I’m a bit late this year with my New Year’s writing goals (let’s not call them “resolutions”) but considering that we’re still in the first chapter of 2014, here goes:
— First and foremost I’m starting a new full time job this year as a writing teacher. I’m looking forward to meeting lots and lots of new students and sharing my love for writing with them!
— In the year ahead, I hope to publish three books, starting with GHOST SNIPER, a World War II thriller set at D-Day to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the Normandy invasion. The ebook version is already out from Intracoastal, with the print version to follow early this year.
— Next up is BEACH BODIES, a thriller set at Rehoboth Beach and Lewes, Delaware. I don’t enjoy reading really violent “serious” crime novels, so it should come as no surprise that BEACH BODIES is a bit on the “spoofy” (is that an actual adjective?) side but perfect to read at the beach, possibly right on the beaches mentioned in the book. I think you’ll love the main characters, Nick Logan and Sarah Monahan, who are detectives on the trail of a ring of killers. There are some laughs, some sex on the beach, a spooky bad guy who plays really bad music in a beach band, and plenty of landmarks and local flavor included, from the Rehoboth boardwalk to Browseabout Books to Grotto’s pizza. Look for BEACH BODIES in June from Intracoastal!
— The second book in THE SEA LORD CHRONICLES will be called SHIP OF SPIES and it continues the adventures of Alexander Hope and the crew of HMS Resolution during the Napoleonic era, with some fantasy elements mixed into the history. Huzzah!
— Another writing goal will be starting the next DELMARVA RENOVATORS mystery. This one will be set in Lewes, Delaware. It’s a perfect town for old house lovers with lots of history going back to the 1600s. The first book came out in June from the wonderful Bella Rosa Books, and there was a short story released in October called THE HOUSE THAT KICKED UP ITS HOOVES ON HALLOWEEN. You can grab that for your Kindle or Nook if you missed it.
— Beyond writing, my other big goal in 2014 is to make connections with new friends and colleagues in the writing and teaching world. Facebook is a good place to start! I also want to reach out to old friends I may have lost touch with over the years in the hurly burly of working for a living, keeping an old house together, and having a busy family life. Rekindling these connections would make 2014 the most rewarding year yet.
David Healey author 
My family frequented Lewes for our summer holiday. One year my cousins and I discovered a dead body washed ashore. I was about ten years old and for us, it was a very vividly remembered event. We gruesomely examined every detail of this person who had been in the water for several days evidently, and we noted how nature changed the familiar into something else entirely. The response among our parents, and the town authorities was also a fascinating process etched into my memory. Good luck with your Beach Body tale!
Thanks, Ken! It’s funny how sometimes kids think something “gross” like a body washed up on the beach is cool. Here’s hoping your own writing is going well!