Randy Overbeck's Blog

“There are more people in slavery now than at any time in human history.”                   At my latest visit to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, I was chilled by what I learned about the history of slavery in this country. The curated exhibits with the actual shackles, the cramped slave pen where 12 bodies struggled to find space on the floor and the detailed blueprint of a slave ship complete with an illustration of slaves shoved together in...

A few years ago, when I was still active in my work in schools, several of my talented primary teachers had their students write letters to Santa. From time to time, these teachers would share a few, especially when the messages made you bend over with laughter or rip your heart out. Sometimes it takes children to remind us about the meaning and fun in Christmas…and perhaps put a mirror up to ourselves. I wish I’d kept some of those dandies but I wasn’t that smart or prescient. Or probably...

Each October,  I offer a blog about the world of ghosts. For 2025, I thought I’d go Native, Native American, that is. As I’ve shared my ghost talks with more than 150 groups and organizations across the country, I discuss how the belief in ghosts is integral to every religion in the world. Whether believers are Christian or Jewish, Hindu or Muslim, one part of the dogma of every faith is the belief in ghosts. The same is true of ghosts in Native American religions. Since my new novel Red...

A few years ago, when the first entry in my Haunted Shores Mysteries was released by the Wild Rose Press, I was doing a book talk at a...

Recently, I met a friend and former colleague for lunch. We hadn’t seen each other in a while, so first we got caught up on our families’...

Christians have been celebrating Christ’s birth for more than 2000 years, honoring this event by doing what God did, showering those we love with gifts. According the Biblical legend, the Magi may have started this with their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, but by now, the giving of presents to show our love and appreciation of those around us has become an accepted, and expected, part of the holiday celebration. (Some might argue this tradition has simply caused Christmas to become overly secular and super-commercialized, but that’s a discussion for another time.)

But what about the practice of giving to those less fortunate?

 It would be logical to think this tradition of generosity is a natural development of the true Christmas spirit. After all, Christians believe God did give the ultimate gift—his only son—to those less fortunate, all of us on earth. Those of us who grew up with Salvation Army Santas manning the kettle and ringing the bell for donations or who participated in school canned food drives or who contributed to the Marine Corps “Toys for Tots” program at Christmas were taught that such altruism was simply an extension of the real Christmas spirit. Lately, even companies and corporations have gotten into the act of philanthropy at Christmas.

Not only do they donate to the poor, but companies like Subaru, Amazon, Target and Chick-Fil-A spend millions in advertising each Christmas to promote their efforts to bring families together, to feed the hungry, to help animal shelters—in other words, to give to those less fortunate.

However, according to annuls of history, this practice of altruism has a more recent origin—though 180 years is only recent compared with twenty centuries. In mid-nineteenth century England (and much of the rest of the civilized Christan world) Christmas was celebrated mostly in small towns, where life was close and interactions were personal. In the crowded, major cities of the time, where life was impersonal and interactions often anonymous, Christmas was largely ignored.

One author and one novella changed all that. In 1843, Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol, a runaway bestseller and it became so popular, its message changed the culture. Before this, the idea of sharing your time and treasure at Christmas with those less fortunate was not a thing. But Dickens’ exposure of the parsimonious and money-hungry Ebenezer Scrooge struck a chord that still reverberates today. Slowly, in the 1850’s beginning in London and spreading outward, the idea of Christmas started to take on a different, more layered message. Not only was the holiday the time to celebrate those you love and cherish, but it also became the time of year to share your bounty with others in need. (For a more extensive discussion of this transformative Christmas tale, you might want to check out this episode of my podcast, GREAT STORIES ABOUT GREAT STORYTELLERS

https://www.authorrandyoverbeck.com/podcast/episode/7f9d3d6e/what-you-didnt-know-about-dickens-a-christmas-carol

It may not have as long a history but I’d argue this practice comes closer to the true meaning of Christmas than giving your wife another bottle of cologne or gifting your teen another video game. That’s why, each Christmas I select a few charities who serve those less fortunate and give them a special donation. Now I’m not rich. After all, I’m living on a teacher’s pension and I’m a struggling author, but I do what I can.

In the true spirit of Christmas, I suggest you do the same. The special charities I’ve selected this year are—

The American Red Cross

2024 saw an unprecedented number of natural disasters, from the out-of-control wildfires on the West Coast to the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene felt all the way up to North Carolina to tornados pummeling Oklahoma and Iowa. Organizations and non-profits who provide support for communities suffering from the disasters like FEMA, the Salvation Army and Matthew 25 Ministries have been stretched thin, trying to respond to all the needs this year. And this was especially true for the American Red Cross. In case you want to join me in donating, here is a link https://www.redcross.org/donate/holiday-giving/help-where-its-needed-most.html/

Feeding America

One thing everyone agrees on is that everything costs more now, especially groceries. These rising costs have hit food banks especially hard in 2024. The limited dollars don’t go as far, making it harder and harder to provide for those going hungry every day. IN 2023—the last year we have statistics—more than 50 million people in America turned to food programs and 2024 is on track to have even greater numbers. If there is greater need or better use of donations or a greater need than making sure children do not go to sleep with hungry bellies, I don’t know what it is. Here’s their link https://give.feedingamerica.org/a/donate

St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital

 I can’t imagine what could be worse than learning your child has a serious health condition and realizing that on top of caring for your child, you’re facing tremendous hospital bills. St. Jude’s is one place where parents only have to worry about their loved ones…not how much it’s going to cost.  It’s the hospital where parents are never asked whether they can pay. So I’m making a donation so parents can open their hearts, not their wallets. Their link— https://www.stjude.org/promotion/impact-giving

 

 

Thanksgiving is a great holiday. No presents to buy, no lists to make. Just a day set aside to gather together with those you love, enjoy some favorite foods and take time to remember all you have to be thankful for. Something many of us don’t do enough.

In prior years, I’ve used this space to express thanks for my family, both my kids and grandkids and my extended family of seven brothers. I’ve been blessed with wonderful relations and have much in my family circe to be thankful for. I’ve also been blessed with a great many personal and professional friends, some of which have sadly passed. They have all, in one way or another, made my life richer.

But today, I’d like to take a few moments to express my gratitude for those who have made my writing possible…and successful.

I’m especially grateful for my two talented editors, Beth “Jaden” Terrell and Dianne Rich. Both have made sure my books are polished and professional, when the work was near the finish line.

 And I wouldn’t have been able to make the writing nearly as good without the critiques—in the best sense of the word—from my Writers’ Critique Group, these members talented writers in their own right. I truly appreciate the time, patience and insight they have provided me to help make my writing is as good as it can be.

And, I might not get my manuscript to the finish line without my Beta Readers, who get the first look at my written words. Their interest, support and excitement for my writing has encouraged me to get that next chapter completed. Thanks for keeping me writing and going.

Special thanks to the folks at Wild Rose Press who believed in my writing and have published my last four novels. I've signed with them in 2017 and since then, they have been professional, encouraging and super supportive. Not to mention, they've produced great looking books with knock out covers for all my novels.

I also want to thank the thousands of interesting people I’ve met over the years at my author talks and book events. In 2024 alone, I shared my programs with groups at 33 different events, meeting and interacting with almost a thousand individuals. I’m especially grateful to the hundreds of fans I met at these events who took a chance and bought my books. And also thanks to the scores of participants who might not have purchased a copy but took time to tell me how much they enjoyed my presentations. These encounters truly sustain me and remind me why I write.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t thank the hundreds of readers who have taken time to share a comment or review of any of my books on Amazon, Goodreads, BookBub or Barnes & Noble. Thanks to these kind folks, my novels have earned hundreds of 5 star across all platforms.

I write because I have stories to tell and I hope others will enjoy reading them.

I may never have a NYT bestseller and be a celebrity author, but this Thanksgiving, I’m truly grateful that thousands of readers have chosen any or all of my five published books to add to their library. And I hope they’ll be excited to read my number six—which will be released next summer!

Happy Thanksgiving and don’t forget to thank those around you who make your own life richer. Peace!

                  First of all, I confess I love the fall.

I love feeling the temperatures drop from the sultry 80’s and 90’s to the way more comfortable 60’s and 70’s, and even a little nip in the air. (Although this year in the Ohio Valley, summer did not want to give up its grip and kept us roasting in the nineties long past the normal expiration date of summer.)

I savor the changing colors of the leaves in the woods and neighborhoods around me, watching in new awe each year as the maples, oaks, sweet gums and river birches exchange their mantle of luxurious deep green for the flaming colors of red, yellow and orange as if some giant hand was doing some broad brushstrokes.

I even enjoy the process of switching out the clothes in my closet from shorts and short sleeve tees to pants and long sleeves. By this time of year, I’ve tired of short sleeves and worn shorts—that I couldn’t wait to wear in April or May—and I’m equally glad to switch back to long sleeve polos, tees and button-downs along with some worn and comfortable khakis. Yes, I guess I’m a bit fickle.

Most years, I like turning the page from cheering for my favorite team on the diamond

(my Reds had another disappointing year) to rooting with renewed expectation for my favorite high school, college and, sometimes pro football teams. Even though I know I’ll likely be disappointed here again. For me, the handoff from summer to autumn provides a new hope for championship possibilities unmatched by other times of year.

Okay, I must also admit I’m more than a little biased.

I served children as an educator for four decades, first as a teacher, then as a college professor and finally, for most of those years as a school leader. There are many things wrong with the school calendar most districts still use, which is largely based on the agricultural calendar. But one benefit I came to recognize was that, for both educators and their students, the start of school each fall gave all a chance to start over, a fresh start, as it is. For most teachers, when they greet their students each fall, they see a new set of faces. It gave me, as an educator, a chance to start over, to learn from what I did right the year before and the missteps I’d taken, and then use that knowledge and experience to make the new year the best it could be, starting in the fall.

As an educator, every autumn filled me with anticipation and hope. Even though I put my textbooks away and shelved my lesson plans a while ago, each autumn I still feel an echo of that excitement and optimism. As the rains falls outside my window today and the color transformation process gets a kick, I look forward to walks in the woods and drives through country roads bursting with color.

All this is one reason I chose to set two of my recent titles in the fall. Blood on the Chesapeake, the first in the Haunted Shores Mysteries series, takes place in September and October of 1998. The story is full of tales of school starting, of high school football, of breathtaking colors of leaves changing on the Eastern Shore…and of the mystery around the death of a student who died mysteriously at the school years earlier.

Cruel Lessons, the first entry in my new series, Lessons in Peril, is an atmospheric mystery about drugs being pushed in a middle school and the rush to find the dealer before more kids die. The narrative also takes place during the autumn, placing the horrors of drugs against the backdrop of the excitement of the start of the school year and the innocence of beautiful natural colors changing.

I’m thrilled both titles have received warm receptions, earning five national awards including  BEST BOOK award from Chanticleers Reviews, the GOLD AWARD from Literary Titan and MYSTERY OF THE YEAR from ReaderViews, not to mention the many 5-star reviews from readers.

Since we are, once again, exchanging baseball for football and switching out shorts for slacks, this would be the perfect time to curl up with either of  these award-winning fall mysteries. Check out either on the link below to my website,

https://www.authorrandyoverbeck.com/books

And, since the exploding colors of fall are—like most precious things—fleeting and ephemeral, remember to savor nature’s gifts while we can. And since these delightful temperatures and brilliant hues provide the perfect backdrop for either of my fall titles, why not pull up a chair on the porch, sit back and enjoy a great fall mystery.

What’s the hardest thing about being a writer?

 

            At one of my recent speaking engagements, I was asked this question and I had to pause a bit before answering. For a few seconds, I was tongue-tied—I know, unusual for me. Several thoughts marched lock-step through my brain.

I could’ve offered the rejections of my work from agents and editors with lines like “This work doesn’t fit our portfolio” or “I don’t know how I would market this” or the killer, “Your work is well written and interesting but I’m just not passionate about it.” Somewhere in the bowels of my computer, I have a collection of these rejections and, every time I look at them again, each one stabs me in my creative heart all over again.

 

            Or I could easily succumb to the ever present complaint about marketing, or lack of it. Today, it is never enough to be a good writer, or even a great writer. No, in 2024, an author must be equal parts writer, marketer, promoter and social media guru.

It is not enough to write a mesmerizing piece of fiction, or even the next great American novel. As soon as an author completes it, he or she must then direct an immense amount of effort to get it noticed among the multitude of titles published. This is a difficulty that Charles Dickens didn’t have; it’s a proverbial hill Ian Fleming or Tom Clancy never had to climb. It's easy to fall into the trap of complaining why authors today have to deal with all this.

 

            Still, other writers might say the hardest part is having to redo, revise and re-edit their work, over and over again. Any author who is realistic recognizes the importance of rewriting and polishing their work. Almost no one gets the manuscript right on the first go through—though we would hope this improves with practice and experience. Still, doing another careful read through and finding yet more errors or a better way to phrase a particular point can be disheartening to say the least. The little voice in the back of our heads ask, “Are you sure this is the best you can do?”

 

            Then there’s the waiting.

Once I finish a manuscript, really finish, after multiple rounds of edits and revisions and even a thorough professional editing, once I send it in to the publisher and editor, the clock seems to stop. It can take forever to get a response back from an agent or from your editor. Even once everything is complete and the final manuscript is approved and accepted, the time to the release date sometimes seems to crawl in slow motion.

But, then patience is not a virtue I possess in abundance.

 

            But for me, the most challenging part of being an author is coping with the anxiety and self-doubt. It is far too easy to second guess oneself. Will anyone want to read my work? Will readers connect with my writing? Will they enjoy the whodunit puzzle? Even after several successful published novels—thus far, I’ve had five novels released, earned twelve national awards and even had two books reach #1 and #2 bestselling status on Amazon and B & N—even that success does not alleviate my anxiety.

Now it is, will my next book make it? Will readers find the new release equal or better to their favorite? It does help some to know that, as I’ve researched other, far more successful authors for my podcast, I’ve discovered many of them have similar concerns. It helps but doesn’t make the self-doubt disappear.

 

So why do it? Why would I put myself through all this? The simple answer is I love it.

I love creating characters out of thin air, inventing intriguing mystery puzzles, crafting descriptions of towns and beaches and forests so real, readers can get lost in them. Or at least end up adding the destination to their travel list. I love imagining, then giving life to stories readers want to read. When readers call my novel “an electrifying narrative from the opening pages” (Cruel Lessons) or write the story was “thrilling, haunting, convincing,” (Crimson at Cape May) my self-doubt shrivels.

When they write “a story I didn’t want to put down for annoying things like needing to sleep” (Blood on the Chesapeake) or “Readers will stay on the edge of their seats through their page-turning journey right until the book’s riveting conclusion” (Scarlet at Crystal River) or even, “the uncertainty, the twists kept me going back for more” (Cruel Lessons), it makes it all worthwhile. I once again resolve to keep going.

 

Now if you excuse me, I have to get back to the fourth entry in the Haunted Shores Mysteries. Where was I? Of yeah, chapter 22.

 

           

After five published novels and eleven national awards,

what have I learned about writing books?

         

This past fall the Wild Rose Press released CRUEL LESSONS, my fifth novel published in a little over a decade. During that time, I’ve had the good fortune to see two of my books, BLOOD ON THE CHESAPEAKE and CRIMSON AT CAPE MAY become #1 and #2 bestsellers on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I’ve been humbled and thrilled by the hundreds of five stars reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and BookBub my novels have received.

And I’ve been blown away by the eleven (and counting) national awards the titles have earned from sites like ReadersFavorite (Thriller of the Year), Literary Titan (Gold Award) Chanticleer (Best Book) and ReaderViews (Mystery of the Year). 

 

Now, after a decade at this, what have I learned that I didn’t know five or ten years ago?

 

             The answer is a lot…but I think a few lessons might be worth sharing

 

1.     This whole writing thing turned out to be a great deal more difficult than I anticipated.  

In my talks, I tell audiences even though I’ve faced classrooms of angry and unruly teenagers and managed a staff of over 300 teachers, nothing I had done in my previous career was as challenging as getting a story from my head to a book that others would enjoy and actually buy. (I’m not talking about the down-and dirty practice that some writers take to throwing thoughts on paper and then using the independent publishing route to send the product out into the world.)

To invent a story, draft it so it makes sense, revise and edit the manuscript (with professional help) so it is the very best it can be, is a grueling process. Next, taking that manuscript and submitting it to the scrutiny of literary experts—be these literary agents or small press representatives—is a humbling and nerve-racking experience.

Then, I discovered, after I found a professional venue for my story, now a full-fledge novel, that was only the beginning. I had to do even more work to promote and market the book than I did to actually write it and get it published.

 

Had I known all this years ago, I might have taken a step back, sucked in a huge proverbial breath, before I jumped in with both feet. I still would have jumped, though I would’ve been better prepared.

 

 

2.    

I learned I don’t have to go it alone. The stereotypical image of the lone writer slaving away over his (or her) computer is not really an accurate portrayal of how it works. Though the writing starts that way—me, my ideas and the computer—this is only the first step. For much of the last decade, I have been fortunate to be an active member of one writers’ group or another. Participating in these groups has given me an insight into how other writers think and practice, often different from my own experience. But most important, working with these fellow writers and having them openly critique my work has dramatically improved my writing. Other writers, regardless of genre, see things in my pages that I missed or never thought of in the first place. The novels that I completed with help from a writers’ group are dramatically better, of higher quality and more readable because I learned from their input.

 

Had I known this at the get go, I would have sought out good writers’ groups from the very first day I started writing my fiction. This would have made my learning curve not nearly as steep.

 

3.     I had no idea of how overwhelming the competition for readers is and how crowded the field had become—and this is true whether the genre is mystery, thriller, romance, paranormal or even science fiction. I was stunned to learn that last year when my latest novel hit the market, over four million other titles were released. In fact, on the date CRUEL LESSONS went up on Amazon, 11,000 other books were released just that day.

For the prospective reader, it looks like a tsunami of titles flooding at them. Trying to get a reader to notice mine becomes a daunting challenge.

 

Had I been aware of this intense competition five or ten years ago, I would have been better prepared to deal with the reality and commit the work and time it takes to get readers to even be aware of my work. And I could be more realistic about the limitations the market places on my promotional efforts and what I can expect.

 

Knowing all this (and much more), would I still take the plunge into the literary pool?

 

The answer is a decided YES

The simple reason why I endure such abuse and march against these headwinds is because of my readers. Like the woman who hailed me at a recent writing conference and approached my stand with a scowl. She snarled, “I’ve got a bone to pick with you.”

            I didn’t remember the woman. “I’m sorry. What did I do?”

            She said, “You cost me a whole night’s sleep. I bought your book here yesterday and opened it when I turned in. I got so sucked into the story, I couldn’t stop reading…all night.”

            I smiled and said, “I’m sorry…and thanks.”

            I wasn’t a bit sorry.