Writing and Offers!
See you soon?
1) 11-12 PM Saturday, March 11th, Sisters in Crime booth, WORDFest at Tarrant County Community College, 828 West Harwood Road, Hurst, TX 76054.
2) 6-8 PM Friday, April 7th, Barnes and Noble #2566 in Plano, (2201 Preston Road, Suite E, 75093) celebrating Drop Everything and Read via Texas Association of Authors.
Bonus: The e-book edition of 13 Days: The Pythagoras Conspiracy (Lynn Dayton Thriller #1) will be offered in Kindle Countdown Deals, first in the UK March 9-16, and then in the US during April. Let your friends know. Discounts will be 60-70% off the normal $4.99 price.
I am revising the third book in the Lynn Dayton thriller series, a story of deadly cyberattacks prompted by all-too-human ambition and betrayal. This has given me the welcome opportunity to write two character-driven short stories for potential publication in anthologies.
Reading
In the last six months I read 31 books. In fiction, I recommend two Brad Taylor books, Ghosts of War and No Fortunate Son. I liked several new books from familiar authors: Guilty Minds by Joseph Finder, The Trespasser by Tana French, The Whistler by John Grisham, Minute Zero by Todd Moss and Order to Kill by Kyle Mills, writing in the Vince Flynn series. Among literary books, I especially liked The Fox Was Ever the Hunter by Herta Müller.
Among non-fiction and memoirs, I recommend Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance, which explains a whole swath of Appalachian-Midwestern issues, the superb (though poorly-titled) Lab Girl by Hope Jahren about plant biology and relationships, and The Lost City of the Monkey God about a remote, newly-uncovered 500-year-old Honduran city and the effort required to find this crucial evidence of early civilization.
The investor website Seeking Alpha published the two energy business articles I submitted in the last six months. The subject companies were Vestas, a Danish wind energy company, and U.S. Silica, one of the frac sand companies riding the monster sand wave.
Frac sand prices depend on the underlying oil and natural gas prices, both of which are better than last year but are subject to downward pressure due to historically-high storage volumes and tempered demand growth.
On the other hand, analysts expect oilfield service costs—especially pressure pumping but also including sand—to increase and availability to tighten as drilling increases. The number of active US land rigs is over 730, up from a low of 404, but still considerably off the high of 1931. Sand is also being used more intensively and extensively: a) more pounds per foot of lateral length and b) longer laterals.
Social Media
Please connect with me on Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and/or Google+.
Until next time,
L.A. Starks
http://lastarksbooks.com
Fiction (books) by L. A. Starks–in reverse order
Strike Price (Lynn Dayton Thriller #2)
- Print ISBN 9780991110704, 2nd edition published by Nemaha Ridge Publishing Group LLC, March 2014, $18.95.
- E-book ASIN B01K5Y406A, published by Nemaha Ridge Publishing Group LLC, August 2016, $6.99.
13 Days: The Pythagoras Conspiracy (Lynn Dayton Thriller #1)
- 2nd Print ISBN 978-0991110711, published by Nemaha Ridge Publishing Group, LLC, August 2016, $18.95.
- E-book ASIN B015LI65GI, published by Nemaha Ridge Publishing Group, LLC, September 2015, $4.99.
Please note all L. A. Starks electronic and print editions published by L&L Dreamspell and StoneThread Publishing are no longer available. Both companies have gone out of business. Also, new copies of the first print edition of 13 Days (ISBN 9781933285450) published by Brown Books Publishing Group in May 2006 are no longer available. They are replaced by the August 2016 edition.
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, $0.99.
- “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, $0.99.
- “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, $0.99.
