Great Review- and Video Trailer for Interview- and a Mystery Making Panel- and a new audiobook

Lots of news---

Wahoo!
Great review for A Sharp Medicine (#5 in the Zack Taylor series) from one of the popular reviewing bloggers!
http://booksandpals.blogspot.com/2020/08/review-sharp-medicine-by-dale-t-phillips.html



And here's a wicked cool video trailer for my upcoming interview with Linda McHenry's writer's podcast:
https://youtu.be/dfGpavuB82E

Air date for the full interview is Wednesday, August 26th.
https://lindamchenry.com/the-writers-voice-podcast



We had a great time at the Wilmington Library-and Sisters in Crime- sponsored Mystery Making Panel, with fellow authors Connie Johnson Hambley, Edith Maxwell, and Lorraine Nelson.
There's a recording of that available. Contact the library for more information.

And my audio book for Deadly Encounters- 3 Zack Taylor Stories should be available this coming week.
Narrated by Daniel Fagan.

Terrific Review for A Certain Slant of Light

Few things warm a writer's heart (apart from a hefty check) like a great review. One where the reviewer knows the conventions of the genre you're writing in, knows the school of authors you pay homage to and points that out, and appreciates how it is handled. So much more than just "I liked it, and it was good."

So yesterday this awesome review for A Certain Slant of Light appeared on this website:
https://www.wingd.ca/book-review-certain-slant-light/


Just have to quote from it:

"Zack Taylor is as subtle as the horn on a Kenworth.

The hero’s persona is deliberate on the part of the author, and it works. A blurb at the back of the book says that Zack Taylor is: “…a hero in the mold of Travis McGee, Doc Ford and John Cain, a moral man at heart who finds himself faced with difficult choices in a dangerous world…”.  As you find yourself being pulled through this book by the combination of a compelling story and good strong writing, you realize that this is not an exaggeration."


And  it goes into good detail. A thoughtful review of a book that was read and appreciated.

Some days, it's worth chewing through the straps...   :-)

And the review is also up on Amazon.

So in case you feel like having a look at this book, here it is:

Audiobook Monthly- Interview and Review- Free Audio!

I'm interviewed in the current issue of Audiobook Monthly, out today. I get to talk about writing in different genres.

And they did a review of the audiobook version of The Big Book of Genre Stories.

To celebrate, I'll be giving away several copies of the audio book, a $24.95 value.
To win, send me an email to say you'd like one, and several winners will be selected at random.


And they have an interview with Fred Wolinsky, who narrated several of my books.

Great Review for A Shadow on the Wall

Got this great review posted to Amazon (and other spots) today, talking about A Shadow on the Wall.

Well... what he said... he being Vlad Vaslyn, writer of Yorick, Brachman's Underworld, and the upcoming The Button. Seems he has great taste...

"Zack Taylor just can't seem to escape his past. Ollie Southern, a member of a notorious biker gang, has cut a deal with the feds to get out of prison, and he's returned to Portland, Maine to let Zack know he isn't about to let bygones be bygones.

Meanwhile, Hollywood descends on his beloved city, and Zack is persuaded by a beautiful starlet to come on board as the martial arts liaison for what is sure to be a blockbuster film. But Zack is beside himself when he finds out the movie is actually about his own troubled past, and when someone in the business winds up dead, the blame falls on him.

Zack's desire to put his past behind him has suddenly been complicated by questionable Hollywood ties to internationally organized crime, a police officer with an agenda, an old flame, a new flame, troubled Hollywood actors, suspicion of arson and murder, and a big bag of money. And of course, Ollie Southern doesn't help matters either.

What is an ex-con like Zack Taylor to do?

In A Shadow on the Wall, Dale T. Phillips delivers a high-octane Mystery/Thriller that moves seamlessly from dilemma to dilemma as Zack Taylor navigates the deadly mysteries playing out around him. Zack sizzles as a man with a troubled past trying to turn over a new leaf, and as a pawn and an unwilling player in an agenda he must understand before it kills him. His inevitable confrontation with a bloodthirsty Yakuza assassin delivers an exciting conclusion to what continues to be one of the more engaging mystery series I've read. The pacing in this book starts at 60 miles per hour and only accelerates from there, making it a quick, enjoyable read.

This is the best Zack Taylor book yet."

Nigel Bird New Work

British writer Nigel Bird is best known for his gritty crime dramas, with writing that encompasses the dark side of our nature. His work reminds you of the good stuff from Ian Rankin, George Pelecanos, and a host of other chroniclers of the seamy life.

In his latest work, The Rocks Below, the darkness comes from our actions, and nature responds.
It's a novella, free on Kindle now (if you're quick), and worth it if you have to buy it when it stops being free. It's good writing that layers in something bigger, a warning to us about our actions.

Here's my review- like the work- brief, sharp, and to the point:

Nigel Bird's The Rocks Below is a series of short, hard punches, character sketches that are all part of a larger mosaic. There is visceral, heart-pounding action as the different folks handle a tense situation in various ways. Bird gives us vivid imagery that puts you right in the action. Good entertainment with a moral, one that may help us if we listen. Top marks.

Fun Pulp Covers and Great Reviews

Wow, check this out-- you can make your own pulp magazine cover, with different pics, colors, and text. Here's one I did:

 

 

This coolness can be yours-- check out http://thrilling-tales.webomator.com/derange-o-lab/pulp-o-mizer/pulp-o-mizer.html

And got a pair of great reviews for my first two Zack Taylor mysteries.
"This was a well-written mystery, well-paced and well-constructed."

"I really enjoyed reading this book. It is well-written and engaging."

Great Review

Hello there-- sorry I've been quieter than usual-- still working on edits to A Shadow on the Wall, the third Zack Taylor novel. Very tough to make every line, every scene as good as it can be.

While waiting for that to come out, here's a review I just received of the first Zack Taylor book,
A Memory of Grief. Got a rating just short of "Great." Not too shabby for a debut novel!

REVIEW:  In “A Memory of Grief” by Dale Phillips there is a line that I first questioned “Taylor is a loner who makes friends easily…” which I thought was odd.  When you read this novel you then understand it.  It is a fast paced conversation packed novel.  The eastern seaboard is well travelled within this novel and Dale shares his novel with descriptions that are bountiful in nature.  Therein lies a recognizable theme and plot.  The settings are described with enough detail to provide a mental picture.  The setting of the eastern seaboard and Maine are essential to Dale’s storyline.  It is very clear who the protagonist and antagonist are here.  The dialogue is easy to read and flows well within this story.  It is grammatically correct with accurate punctuation as well.  There are no conflicts within that need to be resolved.  There is a climax to this story as well.  Dale Phillips point of view was consistent and easy to follow.  Enjoy this work of fiction based in Maine and around murder and mayhem for the main character Taylor. “A Memory of Grief” has the perfect title and the tale that ensues will keep you on your toes and pinned to your seat as you will not want to put it down.  Your imagination will run wild until you get back to it.  No way to put this down, for me, because of the fast paced action. Drama, action, conversations and storyline are a delight to read.  It is with high hopes that we see another novel by Mr. Phillips.
Anastasia Cassella-Young, Reviewer
Mind Fog Reviews

Hopes For a Happy Holiday, New Review

Hello all. Hope your Thanksgiving holiday and weekend is happy and healthy (except for the overeating). We had a wonderful family time here at the casa, and are very grateful for all the good things in our lives.

I'm spending the time working feverishly on book #3 of the Zack Taylor mystery series, A Shadow on the Wall.

It's not easy, but it's rewarding. A lot of novels tend to sag in the middle, until the writer gets going to the big climax at the end-- but this doesn't. Just more and more keeps happening, action that keeps going.

So as a reward, got news today of another review of A Memory of Grief, at Indie Bookworm.
She loved it!

A few quotes:

"The construction of the novel is complicated but everything stacks up and author Dale Phillips has done a good job in writing a convincing tale with some unusual twists."

"I thought a great strength of the novel was its dialogue: it's sharp and real and provides much of the forward drive of the story."

"Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading A Memory of Grief and I liked Zack Taylor sufficiently to want to read the sequel too."

Okay, back to work for me! Enjoy the weekend.

Reviews

Well, lots of Interwebs talk about reviews.

Let's start with the Salon piece...

And then the New York Times article.

Which got link reposted by Do Some Damage, with more discussion.

These all bring up the new big questions about reviews. How much to believe them?

My writing group got to talking about it last night. I said I didn't post really bad reviews, that if I hate a book, I'll just ignore it. Someone else suggested that we have an obligation to post the bad reviews, to do our part as professional writers to weed out the bad books.

What do you think? Should we call out the crap in strong language? Or just ket the junk sink on its own?

Great Review!

Got a great review of A Fall from Grace today from Cathy Speight, of Cath 'n' Kindle Book Reviews.

Seems she rather liked the book, and wants to read more of the Zack Taylor series (a regular happening among discerning readers-- ;-).

Hey, when someone who's a power reviewer says about my book:
"This was a well-written mystery, well-paced and well-constructed," you have to love it!

Check it out-- she gives a brief synopsis without putting in any spoilers.

***

And just for grins, Joe Konrath posted a wickedly funny April Fool's blog yesterday.

Review of New Mystery- Tempest in the Tea Leaves

In this fun and frolicsome mystery by Kari Lee Townsend, we meet psychic Sylvia "Sunny" Meadows. She can see the future for others by reading tea leaves, but her own life is a mess.

Sunny leaves the big city to build a life and a new business in small-town Divinity, but things get off to a rocky start. She moves into a haunted house, complete with a scary, and possibly magical cat, whom she christens Morty.

During a tea-leaf psychic reading, Sunny sees tragedy, which comes true as the woman is murdered shortly after. Sunny becomes a suspect, and must contend with a grumpy but attractive detective that she won't admit she likes. They argue constantly, neither giving the other an inch.

To add to her troubles, her annoying, arrogant parents show up, constantly putting her down and getting in the way. Poor Sunny can't even get a proper haircut, as the salon completely messes up, and now Sunny has just too much to handle.

Circumstance keeps throwing her with the detective, and she tries to solve the case, hoping she'll get off the hook soon, as being a murder suspect isn't good for building a new business.

She's an outsider in this little hamlet, and suspects abound, mostly over a fight to save the town library. Sunny does what she can, but there's just so many things going on, it's like trying to stand still in a hurricane.

The pace reminds you of those fun screwball Hollywood movie comedies of the 30's and 40's, with rapid-fire dialog, and verbal sparring matches between couples who are right for each other, even if neither will admit it. The story hurtles at breakneck speed toward a resolution of the mystery and Sunny's personal crises.

So if you like your amatuer sleuths sassy and fun, you'll enjoy this read. It's the start of a series, so get in on the ground floor! Grab a copy of Tempest in the Tea Leaves.

Great Review!

My novel "A Memory of Grief" got a great review today at Book'd Out.

Here's an excerpt:
"A Memory of Grief" is an exciting and strong series debut by Dale Phillips, whose writing experience shows in his well crafted prose. I enjoyed being introduced to Zack and look forward to A Fall Of Grace due out in the next few weeks."

Check out the site-- we'll be having a contest for a free version of the book.