New Books - NewInBooks

Chemistry That Complicates Everything: Romance Reads

These Romance novels explore what happens when falling in love means risking everything. From guarded single parents to morally gray antiheroes, each story balances vulnerability with desire. A must-read list for fans of emotional, high-stakes romance fiction.

Dead or Alive

by Kylie Kent

Release Date: February 24, 2026

Love is a weakness. You either kill it or it will kill you. I’ve been in love once, and that’s what I did. I killed it. I’ve managed to avoid the weakness throughout my entire life. And then I saw her. A ghost from my past, very much alive and right in front of me. When she tries to flee from my grasp, I hold tighter. Because dead or alive, Evie is mine.

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Law Maker (Aristocrats of London Book 1)

by Susie Tate

Release Date: February 24, 2026

Shy teacher Clara secretly crushes on gorgeous billionaire single dad Lord Rafe Sterling, but always avoids him. When he forces a meeting, he's obsessed. How can a woman so scared be so fierce when defending his son? But Clara's hiding secrets. And Rafe's arrogance may put her in danger. Opposites attract, billionaire, age-gap, single dad romance.

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The Real Ones

by J Rose Black

Release Date: February 12, 2026

Losing a bet brings All-American shortstop Ella Reddington face-to-face with the man who broke her heart. At a singles' event. On Valentine's Day... When a chaotic “cupid” gets involved, pushing Maddox "Mick" McBride and Ella back into each other's orbit—sparks ignite, truths surface, and Maddox realizes he’s been fighting the wrong battles all year. A second-chance romance.

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Just For the Cameras

by Meghan Quinn

Release Date: February 3, 2026

Graydon St. John doesn't do drama―or public appearances. The brooding defensive end for the San Francisco Foghorns prefers silence, solitude, and avoiding headlines. But when a league-wide PR scandal forces him into a media stunt at the city zoo, he's suddenly face-to-face with squawking birds, nosy fans, and the zookeeper who seems to hate his guts on sight.

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His Temporary Fiancée

by Nadia Lee

Release Date: February 19, 2026

Josh Huxley is a powerhouse attorney with a devastating smile, a ruthless legal mind, and a secret that keeps him up at night: he's terrified he inherited his sociopathic mother's darkest traits. To keep his family from worrying, he dates a revolving door of women he'll never love—and keeps the one woman who silences his demons at a careful arm's length.

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King of Damnation (Kings of Las Vegas Book 5)

by Tammy Andresen

Release Date: -

My Bratva father has promised me to the devil. To escape hell, on the morning of my wedding, I stowaway on a private jet. That was my first mistake. Because it turns out, the jet belongs to the Duke of Grandmont. As enigmatic as he is powerful, Win might be the only man I’ve ever met who can make me cower. But it gets worse.

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Where Trust Goes to Die: Mystery and Thriller Picks

These Mystery and Thriller books center on betrayal, the kind that reshapes families, partnerships, and entire communities. As trust erodes, survival becomes a personal calculation. A gripping choice for readers who prefer tension over spectacle.

Death in Driftless Hollow

by Ben Tor

Release Date: February 17, 2026

Stranded in a blizzard deep in the Wisconsin woods, six strangers fight to survive the cold, the darkness, and each other. What begins as a desperate struggle for shelter becomes a chilling descent into betrayal, violence, and psychological unraveling.

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Don't Stop the Presses

by Mike Stetz

Release Date: January 14, 2026

In the new novel “Don’t Stop the Presses,” San Diego author Mike Stetz puts a new spin on the tragic job losses facing today’s journalists. Ben Roberts doesn’t take his layoff sitting down. He fights back. Canned from the fictional San Diego Sun, Roberts hatches a plan to take over the newsroom, hold editors hostage, and produce his own newspaper.

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Jack London and Murder on Nob Hill

by Ray M. Schultze

Release Date: December 1, 2025

San Francisco, 1898: a city of fortunes won and lives discarded. When struggling writer Jack London witnesses the execution-style murder of a young girl on patrician Nob Hill, his hunt for answers draws him into a conspiracy stretching from the back alleys of Chinatown to the highest levels of society.

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Burt vs Them

by P. A. Fielding

Release Date: January 13, 2026

Fee, plagued by mental health issues and recovering from a failed suicide attempt, finds comfort in his new West Highland Terrier puppy, Burt. But even with Burt at his side and his therapist, Sandra, doing her best to pull him out of the depths of depression, he still hears voices—voices he is certain are not his own thoughts. Paranoia sets in…

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Untouchable (Special Agent Constant Marlowe)

by Jeffery Deaver

Release Date: February 17, 2026

Special Agent Constant Marlowe is passing through the charming college town of Prescott, Illinois, when a chance encounter with a terrified student stops her in her tracks. Kathleen Delaine thought she was doing the right thing when she demanded an inquiry into traumatic brain injuries among the university’s football team.

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The Crossroads (A Joe Pickett Novel Book 26)

by C.J. Box

Release Date: -

Marybeth Pickett gets the call she has always dreaded: her husband Joe is in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the head. Joe was found in his pickup at Antler Creek Junction, a crossroads connecting three ranches. Each road leads to a dangerous family. Each family has a different bone to pick with the local game warden.

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The Buzziest Books of February | 2026

February lingers in the space between winter and warmth, a month shaped by connection, courage, and the quiet thaw before spring. It’s a season of heartbeats and hard truths, of love in all its forms: romantic, messy, enduring, and self-made. Where January whispered about beginnings, February leans into feeling into vulnerability, longing, and the bold act of caring deeply. These are stories of passion and partnership, of resilience in the cold, and of choosing tenderness anyway. Because sometimes the bravest thing we can do is open the door just a little wider. 💕

The Umbrella Protocol

by C. Chase Harwood

Release Date: February 3, 2026

From the bestselling author of Bastion Saturn comes a relentless technothriller about weaponized climate tech, corrupted faith, love, betrayal, and how easily one system can end the world.

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Diary of a Throwaway Kid

by Shannon Tessari

Release Date: February 3, 2026

Diary of a Throwaway Kid is a poignant story told through the eyes of a young girl navigating the foster care system. Shuffled from home to home, she never feels wanted, never feels like she belongs. With each failed placement, she leaves with her life packed in a garbage bag - just another throwaway kid.

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Our Fallen Woman

by Steven Habbi

Release Date: January 9, 2026

Our Fallen Woman is a fiercely human historical epic spanning decades and continents. Set between 1880 and 1925, it follows Erin Kelly and Padraig “Paddy” McCann from famine-haunted Ireland, through London’s tenements, to the opportunities of Prohibition-era New York. Opportunity has a cost, and when betrayal strikes, Erin does not wait to be saved.

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The Adventures of Casey, Kendall, and The Stucco Beings

by Zemo Trevathan

Release Date: January 30, 2026

Casey navigates the Real World by infusing it with private games and encounters with Other Beings. When Kendall, the new kid at school, gets involved, they embark together on a journey of friendship, discovery, and imagination.

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Cruel to Be Kind (A Bad Choices Novel Book 2)

by Joseph Souza

Release Date: January 27, 2026

Gwynn’s life fell apart the night Tom caught her in bed with Detective Peters—the lead investigator on a string of murders she secretly committed. Now Tom knows everything: that his wife is a serial killer, and he holds all the evidence to prove it. If Gwynn refuses to return to their toxic marriage, he’s prepared to turn her in to the police.

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A Land of Mist and Loss (The Dandelion Chronicles Book 4)

by A.S.R. Gelpi

Release Date: February 10, 2026

Kharis was meant to break her curse and save her sister. Instead, she wakes without memories and only one truth: she must go north. Her challenge? She's magically bound to a man who refuses to go. This is a high-fantasy tale with intrigue, escalating danger, and high stakes in a land where love is costly and fate shows no mercy.

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Dark Hearts: Of Hunger and Hate (The Hollow Waltz)

by Gaelan Wort

Release Date: February 9, 2026

A sensual Gothic horror tale of ruinous desire set in Restoration-era France. Julietta, bound to her unseen mistress yet drawn to an alluring Marquis, steps into a world of lust, treachery, and peril. Dark Hearts: Of Hunger and Hate descends into doomed devotion, despair, and the monsters – mortal and otherwise – who haunt us.

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The Procrastination Solution

by Bobby L. Butler

Release Date: November 16, 2025

Stuck staring at your to-do list, but can’t make yourself start? This isn’t laziness—it’s your brain’s wiring. Discover 107+ proven strategies to overcome perfectionism, decision fatigue, and overwhelm. Get implementation tools, not just theory, plus your unique procrastination type and targeted solutions that actually work for real life.

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King (King of the Mafia Book 1)

by Ivy Davis

Release Date: February 17, 2026

Sold at auction, I was saved from one fate only to be bound to another. Nikolai Volkov, head of the Russian mafia, saves me. He claims protection, but his world reeks of death. Yet my body betrays me with every touch. I’m torn between fear and desire. Can I ever love the man who is pulling me further into the darkness?

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Son of Osivirius

by Cathryn deVries

Release Date: February 17, 2026

When colony pilot Jayden crash-lands in rebel territory, he thinks only of escape and reward, but all that changes when he mind-links with a Masu, the giant flying cats indigenous to Osivirius. Now his unwanted attraction to both the rebels' simple life and his rescuer’s sister, Nettle, makes him question which side he should be fighting for.

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Death in Driftless Hollow

by Ben Tor

Release Date: February 17, 2026

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Don't Stop the Presses

by Mike Stetz

Release Date: January 14, 2026

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Dead or Alive

by Kylie Kent

Release Date: February 24, 2026

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Law Maker (Aristocrats of London Book 1)

by Susie Tate

Release Date: January 1, 2025

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The Client Book: A Catalog of Hungers

by Isa Brevine

Release Date: February 10, 2026

Aura catalogs the secret hungers of the elite, offering a mirror to their desires to shield her own shattered past. But when genuine connection breaches her fortress of control, the observer becomes the observed. She is the curator of other people’s cages, but does she hold the key to her own?

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Welcome Darkness (Life's Tree Spins On...)

by Aubrey E Drummond

Release Date: February 9, 2026

Welcome Darkness, Unlike Nothing (my first book in this new series) carries no emotional buffer. It steps directly into the rawness of mourning, the shadows of despair, and the fragile moments of light that still manage to break through. These poems honor the life I shared with my wife and the journey of learning to write again without her.

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Eagle 12

by Lamar D. Vine

Release Date: February 8, 2026

Inspired by true events, in 1991, a desperate twenty-one-year-old throws the ultimate Hail Mary: the shortest Army enlistment he can find, chasing benefits and escape from a crumbling life back home—divorce, fatherhood, endless money drains. He lands in steamy Panama on Military Police Investigator duty in the humid aftermath of Operation Just Cause.

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Interview with J Rose Black, Author of The Real Ones

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?

I was originally supposed to write a short story for a sports romance anthology—which was canceled. It was intended to be a short, second-chance romance where the FMC lost a bet and had to participate in a flag football game where she was bound to face her ex-boyfriend...and then they’d get a steamy shower scene. I wanted it to be in my Chasing Victory world; that was really all that it took to get “inspired,” but once the anthology was canceled, I had room to let the characters tell more of their story...their meet-cute was particularly sweet and fun. And then it took a serious turn. It became so much more, with a really gentle love story between the MMC and FMC, and external obstacles (more than anything) to them being together.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be? (Meant to be fun. Skip if you need to!)

I’m glad you asked... Ella Reddington: “4U” by Danielle Bradbery Maddox “Mick” McBride: “Lifeline” by Bad Wolves And although he’s a secondary character (he also had 2 cameos in Chasing Headlines), I think it’s only right to share Beaux Seager’s “Real One” by Smash Into Pieces. The song is more of an anthem for him (if you read the book, you’ll understand). The song doesn’t have the same meaning as the book title, but the lyrics (and the vibe) capture the essence of how the character appears in the story.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I do love some sports romances, but I also enjoy mysteries and historical Regency romances. Don’t think that doesn’t mean I don’t love science fiction and fantasy... I grew up on a rather diverse reading diet and still read a wide variety today. As for writing, at the top of my Clifton strengths is “Ideation,” so it’s not easy to stick to one genre there, either. I’m sitting on a complete, hardboiled detective mystery novel and have 2 of 3 romantic science fiction novels (in a series) drafted, with a couple of romantasy ideas in various stages of completion. It’s not great for running an author business, but the writer is always entertained.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

Oh dear, I have quite a few. Home Field Advantage by Jenn McMahon, Heathen & Honeysuckle by Sarah A. Bailey, Desperate Pucker by Sarah Smith, and Dare You by Ilsa Madden-Mills.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

The greenhouse scene was my favorite by far. It was charged with emotion and tension, but underneath it all was this nurturing element, Maddox’s quiet acceptance of Ella and his desire to protect her. In the short read, the scene was just going to be small flashbacks, but the drive to write the full interaction was strong. Once the deadline was called off, I basically started the book all over again—and then had to sew the timelines together. I will also say that the football sequences also demanded to be written. I could not get them to leave me alone, either.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

Aside from Spotify playlists, I drink a lot of coffee and have noise-canceling headphones. My kids are getting older and understand the words, “Mama’s busy right now.” But they still open the door and can’t help but lay on me for some reason... My favorite mug is the iconic one from “Castle” (Nathan Fillion) that says, “You should be writing.” (Even the mug has attitude around here.)

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

I’ve always been partial to Churchill, having studied poli sci and British Parliamentary history in undergrad. “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

Ultimately, I’d like for them to remember where the title came from. If nothing else, I’d like for them to remember that... It’s a reference to the “Found Family” theme/trope. Seager raises the question: who will be there when things are at their worst? And who can depend on you?

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J Rose Black is the author of the new book The Real Ones

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Interview with Isa Brevine, Author of The Client Book: A Catalog of Hungers

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?

We live in an era of curation. We curate our feeds, our resumes, and our dating profiles, presenting a polished, invulnerable surface to the world while hiding the messy, terrified human beneath. I wanted to take that impulse to its absolute extreme. The character of Aura was born from a single question: What happens when a woman decides to turn herself into a work of art so she never has to feel pain again? I wanted to explore the intersection of high intellect and primal hunger. Aura believes that if she can analyze desire, if she can name it, categorize it, and charge a fee for it, she can control it. She uses the language of art history to distance herself from the act of sex, turning intimacy into a transaction. But the body has a way of telling the truth that the mind tries to hide. Writing this book was an investigation into the difference between being looked at and being seen. It is about the fortresses we build to protect ourselves and the terrifying, beautiful relief of letting them burn down.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be? (Meant to be fun. Skip if you need to!)

Mirrorball maybe?

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I am a fantasy nerd myself. I read/listen to escape, so I tend to be drawn to the fantastical.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

I absolutely cannot wait to listen to Book 8 in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. After that, I am planning to go back through The Stormlight Archives.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

It might surprise readers that my favorite scene isn’t one of the high-heat encounters in a penthouse or a hotel suite. It’s a quiet moment in a dusty shop. For the first 19 chapters, Aura is a character defined by disintegration. She is taking herself apart, piece by piece, and selling the fragments to her clients. She views her life as a “collection of broken things.” Writing the scene where Arlo, the bookbinder, forces her to sit down and physically sew a book signature together was the turning point for me as the writer and for her as the character. There is a line where Arlo says, “A book has a spine. It has integrity. All the pages, they have to hold on to each other.” That was the moment the metaphor became literal. Until then, Aura had been trying to write her life with her mind, using her skills in analyzing, curating, and distancing. In this scene, she has to use her hands. She has to pierce the paper and pull the thread. It is a moment of profound, non-sexual intimacy that is actually more vulnerable than any of the nude scenes that came before it. I loved writing it because it is the antithesis of her life as “Aura.” It’s a messy, tactile lesson. It is also the moment she realizes that she doesn’t just have to document the ruin of her life. She can actually build a new structure to hold it. It’s the moment she stops being a loose collection of pages and starts becoming a book in her own right.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

I have a faithful Bichon Frise who is my constant writing companion. He listens to my ideas attentively!

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

Never take those you love for granted and cherish each day with them!

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

We are often unwittingly the architects of our own cages!

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Isa Brevine is the author of the new book The Client Book: A Catalog of Hungers

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Interview with Aubrey E Drummond, Author of Welcome Darkness (Life's Tree Spins On...)

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?

Well, I don’t know whether or not you read my long introduction to the book yet. But I will try to answer your question without restating everything I wrote in that introduction. Or maybe I just might rehash everything. Who knows? The previous poetry books I wrote for the Inside the Circle of the Sun series—there were six of them—featured poems I had mostly written during the life of my wife. Poems she enjoyed, read, and cajoled me to publish, to which I resisted until after her death. I’m ashamed to say. Welcome Darkness is the first book in a new series, Life’s Tree Spins On, or rather, second, depending on your perspective. I explained all that in the book’s introduction. This book and its sequels may feature some emotions I felt after her death: dark, depressed, and full of despair. But there will be plenty of lighter moments too. Because even when you have gone through the worst possible moment in your life, Life’s Tree Spins On.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

My favorite genre to read is horror. Fantasy horror, not that Michael Myers stuff. I like monsters and sci-fi creatures, and I love psychological horror. I even write the stuff. Hoping to drop a book one day, at least that’s what I keep telling myself. Of course, my favorite genre to write is poetry, prose, or whatever you want to call the stuff I write.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

Right now, I’m reading The End of the World as We Know It, edited by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene; How to Market a Book by Ricardo Fayet, and Black AF History by Michael Harriot.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

I’m a poet, so again I find this question hard to answer. The poem First Memory was fun to write, although I’m itching right now to rewrite it.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

Check out the first interview I did for this site for the book Hello Stranger.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

Sure, just remember, no matter how hard things get in life. And believe me, there will be a lot of hard times; there will always be a rainbow somewhere waiting for you. So, as I stated earlier, even if the worst thing in your life has happened, open your eyes, and you will see: life goes on.

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Aubrey E Drummond is the author of the new book Welcome Darkness (Life's Tree Spins On...)

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Welcome Darkness (Life's Tree Spins On...)

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Interview with P. A. Fielding, Author of Burt vs Them

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?

My great-great-grandpa suffered with his mental health, which became a family secret, hidden since 1888. I developed his story into the narrative. The idea for Them emerged whilst I was writing The Rattler Trilogy. It was then placed in the “development pile.” In the following years, Burt, my West Highland Terrier, suffered injuries from a traumatic event. I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to hurt a dog. Why? Questioning the rationale, I had a what-if moment—and I remembered Them. Burt vs Them was born.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be?

‘Crazy Train’ by Ozzy Osbourne. Not only is it Fee’s ringtone, but it’s also mine.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I love reading thrillers and creepy books — and writing them too.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

Quite a few. Notably, The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre, Never Flinch by Stephen King, and Going Home in the Dark by Dean Koontz.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

The Barcelona chapter. Liverpool hosted Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final second leg — The Reds needed to win 4–0. That night, I was among the lucky few who had a ticket. Writing it brought back so many memories. Anfield was rocking.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

An iced latte, cheese and onion crisps, and chocolate. Plenty of chocolate.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

As a Liverpudlian, it has to be ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

Friendship — look out for one another.

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P. A. Fielding is the author of the new book Burt vs Them

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Interview with Ray M. Schultze, Author of Jack London and Murder on Nob Hill

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?

What author wouldn’t want to write about Jack London? At the peak of his short writing career, Jack was a rock star of the literary world, his fame spreading well beyond America. He was a larger-than-life figure whose personal exploits fascinated the public just as much as his novels and short stories entertained them. By the age of 22, he had tramped from California to New York, prospected for gold in the Yukon, pirated oysters in San Francisco Bay, and earned notoriety as the “boy socialist of Oakland.” Given his lifelong craving for adventure, who wouldn’t want to make him the protagonist in a murder mystery novel?

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I’ve always enjoyed reading fast-paced thrillers, especially those set in particularly dramatic historical periods. The first short story that made an impression on me was “The Most Dangerous Game.” As an adult, I became a fan of the World War II thrillers penned by Ken Follett and Alan Furst. They were the direct inspiration for my earlier novel, THE DEVIL IN DREAMLAND, about a down-on-his-luck stagehand who becomes enmeshed in a Nazi conspiracy during the filming of CASABLANCA. When I read, I’m looking for thoughtful escapism, and that’s what I try to write.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

THE MARBLE HALL MURDERS by Anthony Horowitz and THE PARIS DECEPTION by Bryn Turnbull. Bonnie MacBird’s Holmesian THREE LOCKS is lurking nearby, and in the non-fiction category, I’ve just finished Hampton Sides’ epic about Captain Cook, THE WIDE WIDE SEA.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

Two scenes come to mind: first, when Jack finally comes face-to-face with the beautiful, mysterious Liang Mei Lin, the only witness to the murder that he’s become obsessed with solving, and he finds himself outmatched; second, when he becomes imprisoned in a derelict building’s pitch-black basement, teeming with rats, and fights despair as he tries to figure a way to save himself.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

Sometimes I find myself kneading a polished black stone that I found on a beach at Point Reyes National Seashore in Northern California. Either I’m doing it for luck or to settle my nerves. Maybe both.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

That life is too complicated and messy to be guided by a single motto or quote.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

The singular character of Jack London, a bright, passionate force, full of contradictions and handicapped by the prejudices of his time but striving to understand and become a better version of himself. And perhaps that will prompt the reader to seek out one of his classic novels, such as CALL OF THE WILD.

What is your Author Website? (If you have one, great! If not, no worries! Ex. https://yourauthorsite.com)

https://raymschultze.com

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Ray M. Schultze is the author of the new book Jack London and Murder on Nob Hill

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Interview with Mike Stetz, Author of Don't Stop the Presses

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?

It’s a comic farce about a laid-off newspaper reporter who takes over a newsroom to save a story he was writing. The idea came from my reality: I’m a laid-off newspaper reporter. It was quite the blow, so I thought it would be fun to create a novel where a newspaper reporter gets revenge by holding editors hostage and making them squirm a bit. Spoiler alert: No one gets hurt. It’s just a cool, little fantasy.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I like humor.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

It’s about an older laid-off copy editor who’s on the beach reading. The main character runs into him, and the older man talks about how he’s thinking of walking into the ocean and never coming back. It’s a dark scene, but it’s meant to show how devastating these layoffs can be.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

That layoffs can be one of the more emotionally trying events a person can go through. It’s right up there with divorce and loss of family. It sucks. For newspaper reporters, it’s particularly trying because you really have few options after such work. And those jobs are gone, vanished.

What is your Author Website?

https://mikestetzauthor.com/

Link to your Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/michael.stetz.3

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Mike Stetz is the author of the new book Don't Stop the Presses

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Interview with Lamar D. Vine, Author of Eagle 12

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?

I was twenty-one years old, broke, and had nothing left to lose when I enlisted. I’d just survived the tail end of Operation Just Cause in Panama, and the Army gave me a way out of a dead-end life back home. That’s where Eagle 12 came from. I became the youngest Military Police Investigator on post and picked up the call sign “Eagle 12.” One single weekend in the old Coco Solo barracks changed everything for me. The loneliness, the pressure, the feeling that you’re either going to make it or you’re going to break—I carried those real moments for thirty years. I finally wrote the book as fiction based on true events because I wanted readers to feel what it was really like to be that young, that far from home, and suddenly responsible for other people’s lives. It’s short, it’s raw, and every page is rooted in what actually happened. The story behind Eagle 12 is really the story of one intense weekend that never left me. After the invasion of Panama, the whole base was still on edge. I was brand new to the MPI job, still learning how to wear a suit and tie instead of BDUs, and I caught a case that pulled me into the underbelly of post-life—drugs, desperation, and guys who were just trying to survive like I was. I worked around the clock, barely slept, and saw things that showed me how thin the line is between doing your duty and losing yourself. I turned that real weekend into fiction because some details and people needed to stay protected, but the heart of it—the pressure, the fear, the feeling of being completely on your own—is all true. I wrote it as a novelette, so other young soldiers (and anyone who’s ever felt trapped and had to fight their way out) would know they’re not alone. It’s the shortest book I’ve ever written, but it might be the most honest one, too.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be?

For the main character—the young 21-year-old MPI nicknamed Eagle 12—I’d pick “November Rain” by Guns N’ Roses. That song was everywhere in 1993, right when this story takes place. The emotion and the weight in it really capture what that young soldier was feeling—the loneliness, the pressure, and trying to hold everything together when you’re so far from home.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

My favorite genre to read is military fiction and stories based on real events. I’ve always been drawn to books that show what it’s really like for young soldiers—the pressure, the loneliness, the brotherhood, and the hard choices. Guys like W. E. B. Griffin, Nelson DeMille, and some of the newer veteran writers keep me turning pages late into the night. And yes, it’s exactly the same as my favorite genre to write. I only write military drama and short stories pulled straight from my own time in the Army. That’s what I know, that’s what feels natural, and that’s what I keep coming back to even after all these years. I guess once a soldier, always a soldier—on the page and off it.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

My TBR pile is getting ridiculous these days! I keep buying more books than I can possibly read. Right now I’ve got: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir—smart sci-fi that actually sounds like a blast. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides—a psychological thriller everybody keeps raving about. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles—everybody says it’s fantastic, so I finally gave in. At this rate, I’ll still be working through this pile when I’m 85.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

Hands down, the scene where I first get called “Eagle 12” over the radio. I’m standing there in my Hawaiian shirt and jeans, trying to look like I know what the hell I’m doing, when this voice crackles through: “Eagle 12, Eagle 12, respond.” I smiled the whole time I was writing that part. It’s the exact second everything changes. One minute I’m just this scared 21-year-old trying not to screw up; the next minute, I’ve got a call sign and the whole post is waiting on me. That mix of pure terror and “holy crap, this is really happening” is what made the whole story feel alive to me.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

I mostly write on my Samsung Galaxy phone. Most of my books are written on my phone. I proofread on my MS Pro, but I prefer lying by the pool or waiting at the doctor’s office. I’ll just take my phone out and start writing.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

Stop daydreaming. I’m retired now. It’s time to get my thoughts and ideas down—on paper or in pixels—so others can read them. Writing them down makes them real.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

Writing down your thoughts—getting them out of your head and onto paper or a screen—is the single most powerful way to turn daydreams into something real, lasting, and shareable.

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Lamar D. Vine is the author of the new book Eagle 12

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