William Bernhardt Newsletter #164 (December 2024)
The holidays are upon us. What are you reading?
Hey Friends! Are you ready for the holidaze? No worries—no one is. We’ve put the trees up (several times, because the cats keep knocking them down). I think I’ve made all my necessary purchases, so now I can just coast—except for work. I’m writing a new book, a very different project for me, and I resolved to have it done by the end of the year. So I am cranking. I’ve also got a new legal thriller in there works, but none of those books are close enough to publication to talk about. So let’s talk discuss what else is happening in the Bernhardt Shared Universe!
WHAT’S BUZZING WITH THE BERNHARDTS?
Did I say “cats,” as in plural? Yes. We have adopted a new rescue kitty. She was hanging around outside the house and eventually explained to Lara that she felt ready for the less stressful indoor life, so Winnifred is now a part of our home. Happily, Bustopher immediately took to his new adopted little sister. Thanks to Ralph Bernhardt, here’s her official adoption portrait.
Of course, that meant Bustopher demanded a new portrait, so here’s that. I think he’s gained a little now that I set two bowls of food out in the morning. The food split may not be exactly 50/50.
And I know I feel much comforted having two feline sentries watching the front door.
Thanksgiving was a blast. We managed to get everyone (except Harry, because he’s traveling through Uganda) over to my mother’s house for Thanksgiving. We brought food and had a terrific time. My mom is 96 and still sharp as they come. We are so blessed to have the wisest person I’ve ever known with us still.
BERNHARDT BOOKS UPDATE
I would love to write another Christmas novel, but there’s no time this year, so let me remind you of what I’ve done in the past. One of my favorites of my own novels is The Midnight Before Christmas. It was a challenge writing a thriller that wasn’t just set during Christmas, but actually embraced the spirit of Christmas—without interrupting the breakneck pace. I loved the tagline my publisher came up with for the novel: This season, the weather outside isn't the only thing that's frightful. . . .
To see the book page, click here.
More recently, I organized a holiday anthology called Christmas Tapestry with some of my writer friends. Everybody contributed a holiday story involving their series characters, so I wrote a Kenzi Rivera story, betsey Kulakowski wrote a SF “Veritas Codex” story, John Wooley gave us a scary story that connects to his “Ceansing” series, etc. it was a lot of fun to write so I bet it’s a lot of fun to read.
And here’s a relic from the past you may not know about—a Ben Kincaid holiday story, “Yuletide Justice.” Ben was my first series character, who first appeared in 1991—at Christmastime. I wrote this story at the suggestion of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine (there was a print edition back then), but you can get the story now as a cheap digital download, or you can get the audiobook ($3.99) and hear me read it to you! Ben, Christina, Loving, Jones—if you’ve read the series, you’ll see all the familiar faces.
To see the book page, click here.
To see the book page, click here.
PARTING WORDS
Thanks again for subscribing to my newsletter. I sincerely wish you the best possible holiday season. Even if I weren’t an author, I would tell you this: Books are the best source of solace, comfort, and joy (that doesn’t involve other people). So give books whenever possible!
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to comment here on Substack, or email me at willbern@gmail.com. I promise to reply as soon as I see it. Like, subscribe, and share with your friends!
And keep reading!
Bill