Hello, Pete McQuade here, in the Suspense Corner. Thank you for visiting my site! I had a great year in 2021. I hope you did, too. We’ve managed to stay COVID-free. (Whew!) And Jasper the dog once again baffled the doctors–this time by fending off a serious kidney failure. He’s doing fine now.
And it’s been a great writing year. I set a goal of getting four short stories published, in four different publications, within 12 months. And it happened! That’s due in large part to a great deal of help from my wife, Marilyn, my daughter, Linda, and the great people in my critique group. If you write and aren’t in a critique group, I strongly encourage you to either join one or start one. There are plenty of resources to help you do that. Pikes Peak Writers is one such resource. Or, you can contact me and I’ll be happy to give you advice.
If a writer or a reader can’t learn from these masters of “style,” he or she just isn’t trying.
I’m reading a great suspense novel called “There’s Someone Inside Your House.” HIGHLY recommend it.
Thanks, Linda. I’ll check it out! — Pete
Hi Pete,
Looking forward to holding “A Silence in Hell” as soon as you get hard copies published. Till then, I’m having to make do. Because I’m working on a novel about an intense mother-daughter dynamic, I’m reading that kind of book lately. Right now, it’s “The Almost Moon” by Alice Sebold. Suspense? Oh yeah. The book is fierce.
“The Almost Moon” sounds like a good one, Cherri. And I can’t wait to read YOUR new novel when it’s done!
Hey Pete, my favorite rocket scientist. I’m waiting to read your book as soon as it’s published. I’m in the middle of a couple of books. One is some boring economic text of course, but the fun book I’m in right now is “Past Tense” by Lee Child. My wife got me hooked on Reacher. I highly recommend it. She says Reacher is the only guy she’d leave me for. Since he’s a fictional character, I’m okay with that. Have fun in the Big Apple.
Thanks, George! Hey, I may actually find that economics text pretty interesting. Yeah, I’m a geek.
Hello Pete,
All the best to you with ThrillerFest. I’m currently reading Raymond Chandler’s, The Big Sleep—a classic and a hoot to read. Here’s a wonderful quote among many: “Dead men are heavier than broken hearts.”
Now that’s a terrific quote, Jenna! And from such a classic book. Thanks!
Hi Pete,
My brother Nick sent me an article about the 50th anniversary of the Seattle Pilot’s expansion team, which lasted just one season before moving to Milwaukee. We spent that summer of ’69 sleeping under the stars on the carport roof and listening to their ballgames on my old clock-radio. Because of that exchange I’m reading “Ball Four” by Jim Bouton, who wrote about that season he was with them as well as his previous experiences with the Yankees and other teams. Not suspenseful, but entertaining. I have Dan Brown’s “Origin” on my Kindle because my mom told me to read it. She texted me last night (she’s pretty good with her iPad) that the closer she gets to the end the slower she reads because she doesn’t want it to end.
Mike, your Mom and I are alike that way–sometimes I hate to turn that last page of a really engaging book. You can hardly go wrong with Dan Brown.
Ball Four sounds good, too. Let’s see–listening to your clock radio in 1969? Would that have been KBOI radio? Or perhaps KGEM?
Pete, it could have been KIDO but I’m not really really. I searched the Internet (where, surprisingly, everything you read is true) but only came up with this sound file: https://soundcloud.com/roscoelaw/seattle-pilots-radio-promo-bat
A few years ago I read all the James Bond novels by Ian Fleming and enjoyed them ore than the movies.
I’m reading “Surprised by Truth” by Patrick Madrid.
“Surprised by Truth”… now that’s deeply philosophical, Marilyn. Perhaps we should all be surprised to hear the truth.
“Kitty Goes to Washington,” by Carrie Vaughn. A radio talk show host (i.e., Kitty), who covers the supernatural, was outed as a Werewolf (previous book), and is now summoned to Washington, D.C. to testify before a Senate Committee.
LOVE the title “A Silence in Hell!” Incredible! Brings a visceral feeling!
Thanks, Bear! I’m glad you like the title. Now about that book you’re reading: a supernatural radio talk show host??? Wow! And now she has to testify before a Senate committee? Now THAT’S really scary!
I’m not very grounded with one specific work. I’m re-reading Mark Twain’s Life on the Mississippi. Also, I dip into a few other books often like Michener’s Mexico and Leroux’s Phantom of the Opera. Often I slip into Tales and Poetry by Edgar Allan Poe.
Rick, you are indeed a man of the classics with eclectic tastes! I toast to your health!