IF THERE’S ONE THING W SHOULDN’T EVEN MENTION IS ANYONE’S HANDLING OF THE PRESS:George Bush Criticizes Trump.

SOME YEARS AGO, THE EXPERTS IN NEW YORK PUBLISHING: decided that “cozy mysteries” (mysteries like those of Agatha Christie, solved by amateurs, revolving around private relationships, and often involving eccentric characters) were passe.  Not that people didn’t want to read them, mind, but because people SHOULDN’T want to read them, because they were objectively bad.  Some books on how to write mysteries left cozies out altogether, save to tell you they shouldn’t be written because they’re not “real” mysteries.  Real mysteries are solved by professionals, and cozies weren’t nitty gritty and didn’t show class struggle.  Or something.  Anyway, they stopped accepting cozies.

This was before indie, but the market always finds a way.  There were readers for these mysteries (yours truly among others.  Yes, I also read police procedurals, but the mood for these kind of mysteries is different, and I’m not always in the same mood.  Just because I adore steak, doesn’t mean I don’t eat popcorn.) And so they found a new outlet in “craft mysteries” which were allowed to exist because the mystery was solved due to some specialized knowledge of a “craft.”

In the early 2000s due to a strange confluence of my publishing house at the time looking for someone to write craft mysteries and my kids needing shoes, I found myself more or less compelled to write three of these. (Mind you, the only thing even vaguely akin to a craft I’d had time for was furniture refinishing because… well, we needed furniture too.)  By the end of this, I had a good thing going with my science fiction at Baen and named an utterly unreasonable price to do a 4th book.  By that time, I had a strong idea that indie was viable, and I wanted this series cut off, and the books to revert, so I could continue the series indie.

It “only” took it close on ten years to revert, because these things — lighter than air, sillier than a sitcom — sell.  My heavens do they sell.

This is the first book in the series, the others will be coming out soon, and then I’ll finish the fourth.  To those keeping score at home, yes, it is set in the same town as my Shifter series at Baen, and some of the characters of each series have walk ons in the other.  Only the mystery characters aren’t aware of ANY supernatural stuff, which you know is what would happen.

Anyway, this is Dipped, Stripped and Dead.  You might love it.  You might hate it.  Or — more likely — it might while away an idle hour and amuse you.

(Of note, this is under a pen name, because it was demanded I do these under a “White Bread” name.  Apparently in New York Publishing, “Sarah Hoyt” is ethnic.  What can one do but say “Shine on, you crazy diamond.”?)

PRESENTING THE YOUTHFUL, ENERGETIC FACE OF THE PARTY OF DIVERSITY AND YOUTH WHO AS A MATTER OF COURSE OWNS THE FUTURE: Did we mention youth?  And Diversity?  And the Future?  I mean, that’s how they sell themselves, right?

BUT WHAT IF WE AREN’T ALL DEPLORABLE?  We Are Still ALL Deplorable.

YES, WE ARE ALL DEPLORABLE.  WEAR IT PROUDLY:How the ctrl-Left make it impossible to be a Nice Conservative.

SCINTILLA OF SANITY ABROAD:The Darling Trumps of May.

SPEAKING OF BULLSH*T THAT HAS BEEN LARDED LEFT AND RIGHT WITH A BIG SPOON, RECENTLY, SOME COOL SANITY:Milo and the Sacred Band.

AND SPEAKING OF THE MEDIA AND LYING (BUT I REPEAT MYSELF): A Market for Bullshit.

ONLY NOT THIS GOVERNMENT, MORE OF A GOVERNMENT BY THE “RIGHT PEOPLE” WHO NEED A MINISTRY OF LOVE:Media is Now Part of the Government.

MORE OF OBAMA’S CHICKENS COMING HOME TO ROOST:Women with guns: The next threat to the Democratic Party.

WHAT IS THE WORLD COMING TO WHEN A CEO CAN’T PUT HIS FAVORITE STRIPPER (AND HER MOM) ON THE PAYROLL? Fired CEO is accused of epic theft

QUICK, DEPLOY THE STRATEGIC AL GORE:Antarctic ice crack could cause big rise in sea level.

I THINK, TO DATE, THIS IS MY BEST BOOK: This is an e-arc, i.e. an uncorrected manuscript that the company allows readers to buy if they want the book RIGHT NOW.   E-arc of Darkship Revenge.

Oh, and this cover, by Stephen Hickman is probably the best or second best cover I’ve ever got (vying too close to call to the cover of Darkship Thieves.)  As authors have no say over these, this was an exceptionally lucky draw.

YOUR MASTERS ARE THOSE YOU CAN’T MOCK: Danish man who videoed himself burning the Quran charged with blasphemy.

SO MANY YEARS AGO I WROTE A VERY SILLY MYSTERY: Finally, after many years, it and its two sequels have reverted to me.  I’m bringing them out and will probably finish and add the never-published fourth by mid-March. (Yes, I know I have other series to continue as well.  After the year of … 5? 6? moves we’re settling in and that too will happen. There’s mostly a lot of final edits to get through.) So, without further ado, here is Dipped, Stripped and Dead.  BTW, the cover is by Jack Wylder, a friend of Larry Correia’s and a superb artist.  Highly recommended.

NOT JUST PURTY FACES: Male models in ‘right place at the right time’ to pull teens to safety from frozen Central Park pond.

CIRCLING FIRING SQUADS TO THE LEFT: Liberal activists warn party’s lawmakers: Primaries are coming.

IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME COMING: Outside The Beltway, It’s Morning In America Again.

WHY WAS SHE HIRED IN THE LAST DAYS OF THE OUTGOING ADMINISTRATION? Questions loom over who picked America’s chief statistician.

GOOD SHOW, SIR: European welfare benefits help fund ISIS fighters.

ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD FROM A VERY DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE: Milo and the Bookstore.

OH, I DON’T KNOW ABOUT THAT.  THE LEFT THINKS IT’S WRONG TO BAIT THEM: Milo Yiannopoulos got punished despite having done nothing wrong!

I THOUGHT THE RIGHT WAS DONE WITH THE CIRCULAR FIRING SQUAD: It was a beautiful dream. If They Take Milo down, You’re Next.

INTERESTING: The Problem With Calling Something “Interesting”.  Or maybe “Fascinating.”

FROM KIM DUTOIT: A Reason To Live.
And he’s still trying to recover financially, too.