Murphy's War Cover Reveal!

I am about 3/4 of the way through with my new book, Murphy's War! I don't have a book blurb on it yet, but here's a sneak peak of what it's about:

It is about an Irish American family in a big city (not specified, I'll let your imagination think up the city) who is involved in a family gang that has been active for many years. Sean Murphy is the main character who is struggling with his way of life and whether or not he wants to leave the gang and stray away from his family. There is a romance that blossoms between him and a non gang member by the name of Gracie Collins. I'm not going to say much else in fear of revealing too much, but it will be categorized in the Thriller/Romance genre.

And.... (drum roll)....

Here is the cover reveal for Murphy's War:

 

I am hoping to have the rough draft complete within a few weeks (depending on how productive I am in the coming days). The muse is really flowing with this one! Let me know what you think of the cover and happy reading!

Kindly,
J.R.

Ryan Shay's Story

Click here to purchase Reformed in the Amazon store!

If anyone has taken a gander at my author page recently, they probably have realized that Fight for Absolution is no longer there. Rest assured, it IS still available, just under a new name and has a new cover. In a previous blog post, I mention that the book is my red headed step child, that it has sort of been in the shadow of my Troubled Heroes Series , and that I want to get Ryan Shay's story out there and heard.

I was given some advice from a fellow writer friend who suggested that a more catchy cover might grab some attention. Also, Fight for Absolution was sort of a mouthful, and as I thought about it, I started to agree with her about it. So, after a revamp, what was previously known as Fight for Absolution is now going to be known as Reformed. It is the same exact book as before - this is just a marketing attempt to try to get it some exposure that it desperately is needing.

Here is the book blurb for those that aren't familiar with it -

Ryan Shay wants to forget his past.  Memories of an abusive childhood, betrayal from his family, and failure to trust anyone have held him captive his whole life. Afraid to confront his demons, it's a miracle he hasn't wound up a statistic in the war on drugs. Having no real purpose or reason to get better, he has failed several rehab stints and has always gone back to the one thing he finds comfort in - drugs and alcohol.  After being accused of stealing from a local dealer, suffering from an overdose, and learning he might have a son, Ryan finds a strong reason to break the chains of his addictive past and end the cycle of his shameful ways.  He is determined to become clean, despite the constant negativity sent his way from his friends and society.  His success is not only for himself, but for someone who desperately needs him.  What could be viewed as a careless mistake to many is possibly the one thing that might save Ryan Shay's life.

I have also posted a note on the book -

Forgiveness won't change the past - but can do a lot for a future. This book was an idea I have thought about for several years.  I am fascinated with the human mind, from addictions, to deep rooted psychology - it is a topic I'm always thinking about.  This story poured out and I wrote it faster than any book I've ever mused about. I was a bit worried about the subject matter at first, which is why it took me so long to actually give the idea a second thought, but now that it is published, I am thankful I did it. It became a journey far more exciting, emotional, and thrilling than I ever imagined it could be. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.


I really hope changing it around isn't murder for the book, but really, the sales have been quite dismal on it since it's been published, so the few who have purchased it probably won't realize it anyway. I'm really hoping more people will get to know Ryan and his story - it's not a pleasant one, but his struggle might lend some inspiration to everyone out there.

Happy reading!

Kindly,
J.R.

Island of Misfit Ideas

Recently, I've been going through some book ideas that I have worked on in the past. I have a couple of books that I've started on and sadly, the idea, for whatever reason, has fallen flat. I had an apocalyptic story revolving around fierce storms that I was deep into back in 2012 that I just sort of stopped writing on. Actually, now that I think about it, I remember exactly why I stopped writing on that one.... That year was a year that seemed like whatever I wrote in the story seemed to come true in storm systems across my area. Coincidence? Oh, I'm almost sure of it, but it was still enough for me to get a little wigged out about it. That year on April 29th, a tornadic storm ripped through my neighborhood, tearing up my car and my house. (I live in an active tornado area, but it was enough to hit that close to home to make me shy away.) I think that was the final straw in putting that story on hold, and sadly, I never went back to it. Now, almost two years later, I've dusted off that old file and have done some looking around on it. If I do a thorough read through on it, I think maybe the muse could come back and maybe I could complete it. Of course, storm season is right around the corner and gearing up, so should I? Hmmm, yeah, why the heck not?? Apocalyptic stories seem to do pretty well.

The story is titled "The Roaring Silence" and here is the probable cover that I was thinking about using. Keep in mind that this is just the preview and not the purchased background that I would use, hence the watermark over the middle of it. The final picture will not have that:

Another book on my mind is the very first self published book I ever wrote called Modern Day Drifter. I took that book down due to it needing some mega re-writes. What can I say? It was my first book and I was so naïve going into it all. I had EVERY intention of making it available again and gosh, I want to say it's been well over four years since I took it down off of the Amazon website. It was basically a general romance about an ex convict who found his way to a small town and began working on a ranch. He becomes a rodeo prodigy and finds something he is great at. It doesn't have as complex of a plot as my Troubled Heroes Series does, but it was good for a quick, romantic read. Maybe this summer I can do those re-writes and get it back out there as well.

Long story short - I need to start producing more stories at a quicker pace. With two half written books sitting on my shelf, the potential to produce more than a book a year is there... I just have to get the muse back for both of them. With storm season rolling in soon, maybe The Roaring Silence can really take off and I can have that out soon. I need to stop letting things fall flat and buckle down and finish!