Welcome to the first of what I hope will be a year’s worth of newsletters. Why? It’s far too easy to keep my head down in the fiction I write, for starters. Writing is my passion but, if it doesn’t leave me time to connect with readers, it’s defeating its purpose.
What will a newsletter accomplish? I hope it will keep us engaged with each other. I believe it might encourage us both to have a frequent update on what I’m working on. And, frankly, it will remind me why I build worlds and tell stories. You, dear reader. You.
With the passing of 2022 and the birth of 2023, we’re all confronted with change—for good or ill. Perhaps the year that was proved difficult for you in ways you hadn’t expected. A fresh start might seem quite the boon. On the other hand, 2022 may have been filled to the brim with significant accomplishments and joy. You might hate to see it go. Either way, it’s in the rearview mirror now and our headlights are falling on the open road of 2023. What mystery might await us there?
For me, dear reader, the coming year will bring new fiction… a novel tentatively titled Seven Remain. It’s a work focused on a pair of cowboys squaring off against some otherworldly enemies. While it’s not a wild departure from my other work and ties into the rest of my stories, the western element is less familiar to me. I confess I’m struggling to find the balance between “typical western” and “crazy J. Patrick Lemarr.” We’ll all know how it worked out later this year.
There is no cover art to share, but here’s a teaser image I shared recently on social media.
A short time ago, I spoke at the closing of my favorite coffee shop, Mood Coffee Co. in Sellersburg, Indiana. I wrote and edited most of All That Waits in the Night and The Christmas Cabin in that shop. It was an honor to be a part of such a bittersweet evening. My son was kind enough to film my reading, so I’ve included the footage for you below.
Be well, dear readers, and may your story lead you into all good things.
Grace and Peace,
J. Patrick Lemarr
