Most people visit Houston for business, a sporting event, or a great meal. I went looking for the perfect place to put Quinton Bell in serious jeopardy!
One thing I’ve learned while writing thrillers is that location can become a character. A quiet conversation on a sidewalk is one thing. Move that same conversation to the depths of a parking garage or the height of a rooftop terrace, and everything changes. The location adds tension and every decision carries greater risk.
On this trip, I found exactly what I was hoping for. I won’t tell you where it is—that would spoil the surprise—but I can promise Quinton Bell is going there, and he’s going to wish he hadn’t.
The trip had another bonus. Darling Bill and I stayed with longtime friends, who appear under the names Joy and Tucker in the Merit Bridges Legal Thriller Series. They’ve been wonderful friends in real life for many years, and as always, they were generous hosts while I spent my days exploring Houston and filling a notebook with ideas for future books.
Which brings me to another reason for this note. I’m excited to give newsletter readers the first look at the cover for the next Proxy Legal Thriller. Lawyer By Proxy is COMING SOON!
I’m looking forward to sharing more about the story in the weeks ahead. Until then, thank you for reading, for recommending the books to friends, and for all the responses I receive to these newsletters.
Happy Reading,
Manning
