Events
The folks at the Jefferson City Public Library were kind enough to invite me to a book signing. Take a look at the poster they made up for the event. Find me at 108 City Center Drive, Jefferson City, TN. Call 865-475-9094 for more information. See you then.
For my writer friends: WHAT THE HELL CAN YOU DO WITH A NOVELETTE?
WHAT THE HELL CAN YOU DO WITH A NOVELETTE? Practically speaking, not much—unless you get creative. Wikapedia and other Internet sources define novelette as a story ranging between 7,500 and 17,500 words. Try and sell one sometime. They’re too long for those who publish short stories and too short for a publisher who’s looking for a novella or full-length novel. After I finished my first Sam Jenkins mystery novel, A NEW PROSPECT, and while peddling it to agents and publishers, I wrote stories for practice. Each was based on an actual incident...
read moreIT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE? A CHRISTMAS STORY
Merry Christmas 2015. I thought it was time to post an old holiday story which is based on two true incidents which I’ve composited into one. Follow Police Officers Sam & Louie as they patrol the streets of North Belloprt, NY circa 1974. It’s a Wonderful life? A Christmas Story By Wayne Zurl Few people want to work a four-to-twelve shift on Christmas night. My wife had made an early dinner the night before and we opened our presents on Christmas Eve, satisfying our holiday spirit. And working Christmas day paid double time and a...
read moreA Few Kind Words for FROM NEW YORK TO THE SMOKIES
Masterful plots, penetrating psychology, rich background and intriguing, diverse characters –let’s face it – this series is addictive. You read one, you want more. Wayne Zurl is a wonderful writer, whose books should not be missed! Five stars! Ilil R. Arbel, author & researcher Every story in this collection will hold your attention and y’all will be learning jes’ how them in the mountains of Tennessee chat! Great writing, well edited, exhilarating stories. Nancy L. Silk, author & reviewer Wayne Zurl writes detective novels with...
read moreReaders’ Favorite awards FROM NEW YORK TO THE SMOKIES 5 stars
Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers’ Favorite From New York to the Smokies…is a neatly packaged [anthology]…It gave me… insight into [Sam Jenkins] and his [early] life and made me want to read the full length novels. Each [novelette] is written in a masterful way…a little mystery of its own. There is plenty of action…enough to give you a taste of what the main novels will be like…Wayne Zurl is an excellent writer and I now want to read his other books. Amazon link
read moreSHOTS FIRED, A Sam Jenkins police story
This story is posted in Other Writings, but it appears on someone’s blog and the link doesn’t always work. So, because October is approaching, I thought I’d offer a FREE short story that takes place in October 1974. Patrolmen Sam Jenkins and Lou Rodriguez get a call of shots fired on the seedy side of the precinct. Shots Fired I hated the place at first sight; a narrow enclosed stairway with a slight dogleg to the right, obscuring a door at the top. A bare, forty watt bulb hung above the landing, casting an eerie light over...
read moreFrom New York to the Smokies
Five mysteries spanning more than four decades in the life of career police officer, Sam Jenkins. THE BOAT TO PRISON – set in 1963 when a teenaged Jenkins and his friends attempt to foil a plot to kill a Long Island union leader and keep Sam’s shop steward father from doing hard time. FAVORS drops readers into a New York of 1985 when Lieutenant Sam Jenkins mounts an unofficial investigation to learn why one of his civilian employees isn’t overjoyed about her promotion to police officer and uncovers a history of unreported and unspeakable...
read moreMystery & Crime fans you’ve got to see this
Visit Kat McCarthy at THE CRIME COVE for Crime Fiction / True Crime / Thriller book reviews, author interviews, giveaways, & more.
read moreAuthor & blogger Elise Abram asks me about A NEW PROSPECT and hits me with some interesting interview questions
Elise Abram and I share the publisher I used for A NEW PROSPECT. Take a look at what interesting questions she asks about that book and the entire Sam Jenkins series. http://eliseabram.com/britbear/?p=403
read moreAN EXPLANATION OF POLICE HARASSMENT
We’ll probably never know if this is a real response from an officer at Chula Vista PD, but whoever wrote it sounds very clever. Recently, the Chula Vista, California Police Department ran an e-mail forum with the local community (a question and answer exchange) with the topic being, “Community Policing.” One of the civilian e-mail participants posed the following question: “I would like to know how it is possible for police officers to continually harass people and get away with it?” From the “other side”...
read moreHave you ever attended the funeral of a cop killed in the line of duty?
During the latter months of 2014, the police have come under much scrutiny and civil unrest has surfaced in many predominately African American communities in America. The deaths of several black men, specifically, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, et al, have brought violence to the streets and accusations against police departments as a whole. I have no intention of voicing an opinion on the guilt, innocence, or justification of the police officers involved in these uses of force or deadly force because I do not possess enough...
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