Doug Waddell

Goldies and Grifters is now FREE (in ePub format only).

-- Download at Kobo here: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/goldies-and-grifters

-- Book description on my website: https://dougwaddell.com/not-quite-cozy/ ).

Get Goldies and Grifters at KOBO all of August for just 99cents: https://www.kobo.com/ebook/goldies-and-grifters

QUICK DESCRIPTION:
** Not quite cozy. . . Not quite a murder mystery **

Farley is on a reluctant odyssey. His story is a midlife coming-of-age journey, where he’s dragged into becoming an amateur sleuth, and pulled into a wary, often thorny, relationship with a woman.

But shouldn’t a retired fifty-five-year-old software developer with a hankering for booze avoid criminal probes? Of course. Does he? Of course not . . . and he risks the ultimate price for his involvement.

DETAILS on my website: https://dougwaddell.com . . . or buy NOW for only $1.49 CDN or 99 cents US ON KOBO (link below) . . .
Not quite cozy. Not quite a murder mystery . . . Farley Panko and his rescue cat, Norman, head to an RV resort in Arizona, where an old friend cajoles Farley into helping with a criminal investigation. Not only is he now a reluctant amateur sleuth, but he's dragged into a wary, often thorny, relationship with a woman. He’s also horrified to discover that his golden-aged neighbors (whom he calls “goldies”) are communal and meddling.

Meanwhile, Torri, a remorseless leader of a Denver street gang, comes to Arizona to engage in an ingenious scam targeting seniors. She comes under suspicion by Farley, who, against his better judgment, pokes his nose into things. But shouldn’t a retired fifty-five-year-old software developer with a hankering for booze avoid criminal probes? Of course. Does he? Of course not . . . and he risks the ultimate price for his involvement.

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Goldies and Grifters combines an ounce of substance abuse with an ounce of crime and a sprinkling of humour, resulting in a tale of deceit and mistrust, yet also revealing the heartaches—and hopefulness—associated with the search for mid-life companionship.

My eBook, Goldies and Grifters is available at Kobo:

https://www.kobo.com/en/ebook/goldies-and-grifters

Enjoy!

Okay, I've decided to drop the pseudonym, Riley P. Hadwell, in favour of my real name for publishing, social media, website, etc. Don't judge ;-)

Not quite cozy. Not quite a murder mystery . . . Farley Panko and his rescue cat, Norman, head to an RV resort in Arizona, where an old friend cajoles Farley into helping with a criminal investigation.

Why did I choose an Egyptian Mau cat as the breed for "Norman," the protagonist's cat in my novel, "Goldies and Grifters?" Well, partly because I was fascinated by its behaviors and abilities: intelligent; athletic (extraordinary jumping ability); sometimes mischievous; loyal to their people. Also, they have distinctive vocalizations (meows, chirps, chortles) and I could imagine Norman 'talking back' to Farley.

I don't know what I would do without these two wonderful resources. Thank you Lisa Cron and Paula LaRocque!

I'm hoping that my latest iteration of my novel's blurb is getting close to a polished version. Here's the first paragraph:

“Geez Louise,” says Farley Panko, “I don’t know how I ended up here, among a host of snowbirds and a horde of swindlers.” Yet here he is. At Mariposa RV Resort in Arizona, sixteen hundred miles from home.

See the full blurb on my author blog:

Blurb - Doug Waddell “Geez Louise,” says Farley, “how did I end up here, among a host of snowbirds and a horde of swindlers.” Yet here he is. At Mariposa RV Resort in Arizona, sixteen hundred miles from home. Farley Panko, a grudgingly retired software developer from Illinois, wants to start life anew after suff...

Not that I needed an excuse, but I celebrated finishing the first draft of my novel the other day. My working title is called Goldies and Grifters. I didn't think it was worthy of champagne; I still have a lot of work to do. But it did call for a glass of wine (OK, two: one for each year of my work-in-progress so far).

WTH, how can it be October 11 already? Canadian Thanksgiving, and the biggest turkey in the house has roosted at his laptop, brainlessly and nervously pecking at the keys, snood shaking, wattle wiggling, creating senseless gobbledygook. And here's an unknown fact: turkeys hibernate all summer and into the fall. A hundred and seven days since my last post. Disconnected. Disconsolate. Distracted. What The Heck!

My WIP went MIA. Read my latest blog post if you're interested in the excuses. But bottom line, it's time to get out of this funk and continue writing. If I don't do it now, my goose, er... turkey, is cooked.

I just realized that my image of the "Snakes and Ladders" board game (from my previous post) may look a bit odd to any American readers. I discovered that a similar game from south-of-the-border (from Canada) was introduced by Milton Bradley (now Hasbro). "Chutes and Ladders," is apparently a more child-friendly version, whereby children have a fun slide down to the bottom.

Personally, I think our version is a better teaching device. You should avoid snakes; there are risks involved if you don't (Going backwards is like flunking grades in school isn't it?). As for chutes? Well, shoot, why would you avoid something so fun? And according to Hasbro: "Slip, slide and see if you can win". REALLY? Ladders = Win. Chutes (snakes) = LOSE. Hsssssssss!