Author Heath Daniels is back again and sharing the inspirations behind his book Justice. Make sure to check it out on Amazon, and add it to your GoodReads reading list. Most of all, keep reading and find out how you can win a copy! Take it away Heath!
Inspirations keep popping into my head and won’t let go until I begin writing again. It has been a fascinating journey that I want share with you.
When Day of Judgment was published I had moved on to another job in another country. Time to pause writing for a while? No, not yet. In an inspiration, one of the main characters told me he is ready to move on and needs another story written about him.
He has advanced as far as he can in U.S. Attorney General headquarters until someone retires or dies. His next move is to a major U.S. judicial district as a deputy. Research revealed that one of the largest U.S. judicial districts in both population and geography — also one of the most important — is the Western Judicial District of Texas with headquarters in San Antonio.
More synchronicity and serendipity! San Antonio is VERY familiar to me. I’ve been there untold numbers of times for professional meetings and as a tourist. Describing and adding color came naturally. The pictures you see in the book were easy to take.
As you’ll discover, the story revolves around black, Muslim, Somali immigrants resettled in a small central Texas village. Somali refugees were an actual major issue at that time; their resettlement in Texas is fictional. ISIS attempts to exploit the situation. Many realistic legal and medical issues present themselves. Many twists and turns ensue with romance as well.
Additional inspiration came to introduce a transgendered character. Please let me know how you react to her and how she is depicted.
You might find this book more reader friendly. While revising, I was inspired to have shorter chapters and shorter paragraphs. Let me know if that has helped you enjoy this book.
Again, there was another challenge for a title. Finally, after settling on a cover picture, it all came together with a musical subtitle. Take a look at the cover picture of the Alamo. Go to YouTube and click on a 1947 hit tune “Across the Alley from the Alamo” https://youtu.be/3QxDwE6mddE. Now you see the title and subtitle: Justice!: Across the Alley from the Alamo in Federal Court. The Hipolito F. Garcia Federal Court House sits just across from the Alamo where courtroom drama takes place.
Interesting interaction with the copy editor is another highlight of writing this book. Copy editing is an absolute essential part of publishing a book no matter how accomplished I am as a published author.
In the story, a FBI agent treats her fellow agents to kolaches she made herself. Kolaches are Czech pastries that are commonly found in bakeries all over central Texas; now all over Texas and surrounding states.
The copy editor changed the word “kolaches” to italics stating that all foreign language words had to be italicized. With respective disagreement, I passed along comments of a friend chuckling that italicizing “kolaches” would require italicizing “enchiladas” and “tamales” because they, too, are foods with names originating in a foreign language.
Justice! Continues to bring life to lesser known location. No, not San Antonio; it is very well known as one of the most cosmopolitan and charming cities in the U.S. Not even Austin, which is increasingly well known as a tech hub. Instead, San Marcos.
San Marcos is a growing and prosperous small city on I 35 between Austin and San Antonio. It still has its charming downtown area. It is the site of Texas State University which plays a role in the story as well.
Now for your GIVEAWAY and SPECIAL OFFER
The first two persons to reply to this post with a BRIEF description of why you want to read Justice! will receive your choice of paperback or ebook version. Outside the U.S, only ebook.
Ask me about a special offer on a bundle of all four books. You will receive them at a reduced price reflecting a giveaway of one of them. Again, outside the U.S. an ebook bundle.
All four books are current events fiction with legal drama. All have underlying messages of respect, acceptance, and appreciation for all persons, whatever their religion, orientation, or other characteristics. Hopefully you can relate to at least one of these underlying themes. price reflecting a giveaway of one of them. Again, outside the US an ebook bundle.
About Heath Daniels
Heath Daniels is mostly retired from a successful academic career as a professor and researcher in international business issues. He has written and edited books and many articles on the subject. He is often invited to present papers at research conferences in the U.S. and other countries.
He has lived in and traveled to many countries world-wide. These experiences exposed him to many cultures and situations. He developed appreciation, respect, and empathy for all persons everywhere, their cultures and traditions.
During the New Year transition going from 2005 to 2006, inspirations came into his mind to write a book. They would not stop until he sat at the computer and started writing.
This was the start of a parallel career as an academic living and working in various locations and an author of international novels of action and intrigue under a pseudonym.
Now that he has mostly retired from academia, he has continued writing. He has written and published four novels with a fifth still developing in his head.
He grew up and went to a university in a small city in the heartland of the U.S. During his academic career in the U.S., he lived in mostly semi-rural areas in the Eastern part of the country. His international career took him to big cities, small towns, and locations in between.
Upon semi-retirement, he moved back to his original home town which is now a larger, urban, cosmopolitan city that still has heartland roots. He continues to travel whenever possible, most recently returning from a four-week visit to southeast Asia.
Almost all locations in his books are places where he has lived or visited for a long enough time to be able to bring them to life through the books. The vast majority of characters are fictionalized depictions of actual people with whom he has interacted, not always under pleasant circumstances. There are no stereotypes.99
His novels feature current events, adventure, and intrigue that are designed to entertain, as well as inform and foster acceptance, tolerance, and respect for all people.
Visit his website at HeathDanielsBooks.com
Koalaches are a new one to me