Creating Lori Bishop — Kelly Reed’s Partner in Crime
When I create characters for my books, the first thing that happens is they are conjured into my mind, showing me what they look like. Before I know their name, personality, traits, and quirks, I know what they look like. At least what they look like in my mind. The image of Lori Bishop that […]
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Want to Know Private Investigator Kelly Reed’s Backstory?
My protagonist, Kelly Reed, has an incredible backstory that spans all the way back to her adolescent years. Intriguing little tales readers will enjoy discovering at the right moment. Curious about what life was like for Kelly in the Army’s all-male special forces, or why the DEA recruited her? You’ll find out soon enough. Do […]
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Jonathon Marcel is plotting his next Kelly Reed novel
After finishing Tainted Justice (Book 4, Kelly Reed Series) I gave Kelly a rest while I penned a new series of novellas featuring private investigator DeShawn Mills: Deception’s Game, Race to Judgment, and Honor Thy Father. Though I was writing a new series with a new protagonist, I was still including Kelly and her partner, […]
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Writers and Quotes that Inspire Jonathon Marcel
Over the years, I have filled several journals with excerpts and quotes that have inspired me, made me laugh, and changed the way I look at things. Below are a few related to writing that I have chosen to share. “Would you not like to try all sort of lives—one is so very small—but that […]
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Visit Jonathon Marcel at Goodreads
This website is my platform. This is it. No Facebook. No Twitter. No Instagram. But if you want to know what I’m reading, what my favorite books are, along with favorite authors, visit my Goodreads page. Whether it’s writing software documentation at work or penning crime fiction at the house, writing takes up a considerable […]
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Revising My Manuscripts: from First Draft to the Final Draft
When I write a first draft, I’m thinking of nothing but getting the story out of my head and onto paper. Follow my outline. Don’t sweat the show-don’t-tell rule. Worry about vivid scene descriptions later. Don’t get bogged down trying to create awesome dialog. I’ll tackle all that stuff during the editing phase. First Draft […]
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Readers Ask Crime Author Jonathon Marcel the Nitty-Gritty
Where are you from? I was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. I also spent time in Boonville, Missouri, where my mother’s family is from and where I enjoyed time on my step-father’s two-hundred acre farm. What lead you to write crime novels? I like fast-action thrillers, and having worked with convicted felons on […]
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The Wayside Readers Interview Crime Author Jonathon Marcel
The Wayside Readers want crime-fiction fans to know who I am, and why my books are worth reading. The Wayside Readers is the nickname of my betas, and are led by my good friend, Jerry, After they read The Samogon Affair, Jerry introduced me to his group so I could thank them for their time […]
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No Rest for Private Investigator DeShawn Mills
You would think after getting caught up in a high-school brawl, racing to keep a city from burning down, keeping a mob of teenagers from killing each other, and running a pseudo-illegal con job on a rich and powerful man, my fashionable ex-con PI could take a break and enjoy a little vacation. Nope. Not […]
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Race Riots, Sex Crimes, and a Race to Judgment
Hate, Mistrust, and Division It’s been a crazy and insane past few years filled with intense emotions on both sides of the political aisle, being vented by people of all color and creed. We’ve had to endure Harvey Weinstein and the outcry of the #metoo movement, along with Jeffery Epstein and his sex island for […]
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PI DeShawn Mills: the Man with the Remarkable Eyes
Some of my early readers blasted me for introducing a new character so late in Tainted Justice. A cardinal sin according to many readers, publishers and authors. But I had a reason for doing it that my early readers weren’t privy to. A friend and indie author challenged me to write a novella series with […]
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Get the low-down on Jonathon Marcel’s private investigators
I am writing two crime series. One, a series of full-length novels, bounces all over the Midwest before settling in Colorado. My female sleuth in that series is Kelly Reed. The other, a series of novellas, is set in Kansas City and features PI DeShawn Mills. Kelly Reed Kelly is an Ozark, Missouri girl and […]
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What’s Next for Jonathon Marcel’s Glorious PI, Kelly Reed
After finishing Whispers That Kill with a cliff-hanging last line, early readers were left wondering what is Kelly about to do? What has she gotten herself into? My vulnerable, all-powerful private investigator is stuck having to make good on a promise, or rather her end of a deal—no matter what side of the fence you operate […]
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Jonathon Marcel’s Famed Agent, Kelly Reed, Starts a New Life
After The Samogon Affair, the question was what happened to Kelly Reed, which I answered in Playing for Blood. After finishing Playing for Blood, the question became what is Kelly going to do now. Everyone has to work, right? Now that Kelly has an extra load to bear, she needs money and finds work in […]
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Behind the Revision of Jonathon Marcel’s Playing for Blood
My first draft of The Samogon Affair was over 156,000 words. After several revisions, it came in at around 106,000 words. My second novel, however, was a mere 56,000 words—too long for a novella, too short of a novel. This was discouraging because the purpose of writing this book was to launch DEA Agent Kelly […]
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Behind the Cover Design for Jonathon Marcel’s Crime Novels
I’m not a cover designer, not by a long shot. And yet, like any DIY author, I tend to believe I know what’s best for my books. I did study design somewhat extensively before unleashing my creativity, and I understand the cover is the first thing readers see, and it has to wow them immediately […]
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What Happened to Agent Kelly Reed? Jonathon Marcel Explains
After writing The Samogon Affair, my betas and early readers bombarded me with the same question: What happened to DEA Agent Kelly Reed? The Samogon Affair was meant to be a stand-alone gangland novel with three young characters at the forefront. My law enforcement characters, while memorable, played just supporting roles to connect all the […]
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The Wayside Readers Discuss Jonathon Marcel’s Debut Novel
The Wayside Readers is a small support group of friends who act as my betas. One of my friends, Jerry, leads the group and offered to read my manuscript and provide feedback. Not long after, some of them came together to discuss my first book. Here is the condensed version of what they had to […]
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Who is Rochelle Donovan? Jonathon Marcel Introduces His Lead
Love her or hate her, I do, but don’t ignore Rochelle Donovan. This girl doesn’t just stay in conflict, she creates it whether she means to or not. Who says the protagonist has to be loved and respected? After all, The Samogon Affair is a gangland crime story—everyone is a villain. It might surprise you […]
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From Pen to Print: Drafting Jonathon Marcel’s Debut Novel
It’s been several years since I first penned The Samogon Affair, a megaloscript of 156,000 words—a bit long for a gangland thriller. And like any first draft, it was shitty! But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me start at the beginning. Coming up with a storyline Having worked as a paralegal with hundreds of […]
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What Early Readers Said About Jonathon Marcel’s Debut Novel
When I first wrote The Samogon Affair as a standalone, I was fortunate to have received great feedback from early readers who don’t normally read my kind of crime thrillers. Nevertheless, they took a chance on a new author outside their genre and liked what they read. Here are excerpts from their early feedback. Maybe […]
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Jonathon Marcel submits Justice for Thee to AHMM
This week I submitted a short story to Alfred Hitchcock Mystery magazine. Justice for Thee is a compilation of scenes from my unpublished novel, Playing for Blood, (Book 2, Kelly Reed series). AHMM loves publishing new authors. I should hear from them in October, maybe November. Hopefully they’ll jump on my submission and publish. It […]
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Who are Crime Author Jonathon Marcel’s Beta Readers
When I first wrote The Samogon Affair, my friend Jerry was my only beta reader. When I told him I was revising my manuscript he offered to help. Jerry and a friend of his, Lynn, have a small, tight-knit support group who meet regularly and enjoy several activities together including sharing books, but they’re not […]
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2021 is Jonathon Marcel’s year to submit to publishers
It’s been a long time plotting, writing, and revising four novels and three novellas. My editor and I have suffered much of each other over so-called grammar rules, but we made it through and remain friends. When I started writing, I was overly confident everyone will enjoy my books and not be able to put […]
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Excerpts from Jonathon Marcel’s Honor Thy Father
Chapter 4 “Jack Delacroix’s will is in probate. It’s being challenged by an illegitimate daughter no one knew he had.” I stalk back to my desk where the drink caddy waits to console me. “No such thing as an illegitimate child.” I hold out a bottle of bourbon, and Gabbler dismisses the offer with a […]
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Excerpts from Jonathon Marcel’s Race to Judgment
Chapter 6 The courthouse lobby resounded with the raw tongue of a teenager motivating the mob through a bullhorn. Near a hundred people crowded the lobby, interrupting the hearings in the adjacent two courtrooms. Bolinger exited the stairwell and hurried past the clerk’s office and into Prosecuting Attorney Madison Eijkman’s office. “Tell me what the […]
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Excerpts from Jonathon Marcel’s Deception’s Game
CHAPTER 5 Bourbon doesn’t cure insomnia. That’s what Detective Virgil Tibbs told Chief Gillespie in In the Heat of the Night. One of my favorite characters. Tibbs is the reason I wanted to be a cop, but circumstances changed that. Tibbs is right though. I’m into my fourth glass, still wide-awake, watching the sun creep […]
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Excerpts from Jonathon Marcel’s Tainted Justice
CHAPTER 3 “Hound from Hell,” Kelly grumbled as she struggled to pull her leg out from under Bull, the hundred-pound Mastiff sleeping sprawled across her lower half. “Get off of me.” The annoying chirping of a cricket clinging to the window screen had woken Kelly like a beeping alarm clock. Her skin prickled from the […]
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Excerpts from Jonathon Marcel’s Whispers That Kill
CHAPTER 2 Kelly was racing the sun to the west side of the mountains. From out her window, she could still see the red star miles ahead of her, always on the horizon. Never had she been able to catch it, and never had she been able to outrun it. CHAPTER 4 The elevator doors […]
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Excerpts from Jonathon Marcel’s Playing for Blood
CHAPTER 5 Excruciating pain coursed through Agent Garner’s body, causing flashes of white behind his eyes each time he tried to move. Shallow moans escaped his dry mouth. He forced his hand under his chest and keyed his radio, then squeezed his eyes shut and used every bit of remaining strength to focus on timing […]
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Excerpts from Jonathon Marcel’s The Samogon Affair
CHAPTER 16 Pedestrians sauntered along the main drag, tussling for the right-of-way as they weaved in and out of watering holes and grease pits. The occasional blast of a car horn or the whoop of a police siren fought for attention among the ruckus of obscure bands roaring out of the bars with the flow […]
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