Sunday, March 17, 2024

Spring is almost here! (and a few free books)

Welcome, dear friends and readers. 

 

Spring is coming!



I saw my snowdrops happily nodding their pristine white heads the other day. And the purple crocus as coming up in their usual spots and in some surprising areas, where I guess the chipmunks moved them very steathily. Little rascals.

I love it. Spring makes my spirits soar, even in this time of huge adjustment.

Free eBooks

Today I'm going to share two FREE eBooks with you, Robert Sells' new romantic murder mystery, An Affair with Murder, and my first "Young Gus" mystery from the LeGarde Mystery series, Tremolo: cry of the loon. 

An Affair with Murder

Rob Sells is an all-round great guy. One of the best I've ever known. Compassionate, giving, and more. Oh, and he can also write!!! So I took him on as a client ;o) (Just for the record, I don't get any money for promoting clients' books that I love and believe in - I just want to share.) 

 


FREE 3/18 - 3/22/24.
 

An Affair with Murder is set in a small town and bristles with intrigue, suspense, and plot-twisting romance. The main character is a writer (who doesn't love that?), but past traumas haunt her. 

When a a formerly dormant serial killer starts stealing and murdering women, she wants to help, and reaches out to old friends on the police force. But she doesn't know who to trust, and has very good reasons to doubt each one.

Here's the official book blurb:

***

Devastated by the murder of her best friend after the prom, Rebecca has a nervous breakdown and flees her hometown. 

Twelve years later, now a successful author, she struggles with agoraphobia. Her therapist insists she return home for closure. But when she arrives, she's horrified to find there’s been another grisly murder identical to the first one.

The three officers of the law handling the investigation are former friends of Rebecca and, coincidentally, love interests in high school. Knowing she is writing a murder-mystery, the three men agree to share their findings with her. Rebecca stumbles upon a note from the original homicide suggesting that the killer has be one of the three investigators. But which one?  

Not knowing who to trust, Rebecca decides to solve the case on her own. As she gets closer to uncovering the truth, it looks like she will be the next victim.

***

Grab a copy of the free eBook this week

***

NEXT: One of my books will be free in parallel with Rob's book. 

Tremolo: cry of the loon, book one in the "Young Gus Mysteries."

Get your free eBook March 18th - 22nd.  



"As in other great literary works, the description of meals, pastimes and interests are a wonderful satisfying eavesdropping that takes this babyboomer back to a slower time. There is an innocence that is difficult to find in current living and yet these young people still were presented with the evils we all have in our lives today."  - DC from Washington

Summer, 1964: Beatlemania hits the States, and the world mourns the loss of JFK. 

For eleven-year-old Gus LeGarde, the powerful events that rocked the nation serve as a backdrop for the most challenging summer of his life. After Gus and his best friends capsize their boat at his grandparents’ lakeside camp, they witness a drunk chasing a girl through the foggy Maine woods. She’s scared. She’s hurt. And she disappears. 

The camp is thrown into turmoil as the frantic search for Sharon begins. Reports of stolen relics arise, including a church bell cast by Paul Revere. When Gus stumbles on a scepter that may be part of the spoils, he becomes a target for the evil lurking around the lake. 

Will he find Sharon before the villain does? And how can Gus--armed only with a big heart, a motorboat, and a nosy beagle--survive the menacing attacks on his life?



 

This is the actual "Loon Harbor" Camp where Gus spent his childhood summers. It was named "Snug Harbor" in real life and belonged to my grandparents. This is a photo of the cabin Gus lived in, "Wee Castle." See the that room that juts out front? That's where Gus and Shadow slept. And there's his grandfather's boat, rocking in the waves.

I loved writing this book. It basically was a testimonial to the nostalgia I felt for "Camp," one of the best parts of my childhood. It's not there anymore, but I wanted to keep it alive, as it still is in my memory. The mysteries that go on in the background are just gravy, ha ha. 

"Anyone who's read any of Aaron Paul Lazar's Gus LeGarde mysteries will recognize the protagonist in this coming of age novel. Young Gus hangs out round the lake with his friends Siegfried and Elsbeth, slowly learning that girls are not boys, just beginning to feel that protectiveness and curiosity that give depth to his later life. JFK's death was recent news; someone's robbing local churches; and a young girl has disappeared--the safety of childhood is tipping on the cusp of slipping away." - Sheila Deeth

***

If you enjoy Tremolo, there are two more books in the "Young Gus" series. 

Don't Let the Wind Catch You is the second book. 

"Aaron Paul Lazar has written a beautiful story, one that will stay with me for a long time. The characters have become friends I don’t want to lose. I laughed out loud at some of their antics, held my breath in some places, and at times wiped away tears...Lazar’s writing flows smoothly throughout; he created scenes so rich I felt I was there and shared in the experiences. Don’t Let the Wind Catch You is a coming of age story that reveals deep understanding of the human condition. There’s tragedy, humor, compassion, and love. It touched me on many levels--definitely a keeper."  -- Ellis, Amazon reviewer

Voodoo Summer finishes up the Young Gus series.

"Voodoo Summer by Aaron Paul Lazar is an incredible read. Although it is actually the 11th book in the LeGarde Mysteries, this one flashes back to the summer when Gus is 13. There have been so many references to this summer in the previous books, yet I was strangely unprepared for the impact it would have on me. Lazar is a master of the details and that has always been my favorite aspect of his writings. In Voodoo Summer, I was brought back to childhood emotions and misunderstandings. Wanting so much to grasp the adult world and being too far removed from the facts to reach the realities. Although I already knew the events told in this novel, the emotions are astounding. This is an excellent read, as are all books in this series. Lazar is a master. And Voodoo Summer is flawless." Marsha Jean Thalleen  

So, I'm moving through this whole process of losing the love of  my life. Above is a picture Alli took of my hand over Dale's. I cherish it. She had such petite hands and feet. 

Anyway, I'm okay. I'm keeping extremely busy... yet I'd be lying if I said it was easy. I still feel kind of raw and broken inside, but on the outside, I'm functioning, laughing with grandkids and dog, and starting to heal. 

Bless you all, 

Aaron Lazar 

PS You know I love hearing from you. Write if you like, and if you have thoughts about any of the books above, please let me know!

Monday, March 4, 2024

Brokenhearted here...

  

Hello, dear friends and readers.

 

I know I've been essentially absent for the past few years. No new books. No regular newsletters. I didn't say too much about it then, but now I'm ready to share. 

 

My wife and soulmate, Dale, passed on January 20th, 2024 due to covid pneumonia. She'd been so sick with complications from her MS for several years that it was a blessing for her to be released, as heartbreaking as it is for those of us left behind. She was ready to go.
 
We were married almost 43 years and there's a great, ripping hole in my heart right now. It's hard to talk about it, which is why I put this off for so long.
 
Thankfully, she was able to be with and communicate with (most) of her family the day before she passed. Love spilled from that ICU room.

I'll link to the obituary, but for now I wanted to share again her experience she had in 2012 when almost died. This is the story as I captured it. Do you remember it? Now she is with Him and her parents and all our animals we've loved and lost along the way. https://www.johnwmartinfuneralhome.com/obituary/dale-lazar
 
I still talk to her all the time and I know she's preparing a beautiful spot for us up there as we agreed before she died - a cabin near a crystal clear lake, gardens riotous with color and NO weeds, and a field full of all the horses we've loved over the years. Of course the dogs and cats are everywhere.
 



This photo needs editing for scratches and dust spots, but I no longer have my Photoshop program so I have to search for a way to fix it. Dale is young in all these pictures because that's how I imagine her now in Heaven. Deliriously happy, overwhelmed at the beauty of Heaven, and thankfully no longer in pain. She promised she'd take each of our past horses on rides every day when she arrived. 

 

If you read my books, you know Elsbeth, Camille, and Rachel. These three characters are all based on parts of Dale. It wasn't intentional, really, but she found her way into all of them. 




 

My daughters have been taking excellent care of me. Even though they’ve all lost their mother, they are coming together to check in with me every day. I'm so lucky to have all three of them. It’s a strange feeling, when I’ve always been the caretaker. Then again, it’s very nice. I’m also taking great solace in my beautiful grandchildren and of course, in dear little Biscuit. He has been such a comfort, all day long.