2025 was an unusual year for my family and me. Kim was tied up with a work project all year, which limited what we could do when it came to traveling. We vacationed in Deadwood, South Dakota, and drove to a book event in Branson, Missouri. But not much else. Our hope she’ll be free of work obligations for 2026, with lots of plans to travel in our RV. Along with Deadwood, we have plans to travel to Tucson in March (more on that later), Iowa, Wisconsin, Nashville, and Calgary throughout the year. It will be fun to spend time together and see the country.
Dakota continues to live with us, working and completing college courses at home. Closing in on her Information Technology degree. And our high-energy dogs, Abby and Nuka, continue to keep us on our toes.
Dakota also traveled with me to the Killer Nashville event, where she got to see a little of the city while I was busy connecting with other authors.
As for myself, I’m mostly retired, no longer doing much Information Technology work. My time is spent writing my books, doing housework, both inside and outside, and enjoying rides on my Spyder when the weather cooperates. I also attended four author events in 2025. Left Coast Crime here in Denver, The Tropicon Book Event in Branson, Wild Deadwood Reads, and Killer Nashville. I vendored at only 11 Craft Fairs this year, half of what I did last year, but sold more books. I have more fun planned in 2026, with at least three author events already on my schedule, and likely the same number of craft fairs.
As for books, I released the first in my new Steel Wheels Cold Mystery series, Justice For The Forgotten. The book has received glowing reviews, to date, one big award, and has been my bestseller this year. A new Jarvis Mann book is in the final editing process. The eBook being released January 13th, with the paperback available shortly after. More on that below.
If you had any personal 2025 milestones you care to share, I’d love to hear about them. Reply to the newsletter or send me an email.
The new Jarvis Mann PI book, number 11 in the series, is nearly ready. Mayhem in Music City takes Jarvis to Nashville, Tennessee. You can read two chapter previews on my website by clicking this link. Here is a blurb for the book.
Private eye Jarvis Mann travels to Nashville to help a close friend guard the multi-platinum country music duo, Rule of Law. Danger afoot, when the lead member of their security team is severely beaten and another man is murdered. Jarvis soon finds he is embroiled in multiple complex issues. From family drama leading to blackmail, to an overzealous and corrupt government agent, and men hell-bent on putting the private eye in the hospital. Jarvis soon discovers murder and mayhem don’t mix in Music City.
The cover for Mayhem in Music City is complete. Below is a sneak peek. If you want to see the completed cover, please visit the Home Page of my website. I believe my cover artist, Mia, did another wonderful job with the design.
The eBook for Mayhem in Music City will be released on January 13th. The pre-order price of $3.99 is now available on Amazon. This is a $3 discount on the $6.99 release price. And I’m taking pre-orders for signed paperbacks of the new book. I probably won’t have those in hand until later in January. You can order Mayhem in Music City on my website for the price of $20 plus $7 shipping. Yes, the price has gone up, which will be true of all of my books, which I’ll discuss in a bit. For the new paperback, I’m offering a 20% discount code to offset some of the price increase. The discount is available now until the end of February. This deal only applies to Mayhem in Music City via my R. Weir Store. The discount code: MAYHEM
As for the rest of my books, the prices will be going up by an average of $5 per book. This will happen starting in January. The rising costs of inflation are the main reason. Book bundles will still be the best deal, with those prices going up slightly, at $5-$10 a bundle. The 10% discount code on paperbacks and all other merchandise is still available until December 31st. Though it must be used separately from the MAYHEM discount, as you’re limited to one discount code per order. Other merchandise includes the stuffed handmade crochet Kogel doll and bags with my logo. So take advantage of the lower prices and the 10% discount while you can, at my online R. Weir Store. The discount code for all other merchandise is: JARVIS
It was a busy year for me with my vodcast, Bringing Life to Characters. I have two more shows in December, which means I’ve recorded 35 shows in 2025. I hope you’ve had a chance to watch and listen to these wonderful authors. Their stories are all unique and fascinating to hear. You can find all 56 shows on my YouTube Channel. I already have 12 more shows scheduled for 2026, with many more to come.
I finished up 2025 with my final events, including my best event of the year, at Bear Creek High School. The winners of the $10 Amazon Gift Card were: Jane, Stephanie, and Lochani. Thanks to everyone who stopped by, said hello, signed up for this newsletter, and bought books. Here are a few of the smiling faces.
I recently received wonderful news. After submitting Justice For The Forgotten to a panel of judges, I was one of 200 indie authors selected to sell my books at the Tucson Festival of Books, which is held in March. A wonderful honor to receive. This is a huge event, with over 130,000 attendees, and many big-name authors like CJ Box, JA Jance, and Reed Farrel Coleman, to name three. The plan for Kim and me to spend two weeks in Tucson, not only to attend the event but see some of the sights and attend a Spring Training baseball game. I’ll have more news about the event in my next newsletter.
I have more Book Funnel eBook deals to share, which include Free eBooks, special deals, and books available on Kindle Unlimited.
JJ Jax Thriller Promo has 87 free eBooks to check out until Dec 23rd. You can find them here.
Fall Winter Reads has 87 free eBooks to add to your reading device until Jan 31st. You can find them here.
Dark Secrets & Deadly Twists: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller & Horror Sale has 14 eBooks on sale or available on Kindle Unlimited until Dec 31st. You can find them here.
Giveaway with crime, thrillers, mystery and suspense has 78 free eBooks available until Jan 13th. You can find them here.
Thrilling Crime Stories has 111 free eBooks to download until Feb 15th. You can find them here.
I’m going to wrap up this month with a big thank you for all your support this year. From those who read and shared the newsletter, sent me emails, and bought my books. It wouldn’t be possible without you. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a wonderful, safe, and joyous New Year.
R. Weir