Mystery, Romance and Mainstream Novels by Neil Plakcy

See You Soon?

I'm always available for events and Skype sessions. Recently I was interviewed at the Gay Mystery Podcast by author Brad Shreve. You can listen to it wherever you get your podcasts.

I'll be speaking about using structure in your mystery novel at two local libraries in February. Many mainstream mystery novels share the same framework, one that is derived from the three-act structure of film.

In this workshop we'll look at the key beats a piece of crime fiction must hit in order to satisfy the reader, from the introduction of the detective and his or her ordinary world, to the call to action, punishment of the villain, and so on.

This structure can be applied, with modifications, to any kind of genre fiction, from police procedural to thriller to romantic suspense.

Saturday, February 15, 2020
2:00pm - 3:30pm
Nova Southeastern Library
3100 Ray Ferrero, Jr. Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314
Fourth Floor, Room 3018

Saturday February 29, 2020
12:00 - 1:00
North Regional/Broward College Library
1100 Coconut Creek Blvd.
Coconut Creek, FL 33066

Now in Audio

If you like audiobooks, I hope you'll consider mine. In addition to these below, I've narrated a 20-minute short story you can buy directly from me for only $1.99, "Nectar of the Dogs." It takes place in the world of the golden retriever mysteries.

The Golden Retriever Mysteries
#1 - In Dog We Trust at Amazon or ibooks
#2 - The Kingdom of Dog at Amazon or ibooks
#3 - Dog Helps Those at Amazon or ibooks
#4 - Dog Bless You at Amazon or ibooks
#5 - Whom Dog Hath Joined at Amazon or ibooks
#6 - Dog Have Mercy at Amazon or ibooks
# 7 - Honest to Dog at Amazon or ibooks
# 8 - Dog is in the Details at Amazon or ibooks
# 9 - Dog Knows at Amazon or ibooks

Have Body, Will Guard
#1 - Three Wrong Turns in the Desert at Audible or ibooks
# 2 - Dancing with the Tide at Audible or ibooks
# 3 - Teach Me Tonight at Audible or ibooks
#4 - Olives for the Stranger at Audible or ibooks
#5 - Under the Waterfall at Audible or ibooks
#6 - The Noblest Vengeance at Audible or ibooks
#7 - Finding Freddie Venus at Audible or ibooks
#8 - A Cold Wind at Audible or ibooks.

Genie for Hire: A Biff Andromeda Mystery at Amazon or ibooks
The Cat Who Got Married and Other Purr-fectly Romantic Stories at Amazon or ibooks
Mahu at Audible or ibooks

Cleis has created audiobook editions of the anthologies I've edited for them:

Hard Hats (Amazon or ibooks),

Surfer Boys (Amazon or ibooks),

Beach Bums (Amazon or ibooks),

Sexy Sailors (Amazon or ibooks),

Model Men (Amazon or ibooks)

The Handsome Prince (Amazon or ibooks).

Newsletter

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The Madness of Husbands

	When Aidan Greene's ex calls after ten years with a peremptory demand for bodyguard services, Aidan's tempted to say no, even though he hears real despair in Blake's voice. After a reminder that the two of them are in their forties, and that personal protection is a young man's game, Aidan and his husband Liam have stepped back, marrying and taking a staycation at their home outside Nice. But Liam misses the adventure, and Aidan is curious about his ex and the man Blake has married, Latin diplomat Ricardo Levy.
Ricardo is recovering from a psychotic break, and sees danger all around him, but he's determined to attend a conference in the Bahamas where he will reveal information that may have profound international ramifications. Quickly, Aidan and Liam are at a luxury resort on Paradise Island, watching for danger and wondering if the threats are all in Ricardo's head-or if they are very real. Do we ever lose the bonds that connect us to past loves? Aidan and Blake will come to a reckoning about the events that began the Have Body, Will Guard series-and learn something about the madness of love along the way. You can click the PayPal button below to buy The Madness of Husbands direct from me, and the digital file of your choice will be automatically emailed to you through a company called Book Funnel which has excellent customer service to help if you run into any problems. Or you can order from Amazon or the e-retailer of your choice.


Deadly Labors

	Can Hawaiian native Ikaika Kahale turn his life around after studying the hula in a cultural program at San Quentin and then returning to the Aloha State? Or is the new murder he's accused of proof that an orchid can't change its colors? While Honolulu homicide detective Kimo Kanapa'aka is on a temporary departmental leave, his mother asks him to investigate the case of her friend's son Ikaika, who Kimo went to Hawaiian school with as a child. Working undercover, Kimo traces the roots of what seems like an unfortunate death in a fight at the bar where Ikaika worked as a bouncer. What was HPD officer Brian Yang doing at the Surf City Crazy Bar? Who was the mysterious man he brawled with before Ikaika intervened and delivered a deadly punch?
Kimo's investigation takes him into the hills of the Windward Coast of O'ahu, where the gorgeous blossoms of a nursery may be hiding a deadly secret. Along the way, he'll require the assistance of his partner, his friends and his loved ones in a demonstration of what the word ohana, Hawaiian for family, really means. Available from Amazon and other retailers.


Dog's Green Earth

	When his golden retriever Rochester discovers a body during one of their nightly walks, reformed computer hacker Steve Levitan must look to his neighbors for suspects. Could a killer be lurking along the oak-lined streets? Steve inherited his townhome from his father, and it's more than just a house to him-it's the place where he recovered from the loss of two miscarried babies, the pain of losing his parents and the misery of his brief incarceration. Now that he has a new sweetheart, and a loving dog, protecting his home is even more important. Could someone in the homeowner's association be sabotaging efforts to keep River Bend a well-maintained place to live? It's up to Steve and Rochester to dig up the clues to bring a murderer to justice, and protect the place they call home. Buy now from Amazon or other vendors.


Relaunching the Mahu Series

In 2019, I relaunched the Mahu series with new covers. Click here to read about how the books began, and why I did this relaunch.


First Three Love on... Books in one volume

	These are the first three books in my's Love on… series, about young college graduates looking for love and career success on Miami's South Beach. The guys were introduced in the erotica collection Three Lambs, about college fraternity brothers in love and lust. In book one, Love on Site, it's mid-May, and Manny Garcia has just graduated from Florida University (FU) with his bachelor's degree in construction management, and landed his dream job, working for handsome Walter Loredo on a warehouse project just west of downtown Miami. He's living in a condo on South Beach with two of his brothers from the gay frat at FU, Lambda Lambda Lambda.
Manny has a thing for older men, particularly construction workers, and he's got a real crush on Walter, even though he thinks the boss is straight. At first Manny's able to keep his South Beach life and his work separate. Then he runs into one of his coworkers on Lincoln Road when he is out with his roommates, and he's outed. Can he keep his job and win his boss's love? Manny's roommate and frat brother Larry Leavis is a sweet-natured computer geek, six-foot-six and uncomfortable in his own skin. His only salvation is his ability as a computer programmer, which leads him to a great job developing apps for a start-up on South Beach. He comes from a family which doesn't understand either his sexuality or his nerdiness, and he has to learn how to let them into his new life. In book two of the series, Love on the Web, Larry is torn between two lovers - client Victor Kunin, who spins a dark web to trap him, and handsome entrepreneur Julian Argento, who has to learn to trust again before he can be Larry's Mr. Right. The third in the series, Love on Stage, is about their handsome roommate Gavin Kaczmarek, a golden boy, desired by all. But though he's handsome and talented, Gavin is drifting -- working as a barista at a funky, Fair Trade coffee shop on South Beach and modeling for print ads. But when he sings for music producer Miles Goodwin while serving his coffee, a whole new world of opportunity opens for him. The obvious attraction between Gavin and Miles takes them to bed, and then on an adventure that leads to performance and YouTube fame--but when insecurity arises on both their parts, can their budding romance survive the summer heat and blossom, or die with the falling autumn leaves? Readers who like their MM romance light-hearted will enjoy these first three books, followed by Love on the Pitch, Love on the Map, and Love on the Boil. Read for free with your Kindle Unlimited membership, or order from Amazon here.

If you belong to Amazon's Kindle Unlimited program, I hope you'll check out the collections I've put together of the first six golden retriever mysteries. (Of course, they're also offered for sale.) Three Dogs in a Row includes the first three books in the series: In Dog We Trust, The Kingdom of Dog, and Dog Helps Those. The second collection, Three More Dogs in A Row, includes the next three: Dog Bless You, Whom Dog Hath Joined and Dog Have Mercy. I also have a collection of erotic stories, called Get Your Rocks Off, which includes two of my story collections, Hot Steamy Shorts and Mr. Surfer and Other Romantic Erotica.


Translations

I translated my award-winning story "Christmas in Honolulu" into French, then hired a copy editor to make sure that if my college French teacher read it she wouldn't scream in horror. "Un Noel Hawaiien" is now available as an ebook through Amazon.com. The same story in German, "Weihnachten auf Honolulu" is available as well. The Italian translation of the first golden retriever mystery is available, as is translation into Brazilian Portuguese. I'm also delighted that the book is available in Spanish as Pero el Perro Sabe.


Feel free to e-mail me for more information about any of my books.
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