Stephan Oak's Blog
August 12, 2024
Investigative Associates
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Jett and Angelique are Investigative Associates. Jett is a private detective while Angelique is her accountant, business partner, and loyal friend.
Jett inherited Investigative Associates from her father, Markus Jackson and his partner, Ashley Garcia. Jett has re-opened the "family business" and continued the work of Markus and Ashley, but in her own unique way.
While on a routine missing person's case, Jett meets a young woman, Polly, who needs help getting away from a human trafficking operation. She has a secret and everyone, from the corrupt political/business establishment to the mafia, wants to shut her up. It's up to Jett to keep her alive and get her to court to testify so she can finally get justice.
Under the Gun is the first book in the three-part Witness Series and the first story of Jett Landry as Port City's most controversial private detective. The other two books are Nine Lives and Bad Reputation.
The Witness Series, A Jett Landry Story, is a fast-paced thriller trilogy. It's available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited and in paperback.
Artwork by Micky Mitchell
Jett and Angelique are Investigative Associates. Jett is a private detective while Angelique is her accountant, business partner, and loyal friend.
Jett inherited Investigative Associates from her father, Markus Jackson and his partner, Ashley Garcia. Jett has re-opened the "family business" and continued the work of Markus and Ashley, but in her own unique way.
While on a routine missing person's case, Jett meets a young woman, Polly, who needs help getting away from a human trafficking operation. She has a secret and everyone, from the corrupt political/business establishment to the mafia, wants to shut her up. It's up to Jett to keep her alive and get her to court to testify so she can finally get justice.
Under the Gun is the first book in the three-part Witness Series and the first story of Jett Landry as Port City's most controversial private detective. The other two books are Nine Lives and Bad Reputation.
The Witness Series, A Jett Landry Story, is a fast-paced thriller trilogy. It's available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited and in paperback.
Artwork by Micky Mitchell
June 23, 2024
The Jett Landry Starter Kit
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The Jett Landry Starter Kit. (Check out the link above to see the image).
Artwork by Micky Mitchell, based on the characters and events of the Witness Series, A Jett Landry Story.
Jett Landry is a private detective in Port City, Texas. After a chaotic and adventurous youth (Read the Jett Landry Saga), Jett has settled into her new life as a Private Detective, taking over her father's business: Investigative Associates. At 30 years old, Jett is the millennial version of the film noir private eye; navigating a world of corruption, deception and organized crime. She's clever, gutsy and she can hold her own in a fight. Her specialty is finding and helping survivors of human trafficking, but Jett has her own agenda, and her work often puts her at odds with some extremely dangerous people.
Trench coat: Jett likes to wear fashionable trench coats, to preserve and modernize the mystique of the old school private eye. Looking good is important, but her trench coats also serve a practical function. Black leather is her favorite.
Coffee: Like most people her age, Jett is addicted to coffee. You'll often find her sipping on a caramel macchiato from her favorite downtown coffee shop as she goes about her business.
Camera: Sometimes you need to let the bad guys know that you know what they're up to.
Necklace with the Cool Backstory: Jett bought this necklace when she was 15 years old (see The Fuse). She often wears it under her shirt, to honor the memory of someone who is always close to her heart.
Steve the Cat: Jett's cat has an attitude and isn't all that impressed with her feats. All he wants is his food on time and a good scratch behind the ears.
Hellcat: She doesn't want to have to use it, but she will if she needs to. In her line of work, violence is an occupational hazard.
The Jett Landry Starter Kit. (Check out the link above to see the image).
Artwork by Micky Mitchell, based on the characters and events of the Witness Series, A Jett Landry Story.
Jett Landry is a private detective in Port City, Texas. After a chaotic and adventurous youth (Read the Jett Landry Saga), Jett has settled into her new life as a Private Detective, taking over her father's business: Investigative Associates. At 30 years old, Jett is the millennial version of the film noir private eye; navigating a world of corruption, deception and organized crime. She's clever, gutsy and she can hold her own in a fight. Her specialty is finding and helping survivors of human trafficking, but Jett has her own agenda, and her work often puts her at odds with some extremely dangerous people.
Trench coat: Jett likes to wear fashionable trench coats, to preserve and modernize the mystique of the old school private eye. Looking good is important, but her trench coats also serve a practical function. Black leather is her favorite.
Coffee: Like most people her age, Jett is addicted to coffee. You'll often find her sipping on a caramel macchiato from her favorite downtown coffee shop as she goes about her business.
Camera: Sometimes you need to let the bad guys know that you know what they're up to.
Necklace with the Cool Backstory: Jett bought this necklace when she was 15 years old (see The Fuse). She often wears it under her shirt, to honor the memory of someone who is always close to her heart.
Steve the Cat: Jett's cat has an attitude and isn't all that impressed with her feats. All he wants is his food on time and a good scratch behind the ears.
Hellcat: She doesn't want to have to use it, but she will if she needs to. In her line of work, violence is an occupational hazard.
June 13, 2024
Book Release!!!!
Tomorrow, June 14th, is the big day! Bad Reputation, A Jett Landry Story, drops on Amazon. It's available as an eBook, on Kindle Unlimited and in paperback.
Bad Reputation is the thrilling conclusion to the Witness Series. A three-book series about private detective Jett Landry and her first big case. Click on the link below for more!
ttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CBXVN3CY?binding=...
Bad Reputation is the thrilling conclusion to the Witness Series. A three-book series about private detective Jett Landry and her first big case. Click on the link below for more!
ttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CBXVN3CY?binding=...
May 26, 2024
The Artwork of Jett Landry
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Micky Mitchell is the artist who creates the covers and associated artwork for the Jett Landry novels. When we talked about the cover for Bad Reputation, one of the ideas was to revisit a sketch she drew a few years ago of a 17-year-old Jett from the first Jett Landry novel, The Fuse, and then draw a similar image of Jett at 30 years old for the cover of Bad Reputation.
On the left of the image in the link above, is Jett, wearing headphones, listening to her favorite music, preparing to train for a karate tournament. At that time, Jett's father, private detective Markus Jackson, sheltered an already troubled Jett from the harsh realities of his work.
Thirteen years and a lifetime of experiences later (read Urban Legend, The Fierce Warrior, Under the Gun and Nine Lives), Jett is now the savvy, but jaded, private detective dealing with the harsh realities of the world she inherited. In the image on the right (the cover for the upcoming Bad Reputation novel) Jett is listening to a podcast on her headphones, likely of a local journalist and blogger talking about her, running her reputation into the ground, as he tends to do.
A lot has changed in the 13 years between these images, but Jett is still the idealist determined to take on the bullies and protect the oppressed. It's just who she is.
A big thanks to Micky for the amazing artwork. They're more than covers and sketches; they tell their own story. They make me work harder to write the story that the artwork deserves.
Micky Mitchell is the artist who creates the covers and associated artwork for the Jett Landry novels. When we talked about the cover for Bad Reputation, one of the ideas was to revisit a sketch she drew a few years ago of a 17-year-old Jett from the first Jett Landry novel, The Fuse, and then draw a similar image of Jett at 30 years old for the cover of Bad Reputation.
On the left of the image in the link above, is Jett, wearing headphones, listening to her favorite music, preparing to train for a karate tournament. At that time, Jett's father, private detective Markus Jackson, sheltered an already troubled Jett from the harsh realities of his work.
Thirteen years and a lifetime of experiences later (read Urban Legend, The Fierce Warrior, Under the Gun and Nine Lives), Jett is now the savvy, but jaded, private detective dealing with the harsh realities of the world she inherited. In the image on the right (the cover for the upcoming Bad Reputation novel) Jett is listening to a podcast on her headphones, likely of a local journalist and blogger talking about her, running her reputation into the ground, as he tends to do.
A lot has changed in the 13 years between these images, but Jett is still the idealist determined to take on the bullies and protect the oppressed. It's just who she is.
A big thanks to Micky for the amazing artwork. They're more than covers and sketches; they tell their own story. They make me work harder to write the story that the artwork deserves.
January 1, 2024
Happy New Year!
It's finally 2024, I hope everyone had a fun, safe celebration and are starting the new year in your own, unique style. As for me, I woke up, made some coffee, and got back to work on Bad Reputation, my upcoming Jett Landry novel. Here's a list of some of things I have planned for this year:
1. Bad Reputation, A Jett Landry Story is currently in revisions and will go to the editor soon. I promise you this will be a dramatic and thrilling conclusion to the Witness series.
2. I've started writing the next Jett Landry adventure. This will be a stand-alone book, as opposed to being part of a series. As much as I enjoy a good series, there needs to be some stand-alone stories. This story will take place after the events of Bad Reputation. Tommy Dugas and Haley are going to have a large role in this story, so it's going to a lot of fun.
3. I'm developing some other ideas for stories for Jett and the others in Port City, Texas. While the stand-alone books aren't part of a series, they do exist within the context of a larger story. This way, you can enjoy them as their own self-contained story, or you can read them as part of the larger Jett Landry story.
4. I'm planning on finishing and releasing, either as a bonus, Vella or Novella, the short story I wrote about the night Jett's parents met at that old bar on the south side of town. I can't decide how to present it. If you have any ideas or preferences, let me know!
5. I plan on being more active on my social media accounts where I talk about these books and my journey as a writer. Follow me on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. You get a behind the scenes look at my everyday life (it's not all that exciting, to be honest), you can meet my cat (she's much more interesting than me) and get updates on the books.
Anyway, happy new year and see you around!!!
-SO
1. Bad Reputation, A Jett Landry Story is currently in revisions and will go to the editor soon. I promise you this will be a dramatic and thrilling conclusion to the Witness series.
2. I've started writing the next Jett Landry adventure. This will be a stand-alone book, as opposed to being part of a series. As much as I enjoy a good series, there needs to be some stand-alone stories. This story will take place after the events of Bad Reputation. Tommy Dugas and Haley are going to have a large role in this story, so it's going to a lot of fun.
3. I'm developing some other ideas for stories for Jett and the others in Port City, Texas. While the stand-alone books aren't part of a series, they do exist within the context of a larger story. This way, you can enjoy them as their own self-contained story, or you can read them as part of the larger Jett Landry story.
4. I'm planning on finishing and releasing, either as a bonus, Vella or Novella, the short story I wrote about the night Jett's parents met at that old bar on the south side of town. I can't decide how to present it. If you have any ideas or preferences, let me know!
5. I plan on being more active on my social media accounts where I talk about these books and my journey as a writer. Follow me on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. You get a behind the scenes look at my everyday life (it's not all that exciting, to be honest), you can meet my cat (she's much more interesting than me) and get updates on the books.
Anyway, happy new year and see you around!!!
-SO
August 3, 2023
Nine Lives - A Jett Landry Story
Hey!
We're one week away from the eBook release of Nine Lives, A Jett Landry Story. Check out the free book Giveaway here on Goodreads, or pre-order your eBook today.
But do you want to know a secret?
You can order the paperback right now. For some reason Amazon didn't let me set the same release date so the paperback is already available. It's already selling, too.
Anyway, have a great evening!
-SO
We're one week away from the eBook release of Nine Lives, A Jett Landry Story. Check out the free book Giveaway here on Goodreads, or pre-order your eBook today.
But do you want to know a secret?
You can order the paperback right now. For some reason Amazon didn't let me set the same release date so the paperback is already available. It's already selling, too.
Anyway, have a great evening!
-SO
July 20, 2023
Nine Live is up for pre-order!!
Hey!
Long time, no blog! What's new? Well, first off, Nine Lives, a Jett Landry Story, will be released on 8/10/23 on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.
Here is the book blurb for Nine Lives:
“It wouldn’t be the first time people wanted to kill me, but here I am…” – Jett Landry
Jett Landry is a busy woman. Between navigating a steamy new romance and mentoring a traumatized teen, Jett has her hands full. But Jett is also Port City’s most controversial private detective, and she has a job to do.
Polly is a federal witness with an explosive secret that could take down gangsters and corrupt politicians from Port City to New Orleans all the way to Washington D.C., and the cabal will do anything to keep her from talking. But they have to get through Jett first. They’ve tried before and failed each time. It's as if she has Nine Lives…
But this time they have a new plan to eliminate Jett, and she won’t see it coming until it’s too late…
(pr-order here): Nine Lives, A Jett Landry Story
I'm going to post more about this book as we get closer to the release date.
There is also a Giveaway here on Goodreads in case you want to enter a drawing to win one of 100 free eBooks.
-SO
Long time, no blog! What's new? Well, first off, Nine Lives, a Jett Landry Story, will be released on 8/10/23 on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.
Here is the book blurb for Nine Lives:
“It wouldn’t be the first time people wanted to kill me, but here I am…” – Jett Landry
Jett Landry is a busy woman. Between navigating a steamy new romance and mentoring a traumatized teen, Jett has her hands full. But Jett is also Port City’s most controversial private detective, and she has a job to do.
Polly is a federal witness with an explosive secret that could take down gangsters and corrupt politicians from Port City to New Orleans all the way to Washington D.C., and the cabal will do anything to keep her from talking. But they have to get through Jett first. They’ve tried before and failed each time. It's as if she has Nine Lives…
But this time they have a new plan to eliminate Jett, and she won’t see it coming until it’s too late…
(pr-order here): Nine Lives, A Jett Landry Story
I'm going to post more about this book as we get closer to the release date.
There is also a Giveaway here on Goodreads in case you want to enter a drawing to win one of 100 free eBooks.
-SO
April 30, 2023
Nine Lives - A Jett Landry Story
Hey,
I just sent my latest work in progress, Nine Lives, A Jett Landry Story, off for editing. We're getting closer!
Nine Lives is the second book in the Witness series and the fifth book in the Jett Landry Universe of stories. Jett is working with the feds to protect a witness to a federal crime. With grand jury proceedings looming, the bad guys will do anything to her out in the open. There will action, intrigue, drama, romance and all kinds of twists and turns. This is my most ambitious book to date and I'm excited about getting out in the world.
I just sent my latest work in progress, Nine Lives, A Jett Landry Story, off for editing. We're getting closer!
Nine Lives is the second book in the Witness series and the fifth book in the Jett Landry Universe of stories. Jett is working with the feds to protect a witness to a federal crime. With grand jury proceedings looming, the bad guys will do anything to her out in the open. There will action, intrigue, drama, romance and all kinds of twists and turns. This is my most ambitious book to date and I'm excited about getting out in the world.
December 20, 2022
Goodreads Giveaway!
Register for a chance at a free eBook of Jett Landry: Urban Legend! If you don't want to wait, then read it for free on Kindle Unlimited or purchase your eBook or paperback today.
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...
December 13, 2022
Under the Gun
Excerpt from Under the Gun, A Jett Landry Story
"You okay, kid?" Vinnie asked. Jett sat at the bar staring into her scotch and soda.
"Not really, it's been a tough week."
"You're gonna have those. You hear about that shooting in Midtown?"
Jett chuckled. "Yeah ... I heard about it."
Vinnie raised an eyebrow. "You gonna drink that or have a staring contest with it?"
"Why drink it when I'm winning the contest?"
End of excerpt.
I love this partial exchange between Vinnie, the bartender at the local bar Jett frequents, and Jett (there's more, but I just included this piece of it). I love dialogue between interesting, witty characters. I have a fascination with old-school film noir and, for Under the Gun, I kept this style in mind while writing. I wanted to write a book that you can visualize as both a modern story, with a modern character such as Jett Landry, but with the style and flair of an old-school film noir. That includes catchy dialogue, a variety of settings that range from the sleazy to high society to the unknown, secret back rooms and private parties. With flamboyant characters, down on their luck characters, and sadistic villains and Jett unravelling a mystery while exposing herself to both physical and psychological danger, all the while trying to determine who is setting her up and why. I hope you guys take a moment and check this book out. I just finished rereading it as I work on the sequel, Nine Lives, and it still holds up as a good book that keeps you engaged, keeps you reading, and keeps you in the story.
Give it a read and tell me what you think!
-SO
"You okay, kid?" Vinnie asked. Jett sat at the bar staring into her scotch and soda.
"Not really, it's been a tough week."
"You're gonna have those. You hear about that shooting in Midtown?"
Jett chuckled. "Yeah ... I heard about it."
Vinnie raised an eyebrow. "You gonna drink that or have a staring contest with it?"
"Why drink it when I'm winning the contest?"
End of excerpt.
I love this partial exchange between Vinnie, the bartender at the local bar Jett frequents, and Jett (there's more, but I just included this piece of it). I love dialogue between interesting, witty characters. I have a fascination with old-school film noir and, for Under the Gun, I kept this style in mind while writing. I wanted to write a book that you can visualize as both a modern story, with a modern character such as Jett Landry, but with the style and flair of an old-school film noir. That includes catchy dialogue, a variety of settings that range from the sleazy to high society to the unknown, secret back rooms and private parties. With flamboyant characters, down on their luck characters, and sadistic villains and Jett unravelling a mystery while exposing herself to both physical and psychological danger, all the while trying to determine who is setting her up and why. I hope you guys take a moment and check this book out. I just finished rereading it as I work on the sequel, Nine Lives, and it still holds up as a good book that keeps you engaged, keeps you reading, and keeps you in the story.
Give it a read and tell me what you think!
-SO
