Writing update

As of this date, Undercover is out in both ebook and paperback and doing well. I’ve started the fourth Dan Stone novel, tentatively titled The Assassin and the Pianist. Without giving too much away (no spoiler alert), the story finds Dan and a concert pianist becoming romantically entangled. I’m attempting two things: one, I want to write a love story in the middle of a thriller which is something most thriller writers won’t do. Thriller readers want action and intrigue, not necessarily romance.

Two, I want to try to give the reader an insight into the highest levels of professional, classical musicianship. It’s a rarefied and somewhat strange world. Like any endeavor, sports or art, when taken to the highest levels, the differences between the almost great and the great so subtle that most of us can’t discern them.

Human’s abilities to hone skills to such extreme levels of perfection is fascinating and inspirational. It takes not only a very high level of innate talent, but extreme levels of dedication and hard work. For many the price is not only constant work, but a narrowing of one’s life to maintain the sharpness of focus needed to succeed; except for the rare renaissance person.

My thriller readers should not worry, though. There are Chechen gangs and Russian mafia arrayed against Dan. And as in the other books, that shadow figure Rashid al-Din Said. Someday Dan will have to get to him.

In my past novels, characters emerge that I had never anticipated. I fully expect that to happen as well with this new story. So far, the cast is pretty interesting and setting the stage for some intense action later in the story. I’ll keep you updated. You can also follow my progress on Facebook, www.facebook.com/neesauthor