The Radio Murders: The Collectors

"Sometimes you gotta be dead before anybody knows you’re alive."
- Gene Minues,
Talk Radio Caller

 

A New Whip

Had lunch with a very good friend on the first day of Fall, 2011. Daniel was instrumental in the creation of The Radio Murders by reading all the books and giving me honest criticism. He was always honest and though Daniel is brilliant in many ways, he seems to see my attempts at doing something extraordinary as worth his time and interest. Certainly friendship amounts for a lot. We have been good friends for more than 25 years.

One question he asked that I could not answer was this: what’s the next step? I had a number in mind, a number of books sold of The Radio Murders: The Collectors before starting on the prequel, The Radio Murders: The Caller. His point is if I wait too long I’ll literally forget how to craft a story, even a story I know so well, even a story that has been alive in my mind and on pages for more than eight years. I didn’t have a good answer for him. But he had some answers for me.

First of all he reminded me of the changing landscape of publishing. It is true, even if we are lucky enough to gain a traditional publishing contract there is little support from publishers until an author and a story have established a pattern strong sales. Can’t really blame them; the more choices we have for entertainment the harder it is to get anyone’s attention.

Secondly, Daniel, who is no stranger to publishing and speaking to a select audience, reminded me that the only choices I have are to keep writing or watch this story fade into oblivion. That will not happen.

So welcome to the new whip cracking at the ear of this beast of burden. I will begin the editing on The Radio Murders: The Caller this very weekend and format The Radio Murders: The Collectors for pocket paperback that will be available for the holidays.

You who are reading this have been too good to me to do any less. And for that I truly thank you!

 

It's Only Rock N' Roll

"You're only as good as your last show." Bill Crash Kradich told his niece Sue Janich.

Excerpt

"I heard. Honestly, it sucked to know my mom’s murder was on the radio. Hearing it on your show made it ten times worse."

Kradich could not help wondering whether Sue was talking about the murder Lani Janich had been attempting or the one that had been prevented by the stranger. " Right. But we did air it, and, well, let me just level with you, Sue. My business is changing a lot. I need an angle, a hook to keep an audience. It’s like, did you ever hear that Rolling Stones song, ‘It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll’?" He was losing Sue, but it was too late to turn back. " Jagger sings about sticking a knife in his heart, blood all over the stage. ‘Would that get you excited’ the audience, I mean. Something like that?"

"What are you talking about, Billy?" Sue folded her arms across her chest. "Are you telling me you are going to put that horrible night on the radio again?"

"Might have to." Kradich could not help but notice how much Sue’s body language resembled that of his sister." Bullshit! You don’t have to do anything!

Meet NY Times Best Selling Author Lisa Jackson

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Inside The Radio Murders

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Spreading The Word

 

The Radio Murders: The Collectors has plenty of victims. But this is just a story, drawn from the imagination of a writer, nothing more. Sadly, there are real victims in our society because there is real evil. With that in mind the author and publisher of The Radio Murders: The Collectors have agreed to donate a dollar of every hardback and half that for trade paperback sold.

So Who Wrote TRM?

Sitting down and writing a full-feature mystery novel, or anything for the public, takes certain assumptions.

We are all storytellers in one way or another. But what makes this storyteller think this tale is worth your time?

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The Book

A Simple Idea

The Radio Murders is a simple idea; a radio talk show about real-time murder, As It Happens with a deadly twist.  How could such a thing exist? More importantly, how could it become an entertainment vehicle?

The latter is not so difficult to conceive. We have a bloodlust evident from the beginning. It took four short chapters of The Bible before we had our first murder mystery. It was predicated only by sex and betrayal. Sex has been regulated almost out of radio except in the most nuanced terms. Betrayal is a side dish at best.

So what’s left?

The Radio Murders: The Collectors vividly illustrates how greed, revenge and vanity deconstructs a suburban Chicago family, and draws a relative, a Chicago talk show host, into their deadly pursuits. As a result a home invasion and murder is actually aired, live during Bill "Crash" Kradich’s broadcast. The event is a ratings winner and sends some staff at radio station KCI on a mission to create and "own" the concept.

As part of the Janich family’s near demise, another group of men become involved. Known only as The Collectors, these men take greed to epic heights and will not stop until they acquire some very special items. The Radio Murders: The Collectors tells both stories as they move along parallel runaway courses only to collide in a stunning climax.

Are You Ready?

The Radio Murders is not for everyone. There is plenty of action in this story and it is adult in nature.

The Collectors is not a Romance, not a Cozy Mystery or light reading. "This is not a two-dimensional story," said one reader. "There are layers, each more interesting than the last." The Radio Murders is at times a story about desperate people doing desperate things. And the people you find here do what people do. There is sex, harsh language and graphic scenes of crime and murder.

If you enjoy the work of James Patterson, Michael Connelly, Tami Hoag, Jeffery Deaver, Patricia Cornwell and others who are not affraid to tell a difficult story, then you are exactly the person I am writing for.  The Radio Murders: The Collectors is not a story for the easily offended.

Just thought you should know.

-Chuck Collins

Coming Soon to Amazon.com

The Radio Murders will debut at on-line stores everywhere in December.

 

Now Available at Barns&Noble.com

The Radio Murders: The Collectors is now available at one of the nations' leading booksellers.

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