Nikolas Larum's Blog

I entered Valley of Wolves, both the paperback and the e-book, in Writer’s Digest Self-Published Awards contests. The judges’ critique was encouraging and validating. You can see their comments in the video. Can’t wait to see who won!

Somebody find the cable!
The music plays,
And the dancers parade.
Somebody find the cord!
Images, not stills, flow
In epic interaction,
Intimate satisfaction.
Somebody find the program!
Let me download
What plays in overload.
It flickers like a candle,
Drips drops on the page;
It’s coaxed with thousands of words,
Hoping to evoke a host of emotions.
Hand down the rope,
Help me swim and float
Until the telling
Is done.

Labor Day weekend 2022 and looking for something to do? Look no further. Click the link to enjoy a free preview of Valley of Wolves: A Gypsy Spy Novel.

Special Agent Rick Cannon is a patriot serving his nation during a time when CIA came under increasing scrutiny. Law enforcement wasn’t his first choice. He loved finance. Numbers and spreadsheets were as fun for him as strategic board games. He had his sights on being the Chief Financial Officer of a reputable firm one day. But at a job fair just before completing his masters in forensic accounting, a recruiter from the FBI bent his ear and changed his heart.

Now, a wife and kids and half a ...

Internees in the Drancy transfer camp outside of Paris referred to their deportation destination as Pitchipoi, “the place beyond.” They were told that in there they would have better accommodations, food, and meaningful work. It was a lie.

Germany and Jews take center stage in any history of the Holocaust, as well they should. Less dealt with are the hundreds of thousands of Romani (a.k.a. Gypsies) murdered and France’s cooperation in the rounding up and exportation of targeted ethnic groups ...

I started writing Valley of Wolves, the sequel to Gypsy Spy, on June 30, 2018. At the time, I had hopes of seeing the book in print by the Spring of 2019. Life had other plans. A loss of a brother, a career change, the publication of Love Everlasting, and a world pandemic all provided their unique obstacles. Even without them, I doubt I would have made my original goal. I underestimated the depth of the story and what it would require of me.

I am pleased to announce that I am near completion ...

Ocha enters the stage unnamed on page 66 of the epic spy-thriller saga Gypsy Spy: The Cold War Files. She is the soothing angel of mercy calming Carlos after a fitful nightmare.  Her first words to him are heartfelt, but wide of the mark.

“You’re safe now,” she said.

I have shared sketches of her before, which you can read about here. But where did she come from? Like any good character with real flesh and bone, her seeds were sown in the soil of real life.

The first chase sticks with you. I k...

Tracking down an assassin can prove hazardous to one’s health. Gavin Leoppard was content to disappear. But someone decided to dig the bones out of his closet. The hunters become the hunted in Valley of Wolves, the next chapter in the Gypsy Spy saga. Follow the blog for sample scenes and publication updates.

Intelligence officers may use a dozen or more different alias names during a career. Gavin Leoppard’s career is far from over, even though he’s already been buried once. Known to some as Carlos, to others as Javier, and to a select few as Drom, he assumes cover identities with the skill of a con man. In a pinch, he may even resort to the truth for the most unbelievable cover story of all.

This scene is from Chapter 14 of Valley of Wolves, the next chapter in the Gypsy Spy saga. Follow the...

Gypsy Spy fans, find out what really happened in the Warehouse! Valley of Wolves, the next chapter in the Gypsy Spy saga, is well underway. Follow the blog for pre-publication vignettes and chapters.