Yes, it’s one of these again. I’ll get right to the chase—I’ve slacked on keeping up with my newsletter in 2024. Not because I don’t enjoy writing it or think it’s important—one day I hope this will be a core component of how I reach people—but because I’ve been busy. The age old excuse, and just because it may be valid doesn’t make it okay.
In writing (and in life) feeling like you’re losing momentum really sucks. That’s how I’ve felt over the past year. Not that it’s all bad. Some truly wonderful things have happened in my career and personal life. I got married in January to the best person I know, surrounded by friends and family. Work has provided me the opportunity to help others create books and bring their own dreams and powerful voices to life, or in many cases just tell their stories. There’s been plenty of travel and fun times—life is good.
But that’s not what I’m talking about. My first novel, A Day in Fall, was published in April 2022. Over two years ago! Many of you know that the owner of the publishing company passed away shortly after and the company dissolved. But here’s the thing: the sequel, A Day in Winter, still isn’t out. This was supposed to be a four-part series, and two years later there’s still no sequel!
That’s a problem, and it’s almost entirely my fault. Just like I put off writing this because it meant being honest with myself and everyone reading (hopefully a few), I put off carving out time to force another book into the world. That isn’t acceptable.
But there’s good news. A Day in Winter is written. It’s revised and edited. Finding a publisher to bring il sogno (the dream) to life is in the works. The train may have slowed, but it didn’t stop. Enough kind, awesome people read A Day in Fall and didn’t tell me it sucked that I have to keep going.
Michael Larson and Echelon are coming back!
So, here’s what we’re going to do. Below is a little teaser about my next book that will hopefully make people excited to read it. I’ll keep posting updates on when to expect A Day in Winter, and hopefully there will be plenty of promotions and giveaways. Support means a ton to me, and thank you to everyone who has been there on this journey.
There’s even better to come!
A DAY IN WINTER
A deadly blast on a residential Washington DC street shakes a reeling world even further out of alignment. Michael Larson counts himself a lucky survivor. Two of his Echelon colleagues aren’t so fortunate.
There is a many-headed beast gaining strength in the shadows, swelling into a movement that’s determined to seize power. Larson is no stranger to extremism, but this is different. Countries in Europe are already falling. A massive prison break in Louisiana frees some of America’s most dangerous prisoners. The new foe, known as Rockbridge, looks impossible to stop. It’s only a matter of time before they infiltrate every government nook and effectively seize power.
Before Larson can begin to unmask a leader, he’s diverted by a British intelligence officer masquerading as a climate scientist in Iceland. One of her fellow scientists isn’t who he says he is. And he has a steel case full of sensitive U.S. intelligence bound for Moscow.
Larson and his trusted sidekicks jet set from Iceland to a resort town on the coast of Tunisia to the very last place an American intelligence operative wants to find themselves—Russia. This is no vacation; if placed in the wrong hands, the stolen intelligence would give any bad actor the ability to spy on and track millions of people at a time with pinpoint precision. The free world would be a thing of the past.
But Larson never suspects his mission to lead him into the web of one of the most dangerous and well-connected men on the planet. Not in Moscow, but hunkered down at a palatial state several hours north. Through proxies and internet troll factories, this man more or less controls the world. Taking the oligarch to rule all oligarchs down seems next to impossible, but it’s exactly what Larson and the others are forced to do—that is, after they infiltrate his inner circle.
If you like spy thrillers (and I love them, so I hold anything I do in the genre to a high standard) A Day in Winter will be right up your alley. It’s topical, there are political elements (although I try to totally avoid using politicians as characters—that isn’t my thing), and the tension ratchets up to a whole new level. I can’t wait for people to read it!
If you don’t like spy thrillers, read it anyway and hopefully you’ll change your mind : )
Now, a last little tidbit. A Day in Winter isn’t the only thing I’ve been working on. The four-part “Echelon” series was something I felt too good and relevant to pass up, but I really want to make my mark with a breathtaking, twist-ridden conspiracy thriller. Thanks to the advice of Ryan Steck, an amazing author whose hit books can be found here, I'm excited to say that book is also in the works.
Here’s a sneak peek:
Violent crime is on the upswing in Tacoma, Washington. A new district court judge, an outsider, is appointed to bring the city in line, to repair its tarnished reputation. There’s just one problem: he has secrets of his own, and a scarred past not even he is prepared to deal with.
Benjamin Fleet is a junior state prosecutor and close friend of the new judge. But after he’s found overdosed and near death in a part of Tacoma some call a war zone, his own flaws come to light.
The judge and Fleet join forces when a mutual friend washes ashore with both feet severed. Off the record they investigate the vicious crime. That is, until they begin to suspect one another of doing the deed.
That’s all I’ll say for now, but I’m really excited about this one. A thriller for a much wider audience. If you like John Grisham, Harlan Coben, or any of the many Woman in the Window/Girl on the Train/Girl who saw (insert harrowing situation) books out there, this will be a worthy addition to your reading list. It fits the conspiracy thriller genre, but it’s something entirely its own.
Thanks for reading. Updates to come about A Day in Winter (and an exciting surprise in the works to be revealed very soon.)
Be sure to subscribe, and please forward this to others who would be interested. I’m on a mission to grow my audience, and it starts right here!
-Charlie Harned
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