The Gold in Their Eyes
Marco Flynn Mysteries Book 3
by Christopher Clouser
Genre: Mystery
Marco Flynn has returned to his home town for a fresh start. Now he’s a full-time parent to a pre-teen son, Jacob, and has asked Tara to marry him. He tries to start over by getting a normal nine-to-five gig.
Marco accepts a job working in the administration for the newly-elected mayor of Indianapolis. Before the ink dries on the contract, a new drug fills the streets . Along with that, a series of murders sweep through the city with the ringleader making a personal threat toward Marco’s family. Marco takes it as a personal challenge to solve the crime even if it compromises his new job, or his life
Marco attempts to protect his family no matter the costs. Even if that means harm will come to him, either physical or emotional. He will do anything to prevent a repeat of the tragedies he has seen over the last few months repeat itself. His sacrifice is worthwhile if it means his family, and the city, are safe.
**Releases on 6/13/23!!**
The Young & The Wicked
Marco Flynn Mysteries Book 2
Marco Flynn is fresh off a case that was bigger than anything he could imagine. To take a break, he and his girlfriend, Tara, travel to Seattle to spend the holidays with his son, Jacob.
From the start of the trip, Marco makes life miserable for the bad guys. During the flight, Marco breaks up a kidnapping. Then, once he reaches Seattle, is drawn into a child abduction case as a contractor for the FBI, his former employers. When Marco begins his investigation, he finds the kidnapper may be related to his ex-wife’s boyfriend, talk about a tough conversation. It becomes apparent that something is amiss at the Bureau as Marco unravels the mystery.
Marco attempts to keep his professional and personal lives separate as he goes between his ex and his girlfriend, while developing a deeper relationship with his son. Then every parent’s worst nightmare occurs and the case turns into a race against the clock as Marco Flynn tries to track down his prey in a city he does not know.
As The City Burns
Marco Flynn Mysteries Book 1
Marco Flynn is working to make his home town of Indianapolis safe. In the process he stumbles across a dead body. The problem is she has been dead for two years and Marco attended her funeral. At the same time Marco's brother drops another case on him that implicates the Mayor in some illegal activities. The more Marco investigates he finds the two crimes have much more in common and may be linked to something even more dangerous. All of this as the city deals with increased protests and violence. Marco must decide if he wants to walk away or try to save the city he loves before it all falls down around him.
Christopher Clouser lives in the Indianapolis, Indiana area and pursues writing speculative fiction in his free time. His family consists of his wife, two children, and one grandchild. He has written sixteen books that include fantasy, science-fiction, mystery, and sports history while contributing to several others, along with multiple articles. He also has spoken to many local and national organizations on creative writing and the career of Perry Maxwell, a noted American golf course architect.
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GUEST POST
What are your top 10 favorite books/authors?
I read a lot of Brandon Sanderson. The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey was excellent.
Genevieve Cogman’s Invisible Library series was a guilty pleasure when those books would be
released. The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang is a great use of conflict. The Green Bone Saga by
Fonda Lee. Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. A Memory Called Empire by Arkady
Martine. Not exactly 10 authors or books, but a pretty good idea of what I read.
What book do you think everyone should read?
This is one that most people might not know about, but A Memory Called Empire by Arkady
Martine is a modern masterpiece.
How long have you been writing?
I have been writing for almost twenty years.
Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as
you write?
I generally have a good idea of the number of cast members I need for a book, but the details
around most of them usually come to me early in the writing process. The first time I run across
them in the story, I need to stop and understand what their goals and motivations are, then I can
understand how they fit into the story.
What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book?
Most of the research I do is about the main setting, especially if I’m using a real-world location.
I also research key scientific elements of my story to make sure they are based in some sort of
reality.
Do you see writing as a career?
Yes, I would say it is a part-time job for me with many of the same characteristics that my day
job has. You need to continue to learn and improve and pursue new opportunities. You should
network and always look out for the next project that you can take on.
What do you think about the current publishing market?
I think the market is controlled by Amazon, almost to the extent that they are a near monopoly
with their control over the e-book and audio book markets. I can easily envision a day where
they exert much tighter control on all the self-publishers using their KDP platform as well.
Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre?
I’m a huge Fantasy fan that also likes Sci-Fi. I’ll also try to rotate in a mystery book every so
often.
Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?
Silence. I can get distracted too easily unless I am really focused on what I’m working on.
Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time?
I generally will only work on one phase of one book at a time. I’ll do the writing of one book until
I’m down with that phase. Then to take a break from it, I’ll switch to the editing phase of another
book.
If you could have been the author of any book ever written, which book would you
choose?
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab. It is a relationship story that I just wouldn’t
be able to write. I’m jealous of the structuring and plotting that Schwab obviously put into that
story.
Pen or type writer or computer?
Computer. Typewriters are outdated and my handwriting is atrocious.
Tell us about a favorite character from a book.
I would probably pick Gandalf from Lord of the Rings. He knows he is extremely powerful, but
often hides it or tries to undersell his capabilities. But he also knows he isn’t invulnerable but
doesn’t hide from what he knows can kill him.
What made you want to become an author and do you feel it was the right decision?
The initial impulse came from finding the perfect project for me to write about for a non-fiction
novel. After writing that, it took a while, but the next book came to me and I knew I just had to
keep writing to fuel a creative side of my mind that I had ignored for a long time.
A day in the life of the author?
If I’m in a writing mode it’s sitting in front of the screen and pounding out a scene or two for an
hour. If I’m in editing mode, it reading a chapter and making revisions. Other days, answering
emails, posting my blog, setting up events, and networking with other local writers.
Advice they would give new authors?
Write anything, don’t worry about quality. Read your genre voraciously. Learn the “rules” so
you know what ones to break, and why you are doing it.
Describe your writing style.
My writing really focuses on relatable characters in action-oriented stories that often include
some sort of relationship storyline and a mystery element. I think using those universal
elements can fit almost every story that I would want to read, so that’s what I try to write.
What makes a good story?
I think it’s pretty simple to me. Intriguing characters that you can root for and a plot that
progresses at a solid pace that actually forces a change in the characters of some sort.
What are they currently reading?
I’m actually trying a couple of new authors to me by jumping into the work of Adrian
Tchaikovsky and Joe Abercrombie. And there always seems to be a Brandon Sanderson novel
on the TBR list.
What is your writing process? For instance do you do an outline first? Do you do the
chapters first?
I usually do character development on my main character(s), develop a good idea of the main
setting(s) and plot out what I think are about ten key plot points for the story. Doing that usually
gives me a solid idea around the core conflict of the main external arc and the internal character
arc, along with the thematic drivers.
What are common traps for aspiring writers?
I think a lot of aspiring writers get overwhelmed by the “rules” they hear or read about and think
their book has to be perfect from the beginning and become overwhelmed and develop some
sort of writer’s block.
What is your writing Kryptonite?
Does Mac at Beyond the Pen know you are using his question? LOL. I think my biggest
struggle is always around deciding how to know what is too much worldbuilding to put in my
stories or leave out. Usually my first reader or editor gives me a good idea, so I often overwrite
that particular aspect of the story.
Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
As a genre writer, there is always some balance you play with in providing what readers expect
versus something new. I always enter a project with the mindset that I want to do something
new as a writer and a personal challenge. If I’m not doing something new the project usually
doesn’t motivate me.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be? Start writing now and don’t
wait until you are almost 30 to try and start a career.
What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
The most difficult thing for me writing women is understanding motivations. Goals are pretty
clear in most instances, but understanding the emotional motivation can be vexing at times.
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
I usually take between 8 and 12 months to finish a book. The longer the book the more time,
obviously. Also, I track the hours on most projects, and they generally run between 350 to 500
hours of total time spent.
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Sounds like a good mystery series. I like the covers.
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