News
A Quick Snapshot into the Writing Life of Amateur Sleuth Mystery Author A. D. Hay19 November 2022
The ebook for Suspicion is currently FREE on all major ebook retailer platforms. So, be sure to get your copy so you can read it before Duplicity is released. So, click here to find the ebook in your favourite store.
And it’s currently sitting in the number two position in the top 100 free Crime Action Fiction chart on the Kindle Store.
Yay!
16 August 2022
To rejig your memory, the short story will be a locked-room mystery set in a beautiful English Manor House. And, it’s a tie-in story with Duplicity. You won’t have to read Duplicity to appreciate it and vice-versa, but the event in the short story is referenced in Duplicity. This story will be a part of the James Lalonde Universe, and I will make it available to my James Lalonde insider email list when it’s finished, or you can buy it as a stand-alone short story.
So, if you want a free story, make sure you sign up. In the meantime, you’ll get a free copy of The Lawn.
29 July 2022
Yay!
You can find the ebook in your favourite ebook retailer by clicking this link.
25 July 2022
Yay!
I’m expecting to receive the proofread edition of Suspicion back from my edition either this evening or tomorrow afternoon. In anticipation of this, I have started uploading the novella to all online ebook retailers.
However, if you read either the first or second edition of Missing and would like to read the re-titled third edition, get it for free by becoming a James Lalonde Insider by using the signup form below.
25 June 2022
I’m hoping to be able to publish Duplicity sometime in September but have a preorder up in August. But all of this will depend upon the availability of my editors. So Fingers crossed everything goes well. As you can probably tell I’m excited to be publishing this next amateur sleuth mystery novel. I’ll keep you posted with more updates like this.
23 June 2022
This week, I sent the third edition, which is titled “Suspicion”, off to my editor. The story has an extra 5,700 words, which roughly translates to 23 physical pages, so it’s a short novel instead of a novella. But, I’m so excited because I’m very close to publishing this new first-in-series novella. And I plan to make this novella available for free to my James Lalonde Insiders reader club.
You can become an insider by entering your first name and email address below.
02 March 2022
But it’s not over yet. Up next on my to-do list is to prepare the novel for editing. Before my editor sees the story, I need to make sure that the manuscript is free of all known errors. I aim to finish preparing the book for my editor before the end of the first week in April. Between now and the next two weeks, I will take a two-week break because I feel a little burned out.
Hopefully, I’ll return to the writing refreshed and ready to go.
If you would love to read the book before anyone else and like leaving reviews, then sign up to receive an Advanced Reader Copy of Duplicity (James Lalonde #2).
05 January 2022
Book Giveaway
Good News: The giveaway for Romanov Ransom by Clive Cussler and Robin Burcell that I announced on episode TBN005 of the Book Nerd Podcast is still open partly because I forgot to include the details of entry on the show notes, and I only realised quite recently. To enter the giveaway to win a free paperback copy of The Romanov Ransom by Clive Cussler and Robin Burcell follow the steps below.
- Join The Book Nerd Reader Club Facebook Group
- Like the post for episode TBN005
- Comment below the post with “count me in”
Please note, only one entry per person is allowed. The winner will be announced in the Facebook Group and on the podcast in February 2022.
10 December 2021
On top of this, I can’t tell you how long the story will be; it will be a mystery that I will discover as I write. Nevertheless, I can tell you that it will be a locked-room mystery that takes place in a beautiful English Manor House. But I won’t bore you with that information. This story will be a part of the James Lalonde Universe, and I’m going to make it available to my James Lalonde insider email list.
So, if you want a free story, make sure you sign up. In the meantime, you’ll get a free copy of The Lawn.
6 December 2021
Yay!
The paperback is available on Amazon in all countries and on Barnes and Noble. However, the other day, I approved the paperback copy, which can be purchased via the catalogue in your favourite book store. So all you have to do is quote the ISBN (978-1-9163483-6-3) to the bookseller, and they can order you a copy. Usually, when I publish a paperback, I have to approve one paperback for Amazon and the other from bookstores because your local store orders books from a separate source. But that’s just author life for you.
Hello!
My Books
A Body is on the Lawn, and a Killer is on the Loose
When Will Thatcher, doesn’t show up for work, James Lalonde is forced to attend an afternoon tea with Alistair Carmichael in his place. The lovely autumn afternoon tea comes to an abrupt end when a body turns up on the lawn of the Carmichael Estate with strange markings on his neck.
But, something is missing, a priceless painting is off the wall. However, it’s no ordinary painting, it’s a Van Gogh purchased in an auction a few months ago. After discovering fresh tracks, most likely left by the murderer James realises the murder is still in the estate.
Can James figure out who the thief and murderer are before he or Alistair is next?
A Murdered Judge. A Dark Secret Silenced.
Rookie reporter James Lalonde is bored. And, he isn’t a journalist. He’s an all-round dogs-body, to editor-in-chief, Rhys Kelly. But, his luck has finally changed. After eavesdropping in on the morning editorial meeting, James learns he has his first-ever story. There’s one catch. If the story gets too complicated, it will be taken away from him and given to another journalist with more experience. Sure it’s a boring interview with the soon to be sworn-in magistrate, Albert Harrington, but it finally gets him out of his six-month slump as an editorial research assistant.
The following day, James turns up to his interview with Albert to discover a trail of blood smeared through Albert’s house, an empty safe, the murder weapon on the floor, but no body. Detective Anwar Khan turns up to the crime scene, puts two and two together, and believes James murdered the controversial magistrate. Can James clear his name and write his first-ever story before his editor takes it away from him?
$2.99
Excalibur is Missing. A Killer is on the Loose. One Reporter is Determined to Uncover the Truth.
James has a nose for trouble. But that’s nothing new. This time, things are different–his life is on the line. James is the chief editor of a small newspaper. It’s hardly captivating work. He’s bored. But all of that is about to change.
Late one evening, he returns home to discover his long-time girlfriend and journalist, Valentine, has left. Early the next morning, James fails to reallocate her assigned story. To avoid blank space in the culture section and losing his job, he decides to write the story on the local museum’s latest acquisition, Excalibur. But, there’s one thing he didn’t count on–Excalibur is missing, and a dead body is at the crime scene.
If you love gripping cloak and dagger mysteries with twists and turns, then you’ll love this first instalment in the James Lalonde Amateur Sleuth Mystery series. Get it now.
$2.99
What I’m Writing!
Final Draft
86,532 of 85,000 Words
Yesterday, I sent Duplicity off for proofreading. Yay! And I’ve set up preorders for this novel on Kobo, B&N, and Google Play with a release date of the 24th of November 2022. And, I will be making this novel available for free to my James Lalonde Insiders reader club. You can become an insider here.
Publishing Updates
First Draft
0 of 60,000 Words
I’ve decided to add an extra book between the second book and the start of the byline series, where James arrives in New York. Book Three will be set in a 24-hour period in London. This novel will be available in ebook on all major ebook retailers by the end of 2022. And the paperback editions soon after. I will be making this novel available for free to my James Lalonde Insiders reader club. You can become an insider here.
Revised Draft
112,960 of 99,000 Words
Book Four in the James Lalonde series needs one final round of revisions before I can hand it off to my editor. This longer novel will be published on all major ebook retailers in early 2023. And the paperback editions soon after. I will be making this novel available for free to my James Lalonde Insiders reader club. You can become an insider here.
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