Author Tip by David Mack + News

Author Tip by David Mack + News ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌

NEWS

LOVE AND HOT CHICKEN by Mary Liza Hartong was named a Thurber House 2026 Semi-Finalist for American Humor in Writing.

HEATED RIVALRY by Rachel Reid had its official trailer released for the Crave original series.

THE BURNING QUEEN by Aparna Verma earned a positive Booklist review for the October 1 issue, praising it as “masterful.”

THE HAUNTING OF PAYNES HOLLOW by Kelley Armstrong is a Book of the Month pick.

AS LONG AS YOU’RE MINE by Nekesa Afia celebrated publication with major media coverage, including a great Booklist review, BookBub’s Best Historical Fiction of Fall 2025, and GO Magazine’s fall roundup of sapphic reads.

NEAR THE BONE by Christina Henry was featured in Bookstr’s “10 Greatest Horrific Cottagecore Reads That Will Haunt You”.

THE PLACE WHERE THEY BURIED YOUR HEART by Christina Henry was mentioned in the Chicago Tribune’s “Poking Around the Excellent Cauldron of New Horror Lit” article.

AUTHOR TIP OF THE MONTH

DAVID MACK is the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of 37 novels and numerous short works of science-fiction, fantasy, and adventure. STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS: RING OF FIRE is his latest release.

Passion for your fictional world and characters is just as important when writing work-for-hire media tie-in tales as it is for crafting original stories. Some writers take tie-in jobs mistakenly thinking they can just “phone it in.”

Fans can almost always tell when a writer doesn’t really know or respect their beloved fictional universe and its characters. Before you take on a media tie-in gig, make sure there’s something about the project or the underlying intellectual property that genuinely interests and excites you, and think twice before you accept a writing job for no other reason than the paycheck.

NEW CLIENTS ON THE BLOCK

Jamie Cross

Jamie defies gravity when he’s writing, his mind cruising at 37,000 feet, but lands back on earth for his day job as an aviation lecturer. A former airline pilot, he loves sun, sea, and, of course, a good novel.

A.H. Mayers

A.H. Mayers is an Australian writer with a love for anything spooky, romantic or comedic. When she isn't writing, she's working as a fashion stylist and trying to stop herself from buying more suits.

NEW RELEASES

THE HAUNTING OF PAYNE’S HOLLOW by Kelley Armstrong

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From New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong comes a nail-biting supernatural horror about a haunted lakeside property and twisted family secrets.

When Samantha Payne’s grandfather dies, she figures she won’t even get a mention in the will. After all, she hasn’t seen him in fourteen years, not since her father took his own life after being accused of murdering a child at their lakefront cottage. Her grandfather always insisted her father was innocent, despite Sam having caught him burying the child’s body, his clothing streaked with blood.

But when she does attend the reading of the will at the behest of her aunt, she discovers that her grandfather left her the very valuable lakefront property where the family cottage sits. There’s one catch: Sam needs to stay in the cottage for a month. To finally face the fact she was wrong and her father was innocent, in her grandfather's words.

AS LONG AS YOU'RE MINE by Nekesa Afia

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Beneath the glitter of 1930s Hollywood, dangerous secrets connect two generations of women in this atmospheric dual-timeline mystery about identity, sacrifice, and survival.

Professional ballerina Thea Ross’s world shatters when her screen-legend father commits suicide, leaving behind a shocking confession to a decades-old murder. Determined to uncover the truth, Thea teams up with a relentless journalist, following a trail of clues that leads her back to the glittering yet treacherous world of 1930s Hollywood.

There, she discovers the story of Lorelei Davies, a struggling actress willing to endure anything for her family’s sake. As Thea peels back the layers of Lorelei’s life—her dreams, fears, and dangerous secrets—the connection between Lorelei’s past and Thea’s present challenges everything she believes about her family history. But as she untangles all the lies, she comes to know herself more truly than ever before.

STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS: RING OF FIRE

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A new adventure based on the thrilling Paramount+ TV series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds!

When murder and sabotage imperil the time-sensitive and top-secret mission of a team of civilian scientists, Starfleet deploys Captain Christopher Pike and the Enterprise crew to Kathara Station, a classified research facility located above the accretion disk of a black hole.

Lieutenant Commander Una Chin-Riley soon discovers the station’s director, Valkeya, is hiding secrets—but so is Captain Pike, who many years earlier visited this same black hole on a mission that went tragically wrong, and whose consequences have haunted him ever since.

THE THIN BLUE LEY-LINE by Keith R.A. DeCandido

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From USA Today bestselling author Keith R. A. DeCandido comes a paranormal mystery of epic proportions.

When Detective Domenica Kiernan solved the murder of a mayor’s aide—killed by a vampire—she never imagined she’d find herself at the vanguard of the NYPD’s latest special squad: the Supernatural Crimes Unit.

Tasked with closing cases involving magic and monsters, the SCU has dealt with a shape-changing domovoy committing assault in Chelsea, the murder of a kappa on City Island, a thieving Taotie in Chinatown—and their latest, two murder victims whose corpses have been liquefied by a powerful spell.

COLTON ON GUARD by Karen Whiddon

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He aches for her forgiveness…

And yearns to protect her from danger.

Her job at Rough Terrain Adventures would be perfect if it didn’t require working alongside Parker Colton. Before Genna MacDougal left town, they shared a spectacular night of passion. Then he ghosted her. Now she’s back and struggling to suppress her attraction in his inescapable presence. But Parker is also struggling…with regret and longing. So when a stalker targets Genna, Parker must overcome Genna’s resistance to his protection. The stakes couldn’t be higher. Because the stalker could be the serial killer who’s murdering women in their town.

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