A wonderful set of colleagues in the Historical Fiction Writer’s Group has been a great help with the small details and questions I hadn’t thought of before. Tons of laughs, helpful tips and brutally honest feedback (“She didn’t really think that, did she?”) were key to shaping this story.
My editor, Amanda Bidnall showed me how to make a decent story into a great story. All of her advice was gold and I implemented all the changes she suggested. And besides all that, she was absolutely fun and easy to work with. This book is a product of her wisdom and guidance. http://amandabidnall.com/
A great chap named Daniel Reed helped me in regards to writing deaf characters. I met him on Facebook and he was so helpful answering my questions. Thanks Daniel!
Great book covers aren’t easy to come by, but Christian Bentulan knocked it out of the park! He was patient, professional, helpful and super-friendly! If you picked up this book based on the cover, it’s because of him! https://coversbychristian.com/
I have a great help in building my website through ModFarm. Rob McClellan and his team provide the ultimate in website design and great customer service.
Writing historical fiction couldn’t be done without the proper resources. The late Herbert Asbury wrote the gem, The Barbary Coast-An Informal History of the San Francisco Underworld. Informative, detailed and engaging, this book was kept within reach throughout my drafts.
Most of Coyle’s prayers were taken from The Valley of Vision-A collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions. This book is filled with wonderful and challenging thoughts about God and life.
And of course, this book wouldn’t be possible without awesome readers like you!
About the author
Robert Adauto fancies writing action and adventure stories with fascinating characters. He lives with his wife of thirty years in Southern California, where they enjoy taking care of their three cats and blind rescue dog. When he’s not writing, he loves to draw, drink coffee and find interesting things in thrift stores.
Author’s note
Action and adventure with some supernatural elements are definitely my favorite genre. The stories are quick, engaging and fun to read. And these are exactly what I wanted to write. Curse of Shadows has all of that in spades and I love just about every page.
The ideas for this series began about spring of 2019. I knew I wanted a detective series with a female protagonist and after some thinking, I set the time period as Victorian era, due to the aesthetics, the possibility of new gadgets and contraptions and there were some wonderfully crafted characters I could use. I felt the time period would also serve as an antagonistic background for Coyle’s endeavors.
While Coyle was relatively easy to put together, Fang was much more difficult. I knew she was going to be an assassin, but I wasn’t happy with any iteration I put together. While perusing through one of my writing groups, I noticed some people were talking about vampires (and not in a positive light, mind you). And yet, a light bulb clicked. At first I was apprehensive writing about a vampire assassin, but I knew this was the direction to go, it was too much fun writing her scenes! And her name was always going to be Fang, I mean it makes sense, doesn’t?
As to the last reveal and their introductions. The idea of this story being a retelling of one of my favorite characters, Sherlock Holmes passed through my head a few times. I dreaded what people would say, mostly because I’m nowhere near a fine author as to do Sherlock justice. But, I put it in and said, heck with it. It’s my book, so there.
This is the first book in a series. I have so many ideas for this pair and I can’t wait to continue sharing these fun stories with you! I’d love to hear your feedback, whatever it may be. Write me at [email protected]
Until then, stay safe and keep your necks guarded!
