I'm happy to announce that work on the second Oscar Jade thriller, "Storm Maker," is now under way. 

It's great to be 'back in the saddle' again, returning to Miami Beach and taking a careful look around.  It's February 14th, 1942---Valentine's Day---and someone in Jade's life has been found dead of an apparent suicide.  Or was it?  Jade doesn't think so, and he vows to find the truth---no matter where it takes him---and bring the murderer to justice...

Exciting news from Amazon.com this week!  The Kindle Edition of "Blood & Ashes" broke into the Top 100 Amazon Kindle Best Seller list in two categories:  Historical Mystery and Hardboiled Mystery.  I'd like to take a moment and thank everyone out there in Oscar Jade Nation who helped make this possible!  Jade has an ever-growing fan base, as the legion of "The Jaded" continues to multiply.  As always...if you read "Blood & Ashes" and enjoy it, PLEASE TELL YOUR FRIENDS!  Our goal is to continue to surprise and shock the literary world, and we need your help! 

Just wanted to remind everyone out there that time is now growing short if you'd like to give a signed, personalized copy of "Blood & Ashes" as a Christmas gift.  We still have some copies on hand, but the stack is quickly disappearing as orders come in...As a matter of fact, the window for delivery in time for Christmas will be closing in another few days, so put in your order now if you want to be sure Oscar Jade's debut thriller will be safely under the tree on Christmas morning, waiting to give someone special a thrill ride from the safety of their favorite reading chair!

Thanks for visiting oscarjade.com, and stay tuned for further news in the continuing story of Oscar Jade!  Merry Christmas to you and yours.

Best Wishes,

Mark Loeffelholz  

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First of all, I'd like to sincerely thank everyone who has already picked up a copy of "Blood & Ashes."  To the best of my knowledge, the book's audience has ranged from a 14 year-old boy to a 93 year-old woman---with lots more ladies reading it than I ever would have imagined, considering that I wrote it for my 71 year-old dad...and everyone seems to have had a good time with it.  Amazon.com has recorded 10 "5-star" reviews so far, which is just incredible.  So, from the bottom of my heart:  Thank You!

Now, as we all know, Christmas will be here before we know it...so, do you have anyone on your gift list who's tough to buy for?  Somebody who already "has everything?"  Well, I'll bet he/she doesn't have "Blood & Ashes"---signed and personalized by the author---a sure-fire ticket to mystery/action thrills and spills...from the safety and comfort of their favorite reading chair!  Be a big shot...Tell the person you buy it for that you know the author personally!  I'll vouch for you! :D

It's going to be a long winter for some of us---might as well enjoy December in Miami Beach...at least in your mind! 

Make sure a loved one on your holiday gift list is "Jaded" this Christmas.  They'll love you for it! 

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I've gotten word that the book has been published, as of today...Orders have been placed with Outskirts Press, and pre-orders will be sent out in the order I got them.

Thanks so much for your support.  I hope you enjoy the book!  :) 

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I'm thrilled to announce that I have received word from Outskirts Press that "Blood & Ashes" is now in the process of being printed out in Denver, Colorado, and a very long journey---with its many stops and starts, dips and rises, and twists and turns---is about to come to a conclusion.  Thanks once again to everyone who has supported this book---whether this support has come in the form of friendship, collaboration or pre-orders, it has all been above and beyond what I could have expected in my wildest dreams, and I will be forever grateful.

When the book is published, and the copies begin to go out, you will hear it here first.  Following that, there will be a press release, radio appearances and book signings as I can manage them.  I'm very excited (and appropriately nervous) that the world is about to meet Oscar Jade, a man who has certainly preoccupied me of late, and whom my wife will be very happy to get out of the house...at least for a while... 

:)

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The final version of Daren Hatfield's cover art for "Blood & Ashes" has been submitted to Outskirts Press, my publisher, with the recommended revisions.  I fully expect to receive word, any day now, that the book is ready to go to press---although at the moment I suspect we're being delayed by the July 4th holiday weekend. 

So while we celebrate our great nation's independence, I'd like to take a moment once again to thank all those who have pre-ordered the book for their patience as we collectively wait to get over this last hurdle.  We haven't forgotten about you!  :)  All pre-orders will be fulfilled in the order we received them, and you'll be the first OscarJade.com patrons to get the book.  Thanks again, and Happy Independence Day! 

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I'm thrilled to announce that I've approved the interior galley/proof for printing, and handed off the cover template to Daren Hatfield---my man in Tucson, Arizona---for the finishing touches on the cover art (front, spine and back cover).  We're very close to going to print and I'd sincerely like to thank everyone who's helped me through this process---and especially all those who have pre-ordered the book.  We're very near the end of a long and winding road (as rock 'n roll philosopher Paul McCartney once observed!), and I'd never have gotten to this point without so many kind and generous people (many of whom I've identified at the end of the book).

Thanks again for stopping by.  The next time you hear from me, we'll be shipping books.  :) 

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I'm happy to announce that I'm now able to accept pre-orders for the book, which will help me anticipate initial demand and have enough copies on hand to ship out quickly once the book is in release.  I'd initially hoped to have it available for shipping by June 30th, but I'm now optimistic that it will be released sooner than that---hopefully by Father's Day!

I'm now reviewing the galley proofs for the book, which is exciting.  The book will be 329 pages long; the font type is called "New Century Schoolbook," and is very eye-friendly at 12 point-size for easy reading, which increased the number of pages beyond what I had expected.  I'm very pleased with the overall presentation of the material; it has that "old style" feel I was hoping for.

Keep checking back in for Oscar Jade news as it develops, and thanks for visiting!

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We're about three weeks into production with the publisher; soon I'll be receiving proofs of the novel to review, correct (if necessary) and approve for publication.  Shortly thereafter, I'll be able to begin accepting pre-orders for the book, right here on OscarJade.com, and will be happy to sign and/or personalize copies of Blood & Ashes if requested. 

I'm in the process of working out both domestic and international shipping rates, since I'm fortunate enough to have a number of friends around the world---from the U.K. to South Africa, to Australia---who will be among the first to be "Jaded" when the book is finally released.  It's my hope that I will able to begin accepting pre-orders before the end of May, so that I can anticipate the initial demand, and minimize the turnaround time on orders made through this website. 

At this time, OscarJade.com will be the only online resource for signed copies of Blood & Ashes, although I will be arranging as many personal appearances and book signings, beginning locally, as I can manage...and of course the book will be available at all major online book retailers, and select book stores.  If your local book store doesn't carry Blood & Ashes, please ask them to order it for you!

Once the book is in wide release, beginning in June, I will be appearing on a number of local radio stations to promote the book.  Most (if not all) of these radio stations stream live over the internet, so I will provide date and time details (Central Daylight Time) as soon as they are available. 

In the meantime, I'm happy to announce that I've begun mapping out the next Oscar Jade book, which has a working title of Storm Maker.  Watch this space for news as it becomes available, and thanks for visiting!

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Thanks for coming!  I'd like to welcome you to my blog, where I'll keep you up to date on any new developments in the world of Oscar Jade. 

In Blood & Ashes, the Pelican Bar & Grill is the best food and drink establishment on the beach.  Claude Applegate, owner and proprietor, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner...along with the coldest beer and best-priced liquor in town.  He'll tell you about his antique tavern bar---carved from the hardwood of Germany's Black Forest in the mid-1800s...if furniture could talk, this bar would get a lot of people in serious trouble.  Ask him about the framed picture on the wall, which shows his arm around Hollywood actress Joan Crawford in 1934, when she stopped in at the Pelican for a drink... 

I hope you'll come here often, have a seat at the (virtual) bar, have a drink (if you're thirsty) and talk about whatever's on your mind.  I'd also be glad to answer any questions you might have about the book, the story, or Jade himself---but I'm sworn to avoid spoilers, so you won't get any super-secrets (like the ending!) here...  :)

Yesterday, I sent the final version of Blood & Ashes to my editor for a final formatting check.  After that, it's off to the publisher for production...right now, it looks like it'll be available in June 2010.  I hope you've had the chance to check out the fantastic cover artwork by my buddy, Daren Hatfield---now viewable on the Blood & Ashes page of this website---I think he's done a great job of capturing the retro attitude and noir-ish style of entertainment I'm aiming to deliver, and I'm delighted to have him on board.

Please feel free to stop by and say hello!

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