Writing https://lastarksbooks.com/
Lynn Dayton Thriller #4: I outlined, revised, and drafted more early chapters in the fourth Lynn Dayton thriller. I am seeing way too much overlap between the original plot and current events, an interesting problem to have.
Goodreads Giveaway! Twenty signed copies of STRIKE PRICE, Lynn Dayton Thriller #2, are offered in a free Goodreads giveaway drawing. Sign-up for the drawing closes March 22. You can participate here: Goodreads Giveaway.
Reading
In the last six months I read twenty-four books, six non-fiction and eighteen fiction.
Energy non-fiction included Daniel Yergin’s The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations and Robert Bryce’s A Question of Power.
Of the fiction, I particularly recommend
The Judge’s List by John Grisham,
Enemy at the Gates by Kyle Mills (Vince Flynn originator),
The Missing Hours by Emma Kavanaugh,
The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly,
The Black Hour by Lori Rader-Day,
The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman,
In a Lonely Place by Dorothy Hughes,
Good Girl, Bad Girl by Michael Robotham, and
The Butterfly House by Katrine Engberg.
What I found enjoyable about all of these was the variety of settings, from Uganda to the Great Lakes, Los Angeles to the UK and Copenhagen, Denmark. All (except the Connelly novel) provided a welcome break from omnipresent Covid news.
All my book reviews can be found at Goodreads.
Energy
All eyes are on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. With high oil and gas prices and as the dominant import supplier to Germany and the EU, Putin is in a well-financed position of power. Sanctions against Russia are challenging its economy, and the US has sanctioned imports of Russian oil (a small part of the oil we import.) Weirdly, the Biden administration is choosing to ask countries like Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, UAE, and Iran (if deal ok’d) for oil rather than asking US producers, or limiting the roadblocks he and his administration have put in the way of hydrocarbon energy production and transport. The game seems to be the incentivization of renewables, but the net effect is the US consumers are paying more for gasoline, natural gas, and electricity.
I write three articles a month for the public (free) Seeking Alpha platform and five a month for a Seeking Alpha Marketplace subscriber platform, Econ-Based Energy Investing (EBEI). The public platform link: https://seekingalpha.com/author/laura-starks#regular_articles
Until next time,
L.A. Starks
http://lastarksbooks.com
Fiction (books) by L. A. Starks–in reverse order
The Second Law (Lynn Dayton Thriller #3)
- Print ISBN 9780991110742, published by Nemaha Ridge Publishing Group LLC, October 2018, $18.95.
- E-book ASIN B07JLDGTVL, published by Nemaha Ridge Publishing Group LLC, October 2018, $8.12.
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, $8.99.
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, $7.99.
Short stories by L. A. Starks on Amazon Kindle, in reverse order
- “Incurable” bubbled up as I developed one of the antagonists in THE SECOND LAW. 2020. ASIN: B08L9RY4T5, $0.99.
- “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.
Flash fiction by L. A. Starks
- “Why Are You Running?” in Dog Days of Summer and A Year of Shorts flash fiction anthologies.
- *DOG DAYS OF SUMMER: FLASH FICTION, May 2021, E-book ASIN: B095J998Q9, $0.99.
- *A YEAR OF SHORTS: FLASH FICTION, Print ISBN: 979-8519555579, June 2021, $5.99. E-book ASIN: B096Y7WBH6, June 2021, $1.99.
Thank you for your support of the early editions! The covers have changed but the books and short stories are the same. Electronic and print editions published primarily by L&L Dreamspell, Brown Books, and StoneThread Publishing are no longer available. Covers from prior editions of these books and stories, are shown below. If you own one of these collector’s items, congratulations!
