With recent warm Texas weather, trees and plants are leafing ahead of schedule. Similarly, my semi-annual newsletter…
Writing
I am progressing on the third Lynn Dayton thriller and expect to start revisions soon. I also hope to release Strike Price, Lynn Dayton Thriller #2, in a new e-book edition in the next six months.
I am pleased to invite you to the 10th annual Dallas Book Festival Saturday, April 30th. I will participate on a suspense author panel from 2-3 PM at the J. Erik Jonsson Library, 1515 Young Street. Headline authors include Bryan Stevenson, Curtis Sittenfeld, and many others.
Reading
In the last six months I read 26 books. Kyle Mills does an excellent job with Vince Flynn’s characters in the continuation of the series, aptly named The Survivor. J.K. Rowling has successfully crossed genres with the latest in her adult series, Career of Evil. I really like Lisa Brackmann’s China-set trilogy, particularly the final, Dragon Day. Dragons abound: Dragonfish is a thoughtful, vivid mystery set in Nevada and California. Its author is Vietnamese-born and Tulsa, Oklahoma-raised Vu Tran, now an Assistant Professor of Practice at the University of Chicago.
In nonfiction, Michael Lewis’ The Big Short is the basis for the movie of the same name and it explains the financial crisis of 2008. I recommend everyone read it, not least as an exercise in horror. 13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Happened in Benghazi, is another book-movie pair deserving a read or at least a viewing. Action-packed as any fictional thriller, 13 Hours is a true story. Two more nonfiction picks are Ashley’s War, by Gayle Lemmon, about the bravery of some of the first female soldiers allowed to work Army Rangers’ missions, and People Who Eat Darkness by Richard Parry, about the search for a Japanese killer.
The pain continues for oil and gas producers, with an estimate from Deloitte that up to 175 exploration and production companies are at risk of bankruptcy. Worldwide, about 300,000 people have lost their oil and gas jobs.
Low oil and gas prices have benefited drivers, airline companies, and anyone who uses natural gas for heat. Prices only seem to drop lower: $31/barrel (or less) for oil and $1.77/thousand cubic feet for natural gas. Super-sized supply, literally brought on by previous high prices, is overwhelming reduced demand.
The investor website Seeking Alpha published four of my energy-business articles in the last six months. The subject companies were Valero, Parsley Energy, EOG Resources, and Southwest Airlines.
Social Media
If you haven’t already, I hope you will connect with me on Goodreads, which I prefer for books and reading topics. Please consider also connecting with me on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and/or Google+.
Here’s to a leisurely spring and summer with much reading!
L.A. Starks
http://lastarksbooks.com
Fiction (books) by L. A. Starks–in reverse order
Strike Price (Lynn Dayton Thriller #2)
- Print ISBN 978-0-99111-070-4, 2nd edition published by Nemaha Ridge Publishing Group, March 2014.
13 Days: The Pythagoras Conspiracy (Lynn Dayton Thriller #1)
- Ebook ISBN 9780991110735, published by Nemaha Ridge Publishing Group, LLC, September 2015.
- Print ISBN 978-1-933285-45-0, published by Brown Books Publishing Group, May 2006.
Short stories by L. A. Starks on Amazon Kindle–in reverse order
- “Josh Rosen & Bubbe” gives additional background on series character Josh Rosen and insight into his relationship with his grandmother when she falls ill. 2014. ASIN: B00O854YKA.
- “A Time for Eating Wild Onions” introduces two key characters in the second Lynn Dayton book, STRIKE PRICE. The tragedy that befalls them profoundly shapes the next generation. 2007. ASIN: B003NE6DGA.
- “Robert and Thérèse Guillard: Choices” is a story about 13 DAYS‘ Parisian antagonist and how it feels to fly in a wing suit. 2007. ASIN: B003NE6D74.
