My friend Steve Rush returns to Help From My Friends Friday to promote his upcoming novel Lethal Impulse. The author of Blood Red Deceit and a nonfiction book, Kill Your Characters, Crime Scene Tips for Writers, he shares a different path to consider before publishing. Please welcome Steve Rush. ~ Donnell
Benefits of Writing and Waiting
By Steve Rush
Author Steve Rush
I began writing with a mindset of write and submit. I received one rejection after another until one publishing expert suggested novel writers should have three or more manuscripts completed before entering the submission process. The idea stuck with me. I wrote, cut and improved my five manuscripts. Instead of submitting them to literary agents and publishers, I entered writing contests.
Out comes Lethal Impulse, a crime thriller scheduled for release October 16, 2024. The process began with about 2,000 words of notes in January 2018, and at the end of July 2018, I wrote “The End.” Little did I realize writing the end became the first step in a long journey toward publication. I edited the manuscript and began another novel.
Lethal Impulse won joint first-place in the 2020 Chillzee KiMo T-E-N Contest, a finalist in the 2020 Page Turner Awards, won the 2022 Public Safety Writing Association’s Writing Competition for an unpublished novel and longlisted in the 2022 Page Turner Awards. I submitted and received a publishing contract from Wild Rose Press in March 2024.
In Lethal Impulse, readers see how Neil Caldera and Tess Fleishman live in public and upon visiting them in their living rooms. Things neither mind if others see. Readers want more. They want to know what the characters have hidden in their closets. They want to explore and expose each character’s true identity by looking in the hidden part of who they are. This enhances drama, conflict and suspense.
Meet the characters.
Neil’s degrees in forensics and theology defines his character after a shootout on the streets of Greenwich Village cost him his detective badge and lands him in a pastorate in a town once named, “The Best Place to Live in Georgia.” He wants to keep his past a secret. Tragedy interrupts his life when the police chief consults him to help investigate the murder of a female high schooler.
Tess is married to the town’s police chief. The gap in their lives widens after she tells him of her leukemia diagnosis. A former Naval Lieutenant Junior Grade, she uses her secret like a façade. She obsesses over newcomer Neil and will do anything to capture his attention. Anything? Yes, anything.
Teaser:
Vanessa glanced inside the trunk. She retreated two strides. “Do I have to get in there? It looks grimy. Why did you not bring your car?”
“We’re documenting an abduction and murder, Vanessa. We can’t let anybody see my car or you with me. It will ruin the surprise. It’s only until we get to the barn.”
Vanessa clambered into the trunk. Tess swathed towels around Vanessa’s wrists and ankles before she bound them with paracord. Vanessa thanked Tess for the use of towels to prevent ligature marks on her skin.
Tess grinned. “A killer must focus on details, Vanessa.”
About the Book:
He’s riddled with guilt. She’s annoyed with the status quo. The death of a crime boss’s daughter forces Detective Neil Caldera to leave New York City. He seeks refuge in the tranquil embrace of a small town, where he finds himself entangled in the labyrinth of a teenage girl’s murder.
Tess Fleishman’s pale skin and extreme weight loss portrays a disease she wants others to see. While inside, a compulsion for Neil fuels her passion to have or destroy him. As Neil delves into the heart of the town’s secrets, will truth deliver solace? Or will Tess prevail?
What others are saying:
Told with rich and rhythmic prose reminiscent of David Baldacci, Lethal Impulse is a fascinating look into the world of forensic investigation. The author made the reading experience like a ride-along with a seasoned law enforcement professional in the midst of a risky case. Five stars! — Patrick Weill, author
Lethal Impulse is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that weaves authenticity with a high stakes murder investigation. This is one read you won’t want to put down. — Evie Jacobs, romantic suspense author
Author Steve Rush reveals the identity of the perpetrators near the very beginning of the novel, rendering Neil’s search for the truth—and the killers’ motives—as the book’s primary narrative tension. Given the complex interpersonal relationships within idyllic Madison, Rush creates a rich landscape for mystery in the tradition of Harlan Coben. — Bella G. Wright, Editor BestThrillers.com
Buy links:
Lethal Impulse – Kindle edition by Rush, Steve . Romance Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
Lethal Impulse – The Wild Rose Press Inc
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Lethal%20Impulse-
http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781509258130
About the Author: Steve Rush is an award-winning author whose experience includes tenure as homicide detective and chief forensic investigator for a national consulting firm. He worked with the late Joseph L. Burton, M.D, under whom he mastered his skills, and investigated many deaths alongside Dr. Jan Garavaglia of Dr. G: Medical Examiner fame. His specialties include crime scene reconstruction, injury causation, blood spatter analysis, occupant kinematics, and recovery of human skeletal remains.
Steve, thank you for joining me today. I think I’d have to exercise extreme patience to wait to query with two to three books under my belt. Well done, that you showed such discipline. I also submit it is a FACT that you get better and learn more with every book you write. Reading, writing and developing your authorial voice is what every writer should be concentrate on to show his/her own style so that the work stands out. I also congratulate you for entering contests. My 2007 and 2010 Golden Heart finaling novels led to my publishing career. When I got the cal that Walk Away Joe (now The Past Came Hunting) had gained such recognition, I squealed and jumped so hard in the On the Border parking lot, I’m surprised I didn’t leave a pothole in the asphalt. Wishing you the best with Lethal Impulse. Love the title and will definitely check out the book.
Wow, this is fascinating, Steve! I’ve never heard of this approach before, though I’m aware of the benefits of writing a series. It’s true that you do learn and generally improve the more you write. The first book in my series I’m still bumbling through because I planned it out poorly at the outset. Meanwhile I’ve already mind-mapped Part 2, and sometimes I wish I could just skip ahead to that one!
Wow! This was an automatic click on Amazon. It’ll be a great way to see forensics in action.
Thanks for stopping by, Patricia 🙂
Wow! Fascinating! Thanks Donnell and Steve for this intriguing post. I’ll be checking out the books.
Thanks, Thonie!