket as he tracks the killer. Will Lou be the next victim? Find out in Motion To Kill.

Lou Mason is back in The Last Witness and this time it's personal when his surrogate father, Homicide Detective Harry Ryman, arrests his best friend, Wilson "Blues" Bluestone, Jr. for murder. Mason unearths secrets someone will do anything to keep as he closes in on a desperate killer, setting himself up as the next target.

So don't wait! Get 'em now!

Digital Apocalypse

Predictions about the future are notoriously unreliable. People have predicted the demise of almost everything and everyone while others have forecast nirvana in one form or another. Yet, here we are, muddling through.

Author Ewan Morrison offers his take on the ebook revolution which he casts as a digital apocalypse. He argues that every industry from telecommunications to music to porn that has undergone a digital transformation has suffered for it and that books are next. He predicts the end of books and authors as we know them by the next generation.

I have to say his analysis is pretty glum and compelling. I just hope he ends up in the same group of prognosticators who promised us jet packs, flying cars and death rays!
Holy crap! A lot of that stuff came true! Yikes!

Back On The Blog

I haven't posted in almost two weeks because I've been pretty busy working on The Collector, my novella for The Dead Man series, the revisions to my next novel, Stone Cold and getting my third Lou Mason thriller, Cold Truth, ready to launch later this week. Let me know what you think of the Cold Truth cover.

I'll be posting more about these projects but, in the meantime, here's a great way to get your week off to a good start. Check out this Bill Cosby video and I guarantee you'll still be laughing after it's over.

Bucket List Crime Novels

Bucket Lists are a useful reminder not to put off until tomorrow what you can enjoy today. Here's a pretty good one for crime novels to read before you die.

It's a good idea to buy all these books right now and put them on your nightstand if you believe, as I do, that the secret to a long life is to never finish reading all the books you have to read before you die because, if you never finish, then you will live forever!

That's why, when it comes to books, buy early and buy often!

Love for The Last Witness

Many thanks to Robert Carraher for the love he gives to The Last Witness in this review on blogcritics.org.

Here's part of what Rob has to say.

With prose that is as precise as the workings of a slot machine and dialog that is quick, biting, hardboiled and smart, Joel Goldman has crafted a masterpiece in this, the second Lou Mason book. The pace is unrelenting, the plot perfect as it twists through the frozen streets. The characters are realistic and excellently developed, and the story will pull you in like a gambling addiction. I warn you, don’t miss this book, newly rereleased in eBook format. But if you do get it you might as well preorder Cold Truth, the third book in the series.

Only my false modesty prevents me from including more. For that, you'll have to read the entire review!

Rogue Elephants

David Barash is a professor of psychology at the University of Washington who studies, among other things, conflict, aggression and revenge. He wrote a fascinating piece for the New York Times Op Ed page yesterday titled Washington's Rogue Elephants.

In his article, Barash talks about playing chicken, a classic game theory exercise in which two people drive their cars headlong at one another until one turns chicken and swerves away at the last instant. The winner is the one who didn't blink. The game works because at least one party plays by the rules, i.e., self-preservation is better than mutual destruction. The underlying assumption is that people are generally not crazy and that they will ultimately behave in a rational, predictable manner.

The game gets more interesting, and unpredictable, when one or both parties refuse to play by the rules by, for example, throwing the steering wheel out the window thereby ensuring that they cannot change course.

That's the rogue elephant, a term coined to refer to a male elephant in mating season that is in a state of must (heat). Driven crazy by his hormones, the elephant will go nuclear and all the other males know that they better let him have his way.

What to do when one party refuses to play by the rules, especially when the "crazy" party is willing to accept mutual destruction? Barash says that's when it's time for the other party to quit playing by the rules.

Barash couched his article in the context of the current debate in Washington on raising the debt limit but I think it applies equally well to writing fiction, particularly thriller fiction.

Characters that play by the rules are not nearly as compelling as those who refuse to do so. What villain is worth her salt if you aren't convinced she won't pull the trigger? How many times have you watched a TV crime drama play out and the bad guy drops the gun? No surprise in that. Hannibal Lector was so fascinating precisely because he violated one of the most basic rules of human civilization - Thou Shalt Not Eat Thy Neighbor!

The gate swings both ways. Good guys who break and bend the rules earn our admiration more easily than those who check all the boxes. Think Lee Child's protagonist, Jack Reacher. Here's a guy who roams the country with only the clothes on his back and a collapsing toothbrush in his back pocket. He'll do whatever it takes to whomever it needs to be done. Rules are for everyone else. Well, not all the rules. Doing the right thing is always Reacher's first rule. But the harder the way he does it, the better we like it.

So let's hear it for the Rogue Elephants we find between the pages. As for the ones in D.C. - not so much.

WOWSER!!!

Motion To Kill just hit #19 on Amazon's Kindle Bestseller List for Legal Thrillers! Thanks for all your support! Let's keep it moving on up!

Now I know you may need a microscope to read this screenshot but it's worth the effort. Of course these numbers can jump around as if they had ants in their pants but I'm loving this!

Latest Newsletter Giveaway

Hey! I sent out my latest newsletter today announcing, among other things, the winners of my monthly giveaway. That's right! I'm giving stuff away!

Every month, I give one $15 Amazon gift card and two $5 Amazon gift cards to people who sign up to receive my newsletter. Too good to pass up? You bet it is so click here to sign up and here to read the newsletter.

And grab your copies of Motion To Kill and The Last Witness! In ancient times, I would have added get them while they last! But one of the great things about ebooks is that they never go out of print! Ain't life grand!

Stilettos

I'm fairly new to blogging and am always looking for ways to attract readers. And there's no shortage of people offering their advice. In fact, if you search on Google for "how to make your blog popular", you will, in 0.24 seconds, get 168,000,000 results.

I've been thinking that I should dip into some of those links because my traffic, while steady, hasn't threatened to crash any servers. But those 168,000,000 experts overwhelmed me, paralyzing me with too much information. I wasn't worried, though, because I was certain that the universe would speak and show me the way.

And that's what happened. Only it wasn't the universe. It was a spammer who inundated my Facebook page, tagging me with photos of stilettos - the shoes, not the knives. After awhile, friends and family began whispering. What the hell is up with that? What's Joel doing at home when no one is looking?

When I finally realized what was going on, I deleted and blocked the posts and reported them to Facebook as spam. I also posted on Facebook that I'd been spammed. And that ignited a flurry of responses, most of them from people relieved that I wasn't hawking or wearing stilettos, though, in fairness, a few seemed disappointed. All of a sudden, I had more traffic than ever before!


So here's what I learned. Blogging about writing, publishing, movement disorders and other things that are shaking up my world will only get me so far in the blogosphere. If I want to hit the big time, I've got to do more than put my best foot forward. I've got to put my best shoes forward. So here there are!

THE LAST WITNESS HAS LAUNCHED!

I'm thrilled to announce the launch of the ebook edition of The Last Witness, the second book in the Lou Mason Legal Thriller Series!

Lou is back and this time it's personal when his surrogate father, Homicide Detective Harry Ryman, arrests his best friend, Wilson "Blues" Bluestone, Jr., for murder. Mason unearths secrets someone will do anything to keep as he closes in on a desperate killer, setting himself up as the next target.

Lee Child and Michael Connelly recommend The Last Witness and they aren't alone. Here's what some more of my favorite writers said about the book when it was first released in print.

"Fast, furious and thoroughly enjoyable, The Last Witness is classic and classy noir for our time, filled with great characters and sharp, stylish writing."
-- Jeffery Deaver, author of The Vanished Man and The Stone Monkey

"The Last Witness is an old fashioned, '40s, tough guy detective story set in modern times. There's a lot of action, loads of suspects and plenty of snappy dialogue. It's a fun read from beginning to end."
--Phillip Margolin, author of The Associate and Wild Justice

"Joel Goldman has written another fast-paced legal thriller. Find a comfortable chair and plan to stay up late."
--Sheldon Seigel, author of The Special Circumstances and Criminal Intent

"The Last Witness is a legal thriller written the way criminal law should be practiced: from the gut...one of the premier crime novels of the year."
--Jeremiah Healy, author of Turnabout and Spiral

If you'd like a thriller recommended by the best writers in the business, grab The Last Witness!

And don't miss the first book in this series, Motion To Kill!

It's been a little more than a month since I launched Motion To Kill and the response has been terrific with rave reviews and sales driving it up Amazon's list of bestselling Kindle legal thrillers. Thanks for all your support!

Hope you love The Last Witness just as much!

It's Get Your Yuks Time!

Christopher Walken is one of my favorite actors. Catch him in this 1993 interpretation of The Three Little Pigs - and check out his sweater.

Should I Write or Tweet?

I've mentioned Seth Godin on this blog several times. He's a bestselling author who made the jump from traditional publishing to self-publishing, redefining what it means to be a publisher with the Domino Project. Though he writes non-fiction about the business world, a lot of what he says is relevant to fiction writers.

In his July 17 on the Domino Project he highlights a couple of important issues:

"If you're going to make a business of your art, you need to be responsible for the monetization - you can't wait to be picked."

And,

"On the other hand, if the lizard brain is happier having you tweet instead of write, you've got a serious creation problem, one that you need to address before you're going to be able to make more great work."

Seth doesn't provide an answer to this dilemma but he does shine a necessary light on it. Social media is an important tool for raising a profile, helping to establish a brand and generally creating awareness of an author and his/her books.

BUT IT WON'T SELL MANY BOOKS unless you get hit by some Amanda Hocking lightning and, like all random phenomena, that doesn't happen very often. Worse yet, when it does happen, it deludes many authors into believing that it will happen to them. All they have to do is upload their books to Amazon and leave the light on for the Brinks armored car when they drop off the first million bucks.

What will sell books? The same thing that sells every other product and service known to mankind - advertising. I'm using Google Adwords to promote my first ebook, Motion To Kill on Amazon. After the first month, I'm in the black, taking in more revenue than I've spent on advertising and averaging in the last week a 2:1 ratio of revenue to expense. Motion To Kill has made it to #29 on the Kindle top 100 bestseller list for legal thrillers and to #54 on the Amazon books top 100 bestseller list for legal thrillers.

I've limited my promotion of Motion To Kill on BN.com to social media and managed to sell 4 copies and achieved a sales rank of 177,452.

I can't prove that Adwords generated every sale on Amazon but I can't attribute this incredible disparity exclusively to Amazon's greater market share. All I can do is look at the numbers and be glad my Adwords campaign appears to be working so well, even if the sample size is limited to one month's data.

If these trends continue, I'll stick to Adwords as my primary sales and marketing tool. I won't abandon social media - as the blog demonstrates. But I won't let social media get in the way of my job - which is to write great books people will want to buy.

I'll keep you posted in the coming months and let you know how my grand experiment is going.

Another Rave for Motion To Kill

Thanks to Robert Carraher for letting me know that his rave review of Motion To Kill was picked up by EzineArticles!

And, I'm thrilled to share with you the cover for the next book in the Lou Mason series, The Last Witness. Look for it on Amazon at the end of next week!

The Center Of The Universe

It's official! The Center Of The Universe has been located at the intersection of 119th & Roe Avenue, Leawood, KS 66209! As of 8 a.m. this morning, Trader Joe's has opened on the southeast corner where the Apple store is one of its neighbors. Dean & DeLuca, located across the street on the northwest corner of the intersection, completes the terrific triangle.

Best of all, the COTU is only 0.8 miles from my house, not even 5 minutes. And, just in case that long journey proves too much, I can always stop at Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt on my way home.

LIFE IS GOOD!

Look What I Forgot!

Earlier today I posted about all the places where you could find Motion To Kill but I left out those of you who want a print version.

You know who you are. You like the feel of a book in your hand, the smell of the paper and turning the pages. And you like leaving your book on your nightstand in the mistaken belief that you can wait until tomorrow to finish it. Yes, that's you.

So don't wait! Get your trade paperback edition at Createspace.

P.S. - You can also get the print edition on Amazon.

Hope you love it! Be sure to let me know!

I Didn't Know That!

Amazon isn't the only place you can buy Motion To Kill, the first ebook in my Lou Mason series.

Motion To Kill is also available as an ebook on BN.com and Smashwords.

Want to hold the book in your hand, turn the pages and put it on your nightstand, hoping you can get to sleep without finishing it? Who can blame you? So get the trade paperback edition on Amazon!

And get ready for the second book in the series, The Last Witness! The ebook and POD editions are coming soon! What's it about? Well....

Lou Mason is back and this time it's personal when his surrogate father, Homicide detective Harry Ryman, arrests his best friend, Wilson "Blues" Bluestone, Jr. for murder! Mason unearths secrets someone will do anything to keep as he closes in on a desperate killer, setting himself up as the next target!

Bookstrapping

Seth Godin is a bestselling author who has made the jump to self-publishing with The Domino Project. He has a post today about something he calls Bookstrapping.

I interpret that word to be a play on picking yourself up by your bootstraps, a phrase that means improve your situation by your own efforts. The site I linked to this phrase adds: "Some early computers used a process called bootstrapping which alludes to this phrase. This involved loading a small amount of code which was then used to progressively load more complex code until the machine was ready for use. This has led to use of the term 'booting' to mean starting up a computer."

Seth coined "Bookstrapping" to mean self-publishing to get your message out. He applies it to entrepreneurs seeking to use their non-fiction books to stake out a place in the business marketplace.

I think it applies equally well to indie fiction writers. Rather than waiting for a traditional publisher to publish and market our books so we can sit back, cash royalty checks and wait for an invitation to the National Book Award ceremony, we can, and should, self-publish and make it happen ourselves.

Good News!

A lot of people have chronic disorders, including movement disorders (that's me), chronic pain and other conditions for which traditional treatments (i.e., drugs) are either not effective or can cause side effects as bad or worse than the condition for which they are taken (that's me again).

Meditation may be one effective alternative, as reported by Jonah Lehrer. He reports on a study at Wake Forest University in which, after only a few days of meditation training - teaching people to better focus their attention, concentrating less on their discomfort and more on a soothing stimulus - subjects reported a 57% reduction in the "unplesantness" of their pain, roughly equivalent to the use of morphine.

A couple of years ago, I learned how to meditate using Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction developed by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. It's been a huge help to me in dealing with both the chronic discomfort caused by my spasms and shaking but also in moderating those symptoms.

This has been a great lesson in understanding how much power we have to heal ourselves.

Sizzling Summer Reads

Get 'em while they're hot! Sizzling Summer Reads from Top Suspense Group - check out our blog today and over the next three weeks as we feature books that are the only thing hotter than the July weather!

Fire In The Sky

I'm thrilled to announce the release of my Amazon Single, Fire In The Sky. Hope you love it!

Two teenage boys on the make, looking for love and a quick score, cross paths with a desperate woman on the run. A blazing inferno and a shootout change their lives forever in Fire In the Sky!

Here's what reviewers are saying.

"Fire In The Sky", Joel Goldman's Depression era tale intertwines stories of love, luck, larceny and hope centered around a hauntingly beautiful girl who appears every night in a pageant set in a park fountain.
D.H. Williams "CluesSister"

"Fire In The Sky" by Joel Goldman is a very nice period piece that's flawlessly written. You get much of the same richness you'd find in a novel in this short story.
David M. North-Martino

"Fire In The Sky" by Joel Goldman - a quick Depression era tale that almost feels like a Bonnie and Clyde origin story
Mike Donohue

"Fire In The Sky" by Joel Goldman. A great story about a small town, with a twist, of course.
Jamie Anastasiow

You Can't Make That Up

People ask me a lot of questions about being a writer. The most common one is where do I get my ideas. My usual response is that I steal them because that's a lot easier than coming up with them on my own. Like a lot of jokes, there's a kernel of truth in that.

I steal a lot of my ideas from real life, from the amazing, incredible, you-did-not-just-do-that stuff we witness every day of the world. I pay attention to what's happening and ask myself "what if" questions.

Real life is a lot more interesting than fiction precisely because the people and the plots are real, the consequences matter and, too often too many people don't live happily ever after.

The Casey Anthony case proves the point. Even if a clever, creative writer came up with that story (and plenty have in one version or another - check out Michael Connelly's The Fifth Witness), it would never be as compelling as what happened in that courtroom.

As a writer, the challenge lies in the last chapter. Was she really guilty? If she was, do you leave it at that or make certain justice is done some other way? How does her life turn out? Is there a sequel?

The temptation is to make it nice and neat and provide the reader with closure. That's a rare commodity in real life and one that I think is overrated. Life is loose ends and I'm okay with that.

Need Dough? Crowd Source It!

Raising money through crowd sourcing is really taking off. The latest entry is phundraiser.com. Here's what they do - straight from their website.

Phundraiser is an innovative way to fund endeavors that require money. Through crowdfunding, or getting a large number of interested individuals to each pledge a small amount of money for a common goal, Phundraiser allows Promoters to raise the money they need to make their ideas actually happen. Using Phundraiser’s all-or-nothing functionality, Pledgers can rest comfortably because their pledge is truly a pledge that is contingent upon the Promoter raising enough funds to make their ideas a success.

So if you've got a project to fund, Phundraise it!

What's Going On!

Bunch of stuff going on today -

Motion To Kill is available at BarnesandNoble.com, so if you're a Nook reader, snap it up!

The Last Witness is the next book in the series. Let me know if you'd like to have a free pdf Advance Reader Copy. Email me at joel@joelgoldman.com for details.

Over at Inside Top Suspense you can find out everything you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask about writing sex and suspense.

Blood Mesa, the 5th installment in The Dead Man series, is out today. Written by James Reasoner, it's already garnering rave reviews so grab it, settle in and enjoy a great read.

That's enough for one day! So what are you waiting for? Get busy and have some fun!

Have Some Fun!

Watch this video and have some fun!

Our Thin Veneer

The news broke around 11:30 this morning that an order had been issued to boil our water at least until 5 p.m. tomorrow due to a water main break. Suddenly, our water was good enough to wash and clean with but not good enough to drink - unless you boil it.

Boil it? You mean like for pasta or corn on the cob only drink it? Maybe in Olathe or Lenexa but not in my town, not in Leawood. Not a chance! After all, Costco is only 5 minutes from my house.

The first chilling tendrils of panic seeped into my brain as I calculated that there was no better than a 97% chance that the case of water we already had would last for the remaining 29 hours of the boil order. The dogs gave me a look their wolverine ancestors would have loved, convincing me that once they had a taste of Ozarka, they'd demand that my wife and I split the case with them.

The Costco parking lot was jammed, people streaming in as if fifty gallon tubs of Miracle Whip had been marked down for clearance. Inside, people jockeyed for position, using their smartphone GPS apps to calculate the best route to the bottled water at the back of the store.

Rules of the road went out the window as a convoy of geriatric water hogs wielded their canes like jousting lances, leaving kidney-punched baby boomers gasping in the aisles.

I sideswiped a Cub Scout troop packed into a Pinewood Derby SUV, cut off a Mothers-Day-Out minivan and rear ended a Hell's Angel on a Harley sending him pinwheeling through the air and into a pallet loaded with 100-bushel bags of Honey Nut Cheerios.

But I made it! And not an instant too soon. In seconds, I was surrounded by demonic hordes swarming around me like beetles escaping a rotting sarcophagus in a remake of The Mummy.

After hoisting enough cases of water into my cart to replicate my double hernia, I barreled through the self-service checkout, blew past the woman waiting to check my receipt at the door and didn't stop until I was back in the safety of my cul-de-sac.

That's when it hit me! Holy crap, I forgot the ice! Well, at least we still had cable.

BOIL ALERT

IF YOU LIVE IN JOHNSON COUNTY, KS - DON'T DRINK THE WATER - WE'RE UNDER A BOIL ORDER UNTIL 5 PM. ON SATURDAY

Nook News!

Motion To Kill is now available on the Nook! It will light up your 4th without setting your house on fire!

Call for Beta Reviewers for The Last Witness

It's only been two weeks since Motion To Kill debuted to rave reviews and now I'm excited to offer a free pdf Advance Reader Copy of the next book in the series, The Last Witness, to anyone who'd like to read it and review it prior to its launch in early August. Email me at joel@joelgoldman.com for all the details.

In the meantime, here's a quick snapshot of the story and what a couple of your favorite authors have already said about The Last Witness.

Lou Mason is back and this time, it's personal when his surrogate father, Homicide Detective Harry Ryman, arrests his best friend, Wilson "Blues" Bluestone, Jr. for murder. Mason unearths secrets someone will do anything to keep as he closes in on a desperate killer, setting himself up as the next target.

"Fast, furious and thoroughly enjoyable, The Last Witness is classic and classy noir for our time, filled with great characters and sharp, stylish writing."
Jeffery Deaver, author of The Vanished Man and The Stone Monkey

"The Last Witness is an old fashioned, '40s, tough guy detective story set in modern times. There's a lot of action, loads of suspects, and plenty of snappy dialogue. It's a fun read from beginning to end."
Phillip Margolin, author of The Associate and Wild Justice

Subscribe & Win!

I sent out my first newsletter last week along with the promise that each month I would give away one $15 Amazon gift card and two $5 Amazon gift cards to lucky subscribers. I'm excited to tell you that I just emailed the winners for the month of June!

So get in on the action! Subscribe and become eligible for the July giveaway!

10 Bits Of My Brain

My cousin, Stuart Jaffe, has just released 10 Bits of My Brain. He takes you across the Fantasy and Science Fiction landscapes with ten wide-ranging stories including three all-new tales. From the tiny life of a fly to the far reaches of space, from an elderly witch in WWII's Lublin ghetto to a dragon detective in the modern world's harsh streets, from tattoos and chess games to robberies and betrayals, these stories are packed with action, drama, and a bit of the weird.

Trust me! You won't want to miss this terrific anthology!

Joe Posnanksi Is A Great Writer

Joe Posnanski was a sports writer for the Kansas City Star for a number of years before joining Sports Illustrated. But he is so much more than a sports writer - he's a writer's writer. His prose captures the moment and the person so well I can only wish I was that good.

Read his story about Nick Charles, one of the original CNN sportscasters. Enjoy it as a reader and, if you're a writer, use it as a lesson.

RAVES, RAVES & MORE RAVES!

Wow! Motion To Kill has 16 rave reviews on Amazon and has been liked by 43 people! Boy, do they know what they're talking about! Grab a copy and find out!

DIE LOVER, DIE!

TOP SUSPENSE announces the release of DIE LOVER, DIE! The most fun you'll ever have for 99 cents and the most fun I've ever had writing a short story!

Lauren Blaine is on the run...fleeing across the country, pursued by a pack of ruthless, skilled, and psychopathic killers.

That's she's dumped her husband and he hasn't taken it well.

Of course, he might have taken it better if he wasn't a major drug dealer with a gale-force temper... and if she hadn't run off with all of his cash.

Now she's marked-for-death, a moving target for every mercenary, hitman, and sadist in the midwest.

What they don't know is that Lauren is nobody's victim... she's a resourceful, brave, and cunning woman who won't go down without a fight.

This is 10,000 words of non-stop action, violence and sex...a wild ride like nothing else you've read before...from twelve masters of suspense, who teamed up to write this rollicking story 250 rapid-fire words at a time, tag-team style, without an outline, without knowing what was coming next. The result is a pure, literary adrenaline rush.

About the Top Suspense Group:

Whether you're looking for mystery, horror, thriller, western or crime fiction, you can always count on the award-winning authors at TOP SUSPENSE to deliver a great e-reading experience with their dozens of highly-acclaimed books. The Top Suspense authors are established professionals whose books have been published world-wide, graced national & international bestseller lists, and sparked the imaginations of Hollywood's top filmmakers (the Oscar winning "Road to Perdition") and television producers (the Emmy-winning "Monk"). Top Suspense authors: Max Allan Collins, Bill Crider, Stephen Gallagher, Lee Goldberg, Joel Goldman, Ed Gorman, Libby Fischer Hellmann, Vicki Hendricks, Naomi Hirahara, Paul Levine, Harry Shannon and Dave Zeltserman.