Here it is… the cover of FAR OUT. I hope you like it. I promise a story to be as thrilling as the design, which purports a sinister element on a dreary night. FAR OUT will be released on 8, January 2024 by Running Wild Press in California.
The idea behind the cover design was inspired by one of the many ideas I proposed to the publisher’s designer. It was based on a scene from the book.
The novel received praise from several notable authors including Josie Brown, author of the Housewife Assassin’s Handbook series, former Hollywood screenwriter Dennis Palumbo and Haris Orkin.
FAR OUT is available for Pre-Order at Amazon & Barnes & Noble.
Synopsis: Screenwriter Blake Deco’s life is upended when his Hollywood movie-star wife, Goldie Saint Helen, comes out of a coma after a car accident with a makeshift identity. Her lawyers see her condition as an opportunity to swindle her.
Just wrote “The End” on the first draft of my South Australian thriller, SPIRAL. One protagonist Wadjela, two Nungas, two SAPOL (police) boys in blue, a biker gang, Australian intelligence Services (ASIS) and a Russian assassin. Here’s a song to celebrate. Once the honeymoon ends, the tough part begins…rewriting, rewriting, and more rewriting. May the Rainbow Serpent give me strength.
“Is this your Easter egg?” A reader’s message to me after noticing that I had planted a tiny mention in every book of mine. Now he’s wondering where I’ll put the next one. Have you spot them yet?
Get a glimpse inside the world of Goldie St. Helen, the A-list Hollywood movie star as she talks from her Los Feliz bungalow about career, life, and current issues.
Khaled: Thanks for agreeing to do this interview. Goldie [smiling]: My pleasure. Nice jacket, by the way. Love Mauve.
Khaled: Thanks, I bought it for this special occasion. Goldie: I’m flattered.
Khaled: I love the house. Did you decorate the place yourself? Goldie: Thank you. Yes, I did, with some advice from a designer, though I wish the kitchen was bigger. The only way was to cut into the back garden, which I refused.
Khaled: The kitchen looks perfect. Goldie [laughing]: Are you kidding me? I need room for a bigger refrigerator. Hey, I host lots of parties!
Khaled: So, tell me, have you always wanted to be a movie star? Goldie [grinning]: I wanted to be an actress. I never thought of myself as a star. One thing led to another, so here I am today.
Khaled: Were your parents supportive of your career choice? Goldie [smiling]: My father didn’t speak to me for six months. He wanted me to be an architect, just like him. But it’s my life. Follow your dream, right?
Khaled: So, you would’ve been an architect if you weren’t an actress? Goldie: Hell, no. I would’ve been a botanist. I love flowers and plants. That explains the solarium at the back.
Khaled: Many have tried to break into Hollywood, but failed. What’s your secret of success? Goldie: I joined the industry because I was passionate about acting. I wasn’t looking for fame, money, and glamor. The perks that came with being a star were bonus points. I have no expectations. I’m not afraid of competition, even from someone younger. It’s one day at a time for me. C’est la vie.
Khaled: What words of wisdom would you give aspiring actors? Goldie: All that glitters is not gold. Be prepared to work hard. How badly do you want it? Watch every step you take. Be careful of predators.
Khaled: How do you handle sexual predators in the industry? Goldie [smiling]: If they grab you by the pussy, kick em in the balls.
Khaled: Easier said than done. You had a tough time doing that in the book, didn’t you? Goldie: Hey, you wrote the book! I was just doing the acting for you! If it was real life, I would’ve kicked him so hard.
Khaled: Would you do a stage play or indie movie for little or no money? Goldie: Of course! If the script is great, yes.
Khaled: Do you ever get tired of the fame game? Goldie: I hate the attention… but I love my fans.
Khaled: What makes you happy? Goldie [smiling]: Myself, friends, family, and desserts.
Khaled: Is the future beautiful? Goldie: Que Sera Sera. Maybe I’ll start a family… I still want to work. I love my job.
Khaled: Chocolate or cookie? A: Chocolate.
Khaled: A handsome face or a good-heart? A: A good heart.
Khaled: Love or money? A: Love.
P.S. I’ll be hosting a Facebook party in December with lots of prizes to be won. I hope to see you there. Sign up for my newsletter at the CONTACT PAGE to know when.
Ask any author what’s it like to wait for their book’s first review, and you’ll probably get a nervous answer. But I’m excited that Gun Kiss’s first review is now out, from Midwest Book Review, and it’s a nice one. Take a peek:
“The mark of a superior thriller lies in its ability to seamlessly transcend borders, boundaries, and special interests to provide a series of interwoven subplots that all come together in a satisfying crescendo of intrigue designed to keep readers on edge right up to the end.
“Take a deep breath before reading Gun Kiss. Its special brand of activity and complex personal and criminal interactions makes it hard to put down, and highly recommended for thriller and crime readers alike.”
When I set out to write INCOGNITO, I was told by industry people it was impossible to kidnap the Pope.
You can’t just write a novel and create a scene where he gets kidnapped. It has to sound believable, even though the premise is fiction.
But I found a way that sounds plausible after researching everything about the Vatican. Now, advanced readers, including one known industry personality in the United Kingdom, has this to say after reading the novel:
“The premise of such a kidnap is really darkly entertaining and sometimes I think almost highly likely!”
“Dark” seems to be the keyword as another reader left a review on Goodreads that reads, “Definitely the darkest intellectual thriller novel I’ve read this year!”
Incognito is a story about religion and politics, particularly Islamophobia, Christianity, the refugee crisis, the sudden rise of fascism in parts of Europe and NATO’s fear.
The protagonist Ayden Tanner does not believe in God. But he is assigned to find the Pope who is missing.
The question is, how much effort will he put in this mission? Will he risk his life to save someone who has nothing in common with him? Today is 15, May. INCOGNITO is out. I hope you enjoy the read.
Saint Peter’s square, Vatican City. Almost every religious thriller novel and movie about the Vatican will have an image of it. It has become the standard.
In fact, authors have covered almost every inch of the Vatican that’s its really tough to produce original scenes and ideas.
But I had a good creative director when I used to work a short while at an ad agency. I noticed how he saw things differently even if something had been overused. It took me a while to see how he sees things, and then an idea hit me.
I saw something at the square that jumped out at me. I realized how this could work for INCOGNITO. As with my first novel, Smokescreen, expect the unexpected.
I’ve been asked this question a lot: What inspired me to want to be an author? For some authors, it’s the case of reading another author’s novel. For others, it could have transpired after attending a book festival or meet-the-author session. There are plenty of reasons. A life experience could also be a catalyst to push you to want to pick up the pen – well, keyboard, these days… at least for most of us. I, for one, have never understood my own reason. But I would attribute some author-themed movies as having a strong influence on my decision to pick up the storytelling pen. Here’s a few of my favorites:
Her Alibi
Tom Selleck plays a mystery novelist Phil Blackwood who is having trouble finding inspiration, so he goes to the courthouse to observe real criminals in action. There he
encounters a gorgeous immigrant charged with a gruesome murder. Convinced she’s not guilty, Selleck furnishes Nina with an alibi and a place to stay. But, as the two begin to fall in love, Phil finds he has grave doubts about her innocence.
Magnum P.I.
Even though Robin Masters was never seen, his mysterious persona was inspiring enough to want me to pick up the pen while Tom Selleck (Thomas Magnum) went about solving cases.
Author! Author!
Author! Author! is a 1982 American comedy drama film starring Al Pacino, Dyan Cannon, and Tuesday Weld. The plot concerns a Broadway playwright trying to solve his family and relationship troubles while trying to get a new play into production. My favorite line in the movie: “We’re all depress in this family. We will all stay depress — together.”
Stand by Me
After the death of a friend, a writer (Richard Dreyfuss) recounts a boyhood journey to find the body of a missing boy. The finale scene where Dreyfuss types out the last sentence in his manuscript was meaningful. He wrote: “I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?”
She Devil
One of my top favorites, a cunning and resourceful housewife Roseanne Barr vows revenge on her husband when he begins an affair with a wealthy romance novelist played by Meryl Streep. I was rooting for Streep. Funny as hell.
The Waltons
The life of a Depression-era family in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains is the subject of this wholesome series. The TV series is seen from the point of view of eldest son John Boy, who becomes a novelist.
Secret Window
A writer (Johnny Depp) is accused of plagiarism by a strange man, who then starts haunting him for “justice.” Yikes!
Black Ice
Michael Nouri plays a Detroit taxi driver with aspirations of becoming a crime writer. He picks up a woman (Joanna Pacula) who turns out to be on the run from murderer.
Salem’s Lot
The movie, adapted from Stephen King’s novel of the same name, revolves around a writer returning to his hometown to discover the citizens are turning into vampires. Freaked me out, this one.
After the death of a friend, a writer (Richard Dreyfuss) recounts a boyhood journey to find the body of a missing boy. The finale scene where Dreyfuss types out the last sentence in his manuscript was meaningful. He wrote: “I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?”
One of my top favorites, a cunning and resourceful housewife Roseanne Barr vows revenge on her husband when he begins an affair with a wealthy romance novelist played by Meryl Streep. I was rooting for Streep. Funny as hell.
The life of a Depression-era family in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains is the subject of this wholesome series. The TV series is seen from the point of view of eldest son John Boy, who becomes a novelist.
Michael Nouri plays a Detroit taxi driver with aspirations of becoming a crime writer. He picks up a woman (Joanna Pacula) who turns out to be on the run from murderer.
