🗓️ 2 Days to Go: The Nervous Wait & The Power of KU
Yes, two days until An American Treasure is officially out in the world. I was nervous when Book 1 came out, and I am nervous again now. You are never quite sure how people will perceive your work.
I don’t really know why I’m so nervous about this one. It might be because I truly believe this is a great story—a brilliant hunt for treasure with an antagonist who was one of my favourite characters to write. I just hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
The ebook is scheduled to be live on Friday, 1st May. If you want it straight away, you can pre-order it via the link at the bottom of this blog. If you are reading this after the 1st, that same link will take you to the Amazon sales page.
The physical copies (paperback and hardcover) have been uploaded. Amazon can take up to 72 hours to verify and push these live, so if they aren't there on the exact minute of the 1st, they won't be long after. Follow me on my socials to find out the moment the physical copies go live!
🐎 The Virginia Connection
People often ask me, as an Englishman, why I chose an American Civil War treasure for the story. It was the setting, more than anything else. I wanted the story to carry on in America, and a treasure in the Virginia countryside just felt like the natural progression from Book 1.
But it wasn’t just about the treasure; it had to work with the dynamics of the characters. I hope readers of the first book picked up on the work I put into character development. I wanted Cedric Newman to be a boss who was feared, but also a man who had lost his way. And with Hans, who had been to prison. I didn't want the cliché of him being a "bad person" just because he'd served time.
When I researched Mosby and the Fairfax raid, everything clicked. They’d caught the bug, not necessarily for the gold, but for finding something missing for far too long and returning it to its rightful place.
Cedric loved living in the limelight, and why shouldn’t he? He’s rich, handsome, and of course, English 😉. Looking like a hero in front of the press can be addictive, and Cedric thrived on it. Finding a long-lost treasure in America was a prize he couldn't avoid, but the search was really about finding the truth. They knew it might turn out to be a wild goose chase, but proving whether the legend was true or false was just as valuable as the treasure itself.
If you were writing about a missing treasure, would you make it up, or would you use a real lost treasure? Let me know in the comments!
📊 The American Market & KU
My concentration this week has been on the American market. I’m up to 26 reviews with an average rating of 4.4 on Amazon.com. In contrast, the .co.uk site has 14 reviews with a 4.0 average. I really wish I could get more UK readers to review—they seem a bit more reluctant!
At the beginning of the year, I decided to come off every platform and re-join Kindle Unlimited (KU). For those who haven't read my previous posts on this, KU is a subscription service—think of it like Amazon’s version of Netflix.
The "Netflix Effect":
As an author, KU doesn't pay a huge amount (about 1p for every 4 pages), and you are tied into a 90-day contract. However, as a new author, it is a secret weapon. People are far more likely to "take a chance" on a book for free than they are to pay 0.99p.
If I see a film on Netflix, I’ll give it a try because it’s part of the bundle. If I had to pay for it individually, I’d be much more cautious. That is where KU shines. This month has been my best month ever:
- 1,627 page reads (the equivalent of 6 books being read!).
- 15 new reviews.
- Chart position: In the Crime Action Thriller category, I hit 503. (Two weeks ago, I was over 14,000!)
I am very pleased with the progress.
🎂 An Irish Mystery: One Year Old
An American Treasure will be available by the time next week's blog post goes live. Next month, An Irish Mystery also hits its first birthday. Over the next few months, I’ll be talking about Book 3. I have a lot planned for this year, and my goal is to have three of my books out for you all to buy and read.
📚 What Am I Reading
(Note: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you fancy a new thriller, clicking the links below helps support the blog at no extra cost to you!)
I haven't had lots of time to read this week. But I have managed to get a few pages in on Rogue Target by Jack Mars.
Compared to the first two books in the series, this one has started a bit slower. It follows on from the events of Book 2 where—without giving away any spoilers—the characters really needed a bit of R&R. Interestingly, a villain from Book 1 is back in the fold again, which adds a nice layer of intrigue.
I am currently 146 pages in, which is about 40% of the way through. While the start has been a steady build, I have a feeling that once this book gets going, it will be full-throttle ahead. Jack Mars is an author I have recently come to love, and he is quickly becoming a firm favourite of mine.
Enjoyed the ride? 📖
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📚 The Newman Adventures
An Irish Mystery A fast-paced historical adventure about stolen treasures, hidden histories, and the cost of obsession. The story that started it all.
An American Treasure The journey continues! Cedric Newman returns in a high-stakes hunt for the lost riches of Mosby's Rangers. Action, mystery, and a new enemy await.
Available in Ebook, Kindle Unlimited, Paperback & Hardcover
📱 Let’s Connect
You can also find me on Instagram, Bluesky, X, and Facebook, where I share writing updates, research snippets, and behind-the-scenes moments from the school building and the writing desk.
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