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I'm pleased to announce
publication of my first novel, THE FLOWER LOVER, by 1st
Books Inc.
THE FLOWER LOVER
follows journalist Richard Garcia as he investigates the disappearance
of a rare cultivated orchid. Garcia’s queries lead him to uncover a
clandestine group that is illegally selling munitions and stolen Soviet
nukes on the black market. THE FLOWER LOVER has a complex, convoluted
plot and is fast-paced and cinematic. It features a bicycle chase
through the streets of Seattle and a sea kayak get-away through Rosario
Strait in the San Juan Islands. THE FLOWER LOVER keeps you on the edge
of your seat to the end!
Synopsis
& Sample Chapters
Praise
from Critics Nationwide
Where
to Buy & How to Order
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FAQ
1.
Tell me about the book.
2.
Where do I order a copy of THE FLOWER LOVER?
3.
Why isn't THE FLOWER LOVER available
at more bookstores?
4.
Have you written any other novels?
5.
Where can I find out more about you or your work?
6.
Where can I hear you read from THE FLOWER LOVER?
7.
How do I contact you?
1.
Tell me about the book.
What does a stolen rare
orchid, owned by a "crazy" millionaire industrialist, have in
common with the death of a Seattle Assistant Superintendent of Schools and
the "Yes on No" ballot initiative to fund the "Just Say No
to Drugs" campaign? That's what investigative journalist, Richard
Garcia of the Seattle Reporter, is trying to discover in Peter
Stekel's latest mystery novel, THE FLOWER LOVER.
Richard Garcia lives with his
wife, Sarah Good, who administers a Seattle homeless mission, The Good
Shepard. They have a baby daughter, Sally. Garcia is a former California
university professor of American literature who lost his position after
having an affair with a student. He has found redemption in his love for
Sarah and his commitment to investigating political and moral corruption.
Garcia is summoned by
millionaire Charles Llewellyn Colt II to recover his stolen orchid, which
turns out to be a potent medicinal plant with significant side effects.
Before pursuing the case and its entanglements, Garcia is distracted into
following up on another seemingly unrelated story involving drug sales to
high school students. A murder connected to that case takes the
investigator into yet another milieu - that of a call-girl service for
Seattle's power brokers operated by the enigmatic X-lady. Garcia's work is
complicated by the loss of various sources and other key players who meet
most untimely ends. Nonetheless, he attracts enough attention and collects
enough evidence to end up on the front end of exciting chases by bicycle
and sea kayak. Figuring out the connection between the millionaire Colt,
the "Orchid Club," high school drug deals, the X-lady, Seattle's
elite and the missing orchid lead Garcia to solve the mystery of the
flower lover.
Back to FAQ
2.
Where do I order a copy of THE FLOWER LOVER?
Click here
for information on how to order a book from 1st Books Library.
Click here
for information on how to order a book from Amazon.com
For more
information, please check here.
Back to FAQ
3.
Why isn't THE FLOWER LOVER available
at more bookstores?
The reality of book publishing
today is that best sellers - in fact any sellers - aren't written:
they are created by marketing and publicity. A few writers can be assured
of selling millions simply on the basis of their name or the rumor of a
new book. The rest of us must gain momentum the hard way - by cajoling
relatives, friends, and friends of friends to buy our books and
spread the word. We must contact the bookstores and reviewers on radio,
television and newspapers to promote our books.
Publishing houses are more apt
to give a large cash advance, and hence publish the books, of people with
recognizable names. That's why you see heavy promotion for any books
written by [or "as told to"] entertainers, politicians or people
who are this year's celebrities. Although these books rarely sell enough
to justify their up-front costs, publishers continue to spend their money
on them in the questionable belief that such "properties" bring
them "prestige."
With so much capital tied up
in these prestige projects, publishers have less and less money to spend
on untested new authors or writers. Those who do get published often find
their books languishing without any support or promotion because editors
are too focused on acquiring properties, not in seeing that those
properties accrue interest and value.
The popularity of the Internet
has enabled a new kind of book publishing. "Print on Demand"
[POD] and "Electronic" [E-books] or downloadable books ensure
that authors are no longer overlooked by the older, established publishing
houses. POD book publishers have the same quality as
"traditional" publishing houses but without any of the overhead.
Hence, the books are usually less expensive but slightly more difficult to
obtain. Readers must order on-line directly from the publisher, just like
ordering from a book club, then wait several days for the hard copy to
arrive. On the other hand, readers who don't mind paying less to read the
book in Adobe Acrobat format can download an E-book onto their hard drive
and either read it on-screen or print out a copy.
After THE FLOWER LOVER was
written, several literary agents told me they were interested in
representing me and the book to publishers. Despite of their initial
enthusiasm they decided that my lack of name recognition or literary
establishment meant that I was not promotable "in the current book
market." That's when I turned to the new technology to get THE
FLOWER LOVER into circulation.
Back to FAQ
4.
Have you written any other novels?
I have written one other novel
about Richard Garcia, COLLATERAL DAMAGE.
I have also written HEART OF STONE, a
novel which explores the impact of the decline of logging on Washington's
Olympic Peninsula on the people living there and on their environment. I
have also written THE ISLE OF ALASKA
MYSTERY, a young adult environmental "why-do-it" mystery as
well as INLAND, a young adult novella
all about dweebs, onions and a cat named Bougainvillea.
Back to FAQ
5.
Where can I find out more about you or your work?
Check out the
rest of my website to find links to my other writing projects as
well as my biography.
In addition, check out the
following sites for more information about Peter Stekel and THE FLOWER
LOVER...
STOP, YOU'RE KILLING ME; a web site devoted
to mystery readers and mystery books: http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/Peter-Stekel.html
SISTERS IN CRIME; a national organization
for mystery writers, readers and fans: http://www.sinc-ic.org/stekel.shtml
Back to FAQ
6.
Where can I hear you read from THE FLOWER LOVER?
Contact bookstores and let
them know you've read this wonderful new mystery book by a local author
and that you think it would be a great idea to arrange a reading.
Contacting radio stations by phone or email and tell them the same thing.
This kind of help will be invaluable in getting the word out about THE
FLOWER LOVER.
Back to FAQ
7.
How do I contact you?
Send email to Author@PeterStekel.com
Back to FAQ
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