Title Rules of Desperation
Author Mark Love
Genre Mystery
Book Blurb
How far would you go to achieve the goal of your dreams?
All Nicholas Burr wants to do is traditionally publish a mystery novel. Sure, he’s had some success as a ghost writer for a young adult series, but that’s not the same. It’s not even close.
Camille, his long-suffering wife, has had enough. She’s tired of being the bread winner. Tired of listening to him prattle on about his next project. Tired of…him.
Nicholas Burr is desperate. Would he do something rash? Something unexpected?
Something so outrageous it would get everyone’s attention.
Yet if there’s one thing he knows, it’s that he must follow the rules.
Excerpt
Nicky limped down the block, trying not to think about his wife. It was no use. She had every reason to be disappointed. He entered O'Brien's Place and took a stool at the far end of the counter. Reed O'Brien automatically slid a mug of beer before him. The saloon was half full. The crowd of blue-collar workers was winding down, leaving behind a trail of mugs, bottles, and shot glasses. Reed came out from behind the bar and flopped into a booth, stretching his legs onto the opposite bench. Nicky followed, bringing his beer. On the wall in the corner, a basketball game was playing on the big screen.
"Somebody steal your dog?" Reed asked.
"Worse. I got some bad news. Camille isn't taking it too well."
Reed lit a cigarette and blew a cloud of smoke in the general direction of the ceiling fan. He watched it rotate for a minute before commenting. "Who died?"
Nicky gave him a halfhearted shrug. "I did. Actually, my book did."
"One of the Skipper books?” Reed raised an eyebrow. “My kids will be pissed."
"This was something else. It was a story called Double Cross. It was an adult book."
“You wrote a dirty book with lots of sex and wild parties?”
Nicky couldn’t help but laugh at him. “Not erotica, you idiot! This was for a more mature audience than Skipper. It was a murder mystery.”
"The old lady was counting on this to be the one, huh?"
"She's been patient for a long time. Nobody ever said this would be easy."
Reed blew a smoke ring and shook his head. "You guys been together forever?"
"Almost ten years."
Reed stubbed out his cigarette and stared evenly across the table while Nicky drank his beer. "She been carrying you?"
"Had to drop out of school before I got my degree. No money and no chance for a student loan. I was going to enlist but didn't pass the physical." Nicky pointed at his bad leg and shrugged. “Only work I can find is minimum wage shit. "
Reed shook his head sympathetically. "Life's a bitch. So now you're a security guard. What does she do?"
"Account manager at McKay Products. Sales work.” Nicky took another sip. “It's a plastic manufacturing company. She started out as a secretary and worked her way up the ladder."
"Decent job?"
"Camille seems to like it. There's some travel and she spends a lot of time visiting clients at their facilities. The hours are long. But they pay well."
"And you haven't been holding up your end of the bargain?" Reed waved over a waitress for a cup of coffee.
"The job pays some. The Skipper series is nice, but the money isn’t much. It’s always been my dream to have my own books in print. That may never happen if I can't break through the publishers’ slush piles. I’m getting desperate."
“How about the self-publishing angle? My wife reads most of her books on her phone or tablet. Digital stuff. Couldn’t you do that?”
Nicky nodded. “Yeah, but one of the attractions of having a traditional publisher is that they help with all the other facets. They’ve got editors to help polish the script. Marketing people for promotions. Artists design the covers. If I go the indie route, I’m expected to hire people to do all that or cover it on my own. I don’t have the talent or the money to bankroll that approach.”
They were quiet for a moment. Nicky was deep in thought. Reed turned his attention to the game. A group in the corner by the pool table groaned in unison and began throwing popcorn at the big screen.
“Jesus, you gotta play by the rules,” Reed said in disgust.
Nicky’s head came up slowly. “What?”
“Play by the rules. Everything’s got rules.”
“The hell are you talking about?”
Reed pointed over his friend’s shoulder toward the screen. “Basketball game. These guys aren’t supposed to walk without dribbling when they have the ball. Nowadays, they take two, three, or seventeen steps before taking a shot. That’s a foul. Traveling. But nobody calls it. Why can’t these guys follow the rules?”
Nicky just stared at him. Reed didn’t notice.
“Everything has rules. Football has rules. Baseball has rules. Hockey has rules. And everybody knows ‘em and they’re supposed to follow the rules. Even fucking basketball has rules!”
“Say that again.”
Reed leaned back against the bench. He’d become animated during his rant, thumping a forefinger against the table to emphasize his point. “What?”
“About the rules. Say it again.”
“Football has rules. Baseball has rules. Hockey has rules. Everybody knows them and they play by the rules. Even fucking basketball has rules! Everything has rules!”
His friend grinned broadly and reached for the stack of bar napkins beside the condiments. “That’s what I thought you said.”
Reed watched as Nicky began scribbling on the cocktail napkins.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Nicky had already filled three napkins with notes. “I’m writing the rules. Once I get them down, then I’ll follow them.”
“Rules to what?”
“The Rules of Desperation.”
“You’re gonna stop writing books and make up games?”
Nicky shook his head. “No, I’m still going to write. But this one is going to follow the rules.”
“A book about rules?” Reed lit another cigarette.
Nicky waved away the smoke. “I thought it was against the law to smoke in a public place in Michigan.”
“It is. But there are some exceptions. Like a private club. That’s what this establishment is, allowing my patrons to enjoy their tobacco and a cold beer.”
“You need a better ventilation system.”
Reed ignored him. “So this is a book about rules?”
"No, I'm going to write a book people will fight over. And Camille's going to help me. She just doesn’t know it yet."
Reed noticed the sudden intensity in his friend’s eyes. He raised his coffee mug in a salute. "Good luck."
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Author Biography
Mark Love lived for many years in the metropolitan Detroit area, where crime and corruption are always prevalent. A former freelance reporter, Love honed his writing skills covering features and hard news. He is the author of the Jamie Richmond romance mysteries, Devious, Vanishing Act, Fleeing Beauty, and his latest release, Chasing Favors, along with the novella Stealing Haven. His short story, Don’t Mess with the Gods, was written with Elle Nina Castle and included in the Magic & Mischief anthology. Love also writes the Jefferson Chene mystery series, WHY 319? Your Turn to Die and The Wayward Path.
His latest mystery, “Rules of Desperation” was released on May 20, 2024.
Love resides in west Michigan with his wife, Kim. He enjoys a wide variety of music, books, travel, cooking and exploring the great outdoors.
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