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You Write What You Know
Reservations follow a gifted FBI profiler with psychological insight whose mentor dies while working on a serial killer case, leaving her to pick up where he left off. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
First, I have to start with a backstory. In 2017, I was having a difficult time in my life; ending a 28-year marriage, leaving a job I was unhappy in, selling my house, and in need of a life overhaul. One day, I woke up and demanded a do-over from the Universe. Several nights later, the dreams started, and the books began. This book, Reservations (originally under a different title), was written in less than a month, followed by six more in a period of six months. I dreamt every night and wrote every day. The dreams were a visceral guide, with me filling in the blanks. A lot of stops and starts, but eight years later, here we are.
Samantha Wright is as real a character I could write because she is all of us. She is me. The story is about losing those who are close to us, who have made us who we are, and when they are lost to us, how we move on and try to make them proud with our attempt, we try to make things better. Sam has a career at the FBI, dealing with death while trying to find justice for the victims of the heinous things people do to each other. In this world, we all deal with what Sam does, just in a more unnoticed way. Just as Sam is trying to learn to live with everything she witnesses and is surrounded by daily, so are we with the very personal stories we all have to tell about how we live within the 24-hour news cycle and the reality we all see. I needed Sam to be many things, and she could be those things if her job had leverage to it.
I enjoyed Samantha’s character; she is engaging, intelligent, and complicated, not at all predictable. What was your inspiration for Samantha Wright’s character, and how did you craft her outlook on life?
They say you write what you know, and there is a lot of subconscious memory that is a treasure trove of bits and pieces that surface once they are awakened. Samantha Wright is a culmination of women I’ve known over the years that made a difference in me and my thinking, and by morphing those qualities and remembrances – well – Samantha was born. Once I had Samantha Wright and the dreams, I pieced the puzzle together. I’ve worked for attorneys as a paralegal, and that brought connections to stories of people and situations that made sense of the dreams and enabled me to weave a story together anchored by this amazing woman, Samantha Wright. Sam’s outlook is one of despair backed by hope. Strength of conviction, but willing to be weak, with not always knowing what to do. A yearning for love, but knowing her responsibilities will always color any relationship she would have. Again, Sam is us. I write with first and third person – I want the reader to know at all times all the characters in the scene and what they feel, think, and say, even when Sam isn’t part of the scene.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I have always had a connection, an affinity to Native culture, having lived in the Western state of Colorado. I’ve been drawn to the sense of Tribe and the rich history since I was young. I’ve also lived in situations that brought abuse, addiction, strength through fear, cultural divides, and love, of course, in my life and the life of those I know. I try to slowly bring themes into the plots, without being preachy or making it stand out – themes don’t have to stand out; they just have to be absorbed by the reader as part of the story. I want the reader to think back and see layers in what they’ve read.
Is this the first book in the series? If so, when is the next book coming out, and what can your fans expect in the next story?
The series has seven books – the first, Reservations: A Samantha Wright Crime Series, the second, The Last Profile, which just launched on Amazon, continues the core characters that are so integral to the plots and the important stories they bring forward. The Last Profile has Samantha following a case on and off the reservation, three plots going on at the same time, leading her through a maze of lies and betrayal by the very people her life centers around. If you love Will Little Bear, he helps Sam work the case that is supposed to finally free her from the FBI, so they can have the life they yearn for. Five more books follow; manuscripts finalized, waiting in the wings to be launched every six months. Plots that you may never have read before, characters that attach themselves to you, and relatable stories that resonate with the reader. The books are about people who have a family life and a work life – they figure out how to make it work, and in Sam’s case, her family, her tribe, is her foundation that gives her the ability to do her most difficult job, finding justice and a voice for those who can’t speak for themselves.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website | Amazon
When Special Agent Samantha Wright’s mentor dies while profiling a disturbing serial killer case known as “The Reservations Case,” she’s left to pick up the pieces—and finish what he started. Young Native American boys are being abducted, sexually assaulted, and murdered across multiple states, and the trail leads deep into the heart of the American West.
Sam is no ordinary profiler. Gifted with an uncanny psychological insight and a darkly self-deprecating sense of humor, she sees patterns others miss. But as the case grows more complex—and culturally sensitive—she’ll need more than sharp instincts to bring the killer to justice.
With help from her commanding yet complicated boss, Special Agent Charlie Falken, and a skilled Cheyenne tracker, Will Little Bear, Sam must navigate the perilous intersection of federal law, reservation sovereignty, and cultural trauma. As tensions rise and bodies pile up, alliances deepen—and so do emotions.
RESERVATIONS is a gripping crime thriller that blends psyc
Because of His Heart
Because of His Heart tells a twisting story of strained love, private wounds, and the strange ways people hide from themselves. The book moves between Charles Portland, a journalist who stumbles through heartbreak and confusion, and Erica Seames, a doctor whose inner world spills into journals, therapy sessions, and dream-like reflections. Their marriage trembles under jealousy, grief, illness, and the pull of outside influences. Around them swirl detectives, therapists, academics, and a host of observers who add tension and mystery. What begins as a domestic rift grows into a psychological maze that pushes everyone toward breaking points and revelations. The story feels intimate and huge at the same time, like a whisper that somehow shakes the walls.
I felt pulled in by the writing right away. The style is rich, sometimes thick with emotion, sometimes floating in quiet sadness. I caught myself slowing down just to feel the rhythm of a paragraph. At other times, I sped ahead because the tension swelled and I needed to know what someone would say or remember or confess. The voices of the characters shift often, and that creates a strange, almost musical pattern. I enjoyed that. It felt risky and bold. When the book turns inward, especially through Erica’s journal passages, I felt a kind of ache, something tender and unsettling. The language is lush, sometimes a little wild, but it fits the turbulence inside her.
The book probes marriage. It pokes at the pride and fear that sit quietly between two people who love each other but stop speaking honestly. It also wanders into questions about identity, longing, projection, and the blurry line between truth and imagination. Some sections confused me in a way that felt intentional, almost like the author wanted me to experience the disorientation the characters felt. At times, I wished for clearer edges, yet the fog added to the emotional weight. I admired how the book balanced real-world problems with almost mythic undertones. Charles and Erica felt fragile but also alive, and their pain carried a beauty.
I would recommend Because of His Heart to readers who enjoy psychological fiction that digs deep into relationships and the hidden storms beneath daily life. It is perfect for someone who likes character-driven stories that wander through memory, longing, and emotional tension. If you want a straightforward plot, this may feel heavy. If you love getting lost in voices, feelings, and messy human truths, this will be a fantastic book for you.
Pages: 555 | ASIN : B0FS5BF8GD
Reservations: A Samantha Wright Crime Series
Reservations follows FBI profiler Samantha Wright as she’s pushed back into the hunt for a serial killer after the sudden death of her mentor and closest friend, Dr. Edmond Sampson. The story opens with grief, then moves fast into danger as Sam takes over the RESERVATIONS case, a string of murders involving young boys on reservations across the American West. Her past traumas, messy romantic entanglement with Special Agent Charlie Falken, and deep loyalty to Dr. Sampson color every choice she makes. The book blends crime, trauma, culture, and romance in a way that feels raw and intimate, almost like sitting beside Sam as she thinks her way through every dark corner of the investigation.
I liked how emotional the writing feels. The author doesn’t rush through Sam’s pain. She lets it sit there, real and jagged. Sam grieves her mentor with this quiet, private sorrow that feels heavy and familiar. At the same time, the pacing snaps between slow internal moments and sudden shocks. The memories of the BAKER’S DOZEN case are especially rough. The writing keeps things personal. It doesn’t pretend Sam is made of steel. She’s brilliant, but she’s tired, haunted, and sometimes unsure, and I liked her more because of that.
The mix of genres also surprised me in a good way. The romantic scenes with Charlie are blunt, sweaty, flawed, and full of emotional landmines. They’re not polished or dreamy. They feel like two people clinging to each other because they don’t know what else to do with their hurt. Then the story swings into investigative mode with sharp detail and a steady buildup of dread. The casework feels grounded and tense, especially when Sam revisits crime scenes or pieces together old trauma with new evidence. The writing is vivid.
I’d recommend Reservations to readers who enjoy crime fiction with strong emotional depth and a protagonist who feels human in all the best and hardest ways. It’s especially fitting for people who like stories that dive into trauma, culture, identity, and the complicated ties we form with the people who shape us. If you want a thriller with heart and heat, something that grips you and makes you feel a little raw by the end, this book will get you there.
Pages: 332 | ASIN : B0FHYLFVBZ
Trail of Buried Evidence
In The Mourning Locket, an empath confronts the owner of a unique agency comprised of sentient heirlooms capable of remembering their owners and seeks to uncover its long-buried secrets. Where did the idea for this novel come from?
The idea started with my own family heirlooms. I grew up around old photographs, jewelry, keepsakes — things that didn’t look like much from the outside but held entire histories inside them. I always wondered what they’d “say” if they could talk.
When I started writing The Mourning Locket, it was my way of honoring those stories that get lost between generations. I wanted to capture that feeling of holding something that once meant everything to someone who isn’t here anymore. The book grew out of that love for family history and the questions we never get to ask the people we miss.
How did you go about capturing the thoughts of the heirlooms?
To write the heirlooms, I imagined them the way we imagine the stories behind things we inherit. When you hold something that belonged to someone you loved, you automatically think about what it meant to them.
That’s the energy I wrote from. Their thoughts come through impressions, not sentences — a heaviness, a chill, a warmth, a pull. The emotional tone of the object shows up long before the mystery does. It made them feel alive without ever stepping outside of realism.
Were you able to relate to your characters while writing them?
Absolutely. I related to my characters in different ways, sometimes in ways I didn’t even expect. Rowan’s determination, Piper’s anxious overthinking, Cassian’s quiet intensity — those all come from real emotions I understand. And then there’s Sable, whose sarcasm and perfectly timed humor felt like the pressure valve everyone needed.
I relate to her a lot — that instinct to lighten a tense moment, or to say the thing everyone else is only thinking. Writing her was almost like letting the honest, unfiltered side of myself onto the page.
Each character carries something human and familiar, and that connection made writing them feel less like creating fictional people and more like spending time with versions of myself and the people I love.
Can you give us a glimpse inside Book 2 of The Inheritance Bureau series? Where will it take readers?
Book 2, The Music Box from Ashford, drags the Bureau into its darkest investigation yet. What begins as a simple heirloom assessment turns into a trail of buried evidence, altered records, and a past that someone worked very hard to erase.
The music box at the center of it all isn’t just an antique — it’s a trigger. And once it resurfaces, everything the Bureau thought it understood about its own origins is shaken.
This book pulls readers deeper into the hidden corners of the Bureau: the cases that never made it into the official files, the mistakes no one was supposed to uncover, and the people who paid the price for trying. Rowan gets pulled into the heart of it, Piper and Sable uncover secrets that were never meant to see daylight, and Arden is forced to confront what leadership really costs.
The investigation reaches back more than a century, and the past refuses to stay quiet this time.
Without giving too much away — Book 2 opens a door the Bureau can’t close, and what waits on the other side changes everything heading into Book 3.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Amazon
Empathic appraiser Dr. Cassian Vale can feel a person’s final emotions through touch—an ability that makes him invaluable, and dangerous. Investigating an 1860s mourning locket, Cassian relives a woman’s death and uncovers a conspiracy linking grief, immortality, and bloodline control.
As the echoes grow louder, the team must decide whether to silence the past—or listen before it consumes them.
Servant
Servant is a supernatural fantasy novel that blends family drama, ancient mystery, and time-crossed storytelling. The book follows two threads that eventually begin to echo one another: Zach, a middle-school kid from the Keane family who vanishes from his house under eerie circumstances, and Akolo, a boy living centuries earlier whose life is marked by war, trauma, and the demands of kings. As Zach’s family searches for him in the present day, he finds himself wandering through stone hallways, oil-lit corridors, and a world that feels pulled straight from his dad’s archaeology stories. Meanwhile, Akolo faces his own captivity in a foreign palace controlled by a ruler who insists he will “need” him. Both boys are caught in places where power, fear, and destiny collide. By the time the book reaches its epilogue, the story has cracked wide open into something larger, hinting at deep magic, interwoven timelines, and a house that is far more alive than anyone wants to admit.
I found myself pulled in by the writing style. It’s simple on the surface but has this steady emotional current running underneath. The authors don’t rush. They let each moment breathe. Even the small scenes, a father making coffee, a daughter complaining about pizza for breakfast, or the house creaking in the early morning, carry a sense of “something is happening here,” even if you can’t name it yet. I liked that. It made me feel like I was sitting inside the Keanes’ home, overhearing bits of life while the bigger mystery brewed just out of sight. And then we cut to Akolo’s story, which feels raw and grounded and ancient. Those chapters landed hardest for me. His fear. His confusion. The way he clutches the jeweled stone in his pocket just to feel connected to something familiar.
I also appreciated the author’s choices around pacing and perspective. Switching between timelines can easily feel gimmicky, but here it feels purposeful. Zach’s modern confusion mirrors Akolo’s ancient disorientation, and that parallel makes the supernatural elements feel earned. I liked how the book doesn’t give its secrets away too quickly. We get hints, symbols carved into doors, fog in places fog shouldn’t be, Marshall knowing more than he says, but the authors trust the reader to sit in the unknown for a while. That kind of patience is rare, and honestly, refreshing. The emotional beats hit hardest because they’re framed by that tension: the Keane parents’ terror when Zach goes missing, Ariel’s mix of resentment and fear, Akolo’s grief for his family, Marshall’s haunted loyalty to forces he doesn’t entirely understand. All of it builds toward that late-book shake of the earth, where the house itself moves as though waking up.
Servant doesn’t wrap everything up, but it feels like a middle chapter that knows exactly what it is. I’d recommend this book to readers who love supernatural fantasy with a human heart, people who enjoy stories about families surviving strange things, or anyone who likes time-slip mysteries tied to ancient cultures. If you want something atmospheric, character-driven, and a little eerie without tipping into horror, this one will hit the spot.
Pages: 262 | ASIN : B0FQ5ZGH1R
How Identity Survives
My Twelve-Year-Old Wife follows a desperate man searching for his missing wife, who has a twelve-year-old girl with his wife’s memories show up at his door, claiming to be her. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The initial spark came from a simple, unsettling question: What if the person you love most disappears… and then returns as a child, still believing they are your wife? That idea gripped me because it collides love, memory, morality, and time in a way that instantly creates emotional and ethical tension. I wasn’t interested in explaining it with heavy science fiction rules. I wanted to explore how far love stretches, where it breaks, and how identity survives when reality bends. The premise let me push a psychological and emotional boundary in a very human way.
Were you able to achieve everything you wanted with the characters in the novel?
For the most part, yes. Dan and Celia evolved as I wrote them. They stopped being just “characters” and started behaving like people with real trauma, confusion, loyalty, and fear. What surprised me most was how much restraint I actually had to show—what they don’t say or do often carries more power than what they do. There are still layers I’m continuing to explore more deeply in Book Two, but I feel I created honest, flawed, believable people in an impossible situation.
When you first sat down to write this story, did you know where you were going, or did the twists come as you were writing?
I had a few major anchor points in mind, but the story very much revealed itself as I wrote it. Certain scenes appeared suddenly in my head, sometimes late at night, and demanded to be written. The twists weren’t plotted on a board — they came from asking myself, “What is the most emotionally honest (and disturbing) thing that could happen next?” In many ways, the story surprised me while I was writing it.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
I’m in the middle of an intense release window and will be launching three books within the next several months. The first is My Twelve-Year-Old Wife 2: Erased Memories, which expands the timeline fracture and deepens the emotional and psychological consequences introduced in the first novel. The second is Memoirs of a Serial Killer: Book Two, continuing the disturbing and introspective descent of the series. The final release is a reimagined and expanded edition of Chloroform Wars, retitled Rhea’s Game — which was a runner-up at the Paris Book Festival — now featuring several additional chapters and a sharper focus on Rhea’s perspective within the dystopian world.
Together, the three books continue to explore identity, power, memory, and moral collapse in different but interconnected ways.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Amazon
By morning, a twelve-year-old girl stood on his porch — carrying his wife’s memories.
Finalist — 2025 American Writing Awards (Fiction, Psychological)
From Dan Uselton, author of Chloroform War — Runner-Up (Wild Card), Paris Book Festival
Updated Edition – November 2025: Revised timelines, refined pacing, and new author edits for the most immersive reading experience yet.
Dan Fox can’t explain it. The girl knows intimate details from his marriage—things no one else could possibly know. She remembers everything.
As Dan hunts for answers, he’s dragged into a twisting psychological nightmare where memory and identity fracture and:
A masked predator stalks them through shifting realities
Every revelation spirals into deeper deception
One impossible choice could erase the woman he loves forever
My Twelve-Year-Old Wife is a dark psychological thriller about grief, devotion, and the terrifying grip of the past. Fans of The Silent Patient, Verity, Gone Girl, and Behind Her Eyes will be hooked until the final page.
Layer of Tension
Born on Monday tells the story of two people with a shared history and whose lives are both scarred by heartbreak, who reunite under less than ideal circumstances. Where did the idea for this novel come from?
Born on Monday began as a short story called “Time Capsule,” which was published in my debut collection, 50 States. The original story was very much about how those who leave a place after high school are changed, whereas those who stay behind remain the same. Billy Stevens stays in Augusta, whereas the love of his life escapes to New York City. When I started exploring this aspect of the story —wondering whether they would ever reconcile their differences —it became increasingly clear that they would have to overcome a past mired in tragedy. More than that, they would have to face several present-day threats, including someone sinister who follows Jessica Michaud home. It was in discussing the progression of this story with a close friend that her real-life experiences and my own research into stalkers would inform much of the novel’s direction.
What do you find to be the most challenging aspect of writing a thriller?
For this thriller, it was very much a matter of who knew what and when they knew it. All the characters have different perspectives on their shared past, which not only dramatically shapes how they interact with each other but also how they perceive themselves. The same can be said for the reader, too. They inevitably know more than any one character, creating an additional layer of tension, but never know enough to predict the end. Born on Monday is very much a story with secrets within secrets, and the consequences of keeping them.
Do you have a favorite scene in this book? One that was especially satisfying to craft?
There were several, and the two that stand out for me may be among the most overlooked by readers. I very much enjoyed crafting the chapter where Billy and his current girlfriend, Autumn, reconcile their differences. It’s a tender, heartfelt moment amid the chaos surrounding them. The immediacy and intimacy of their reunion run deep. The second is Andrea’s visit to the Kennebec Journal. She meets with her boss and mentor to discuss the story she is working on, which also touches on what journalism means in a small town like Augusta. Having worked as a journalist, this chapter allowed me to rehash some old conversations with colleagues in a contemporary setting. More than that, it underscores why I was so thrilled that Andrea, who was initially meant to be a supporting character, grew to become such a strong protagonist.
What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?
My next work in progress (WIP) can best be described as a speculative thriller, blending and bending science, metaphysics, and something akin to the supernatural. It’s a continuation of the short story “Dead Ends” from 50 States. “Dead Ends” was one of the most called-out stories from the anthology and involves a young couple who take a reckless turn off a state highway in Utah and find themselves in a nightmarish government biohazard area. I’ve been relatively consistent in releasing a new book every other year, but I’m hoping to accelerate my pace so this novel is something readers can look forward to toward the end of 2026!
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
In Augusta, Maine, a historic nor’easter unearths sins and secrets buried deep in the town’s past. Billy Stevens, a quarry worker haunted by loss, is drawn into a web of betrayal when a brutal crime pins him as a suspect. Jessica Michaud returns to care for her ailing mother, only to find herself hunted by a vengeful ex whose chilling threats awaken old wounds. And journalist Andrea Kearney digs into a local dynasty’s corruption as the storm’s fury mirrors the rising tide of violence.
With time running out, three lives collide in a desperate fight for survival, where truth becomes a casualty and redemption comes at a cost. Eleven-time award-winning author Richard R. Becker delivers a gritty literary thriller that digs into identity, perception, and the human condition.
Born on Monday
Born on Monday tells the story of Billy Stevens and Jessica Michaud, two people tethered by shared history and unfinished feelings in the small town of Augusta, Maine. It’s a story about trauma, redemption, and how the past has a way of catching up even when we think we’ve buried it. The novel opens with a reunion that feels innocent at first, a meeting in a bar between ex-lovers, but it quickly widens into something much darker. Their lives, already scarred by heartbreak and regret, begin to tangle again through loss, addiction, and violence. Becker’s writing threads together memory and immediacy with quiet dread, pulling the reader through a story that feels both intimate and cinematic.
I couldn’t help but feel pulled under by Becker’s prose. It’s sharp but unpretentious. The way he writes about small towns feels dead-on, that claustrophobic mix of nostalgia and rot. His characters are flawed, all cracked open in ways that feel real, not performative. Billy’s grief feels worn and honest, and Jessica’s shame and self-doubt are haunting. I liked how Becker avoids grand speeches or easy answers. Every conversation carries an undercurrent, like everyone is speaking through layers of history. The pacing is deliberate, but it gives space for emotion to breathe. I found myself pausing often, not because the plot slowed, but because I needed to sit with the weight of what had just happened.
There’s something raw about the ideas Becker plays with, survival, masculinity, and cycles of trauma. Some scenes hit harder than I expected. The quiet domestic pain, the strange kindness between people who are barely holding on, the way memories echo through time. Becker writes people who keep trying, even when they shouldn’t. The story feels true in a way that most “redemption arcs” don’t.
By the end, I wasn’t sure if I felt heartbroken or hopeful. Maybe both. Born on Monday isn’t for readers who want neat resolutions or tidy morals. It’s for those who don’t mind sitting in the mess, who understand that healing isn’t about closure, it’s about survival. I’d recommend it to anyone who likes character-driven fiction that deals with real scars, not storybook wounds. Fans of small-town dramas like Sharp Objects or Winter’s Bone will find something familiar here, but Becker’s voice is his own.
Pages: 352 | ASIN : B0FSSN8XXZ
