Steven Ramirez

Steven Ramirez

The Darkness Trilogy Box Set and More

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HALLOWEEN CAN’T COME TOO SOON

The Darkness Trilogy Ebook Cover

Greetings. If you like supernatural horror, check out my new Sarah Greene box set. “The Darkness Trilogy†includes Sarah Greene Mysteries Books 1–3. The regular price is $11.99. But for a limited time, you can pick it up for a cool $4.99. That’s a 40 percent savings.

Book Description

For Sarah, The Darkness is real. And it knows her name.

Sarah Greene is a successful realtor who sees ghosts–and sometimes wishes she didn’t. While renovating an old house with her ex-husband, she finds a mirror haunted by a teenager’s tortured spirit. But, as she sets out to discover the victim’s identity, Sarah stumbles onto something even more chilling. An insidious evil known as The Darkness is infesting the town of Dos Santos.

Things escalate with a series of disturbing accidents at a women’s shelter. The horrific events center on a recent arrival—a young Guatemalan woman who might be possessed. Meanwhile, the streets are plagued by a wave of senseless violence at the hands of soulless strangers. Despite the danger, Sarah decides to use her psychic ability to stop The Darkness from destroying the town.

Box Set Contents

The Girl in the Mirror
House of the Shrieking Woman
The Blood She Wore

Amazon Deals

And there’s more. Check out these Mystery & Thriller, Paranormal, and Urban Fantasy deals over at Amazon. But hurry. This promo ends September 30, 2021.

Leading Ladies of Fantasy

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Three Things I Learned from Movie Adaptations

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Here’s a guest post I did over at the Kill Zone. Writing an original screenplay is hard enough. But adapting one from a novella is a whole new kind of crazy. Read an excerpt here.

Moviegoers

Recently, I took a break from writing fiction to focus on screenwriting. Currently, I’m adapting my latest novella, Brandon’s Last Words, as a feature screenplay.

If you’re wondering why anyone in their right mind would take on something like this, it’s simple—I live in LA. Trust me, you can’t swing a dead cat at Starbucks without hitting a screenwriter huddled at a corner table, determined to crank out the next Black Widow.

Okay, that’s partly it. The other reason is, I wanted to see if I could do it.

The novella is a prequel to a new thriller series. It takes place in the same universe as another of my series—only this time, with new characters. For those who have written a screenplay, you already know you need a log line. Here’s what I originally wrote for the novella:

Brandon Wheegar has just joined a secretive government-funded lab as a security guard. Why did no one warn him about the murderous test subjects?

That’s not bad. The question is, does it work for a movie? We’ll see. Of course, there’s plenty of other stuff to worry about. For this post, I’ll focus on three lessons learned.

The Beats, They Are Different

Girl Drummer

As fiction writers, we are keenly aware of story beats. They’re hammered into us starting in the womb. I’m tempted to joke that our friend James Scott Bell has beat that concept to death, but it would be low-hanging fruit, so.

The point is, screenplays need beats, too. But these are different and immutable. And without them, you effectively have something that is not a screenplay.

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September 2021 Highlights and Bob Ross

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2021 Boat on Lake

Greetings. Wherever you are in the world, I hope you and those you love are safe. So far, 2021 has been a rollercoaster, hasn’t it? But amid the chaos of extreme weather, there are some bright spots. Recently in the UK, a photographer spotted a couple in the middle of a marriage proposal. Instead of minding his own business, he decided to take a series of photos that turned out to be stunning. You can check out the story here.

Killers DVD

Speaking of screenplays, my wife and I found this while going through some old boxes. I wrote Killers for the boys at The Asylum in the late nineties. Of all the things I’ve done, working with these gentlemen is still the best experience of my professional life. Thanks, fellas.

And now, on to less sentimental topics…

Book News

Last time, I mentioned I was writing a screenplay. Well, I finished it. Yay, me. Now, to the real work of making the thing not suck. For those who have never tried it, screenwriting is the hardest writing there is. In fiction, you’re advised to kill your darlings. Screenplays are different. You pretty much have to take out the whole family. Never mind. When I’m finished, it’ll read like “buttah.†At least, that’s what my muse told me.

The Darkness Trilogy Ebook Cover

I’ve got one other piece of news. I finally published Sarah Greene Mysteries Books 1–3 as a box set called The Darkness Trilogy. If you’re new to this series and enjoy supernatural horror, be sure to check it out.

Recommended Reading

Constance Cover

What happens when you combine a sci-fi thriller with human cloning? You get Constance by Matthew Fitzsimmons. This book had me from the opening pages and didn’t let go. It’s fast and smart, with enough bad guys to satisfy your dark side. You can read my review here.

Book Blurb

A breakthrough in human cloning becomes one woman’s waking nightmare in a mind-bending thriller by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Gibson Vaughn series.

Where to Buy

Amazon
Barnes & Noble

Recommended Viewing

Bob Ross Poster

How many of you remember this guy? I do. And now, there’s a film on the tragedy behind the kind face and mellow voice. If you’re a Netflix subscriber, be sure to stream this outstanding documentary. Even after his death, he continues to inspire.

Logline. Bob Ross brought joy to millions as the world’s most famous art instructor. But a battle for his business empire cast a shadow over his happy trees.

Okay, that’s a wrap. See you next month when I begin my candy-eating training in advance of Halloween. Peace and love.

Book Review—Constance

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Constance Cover

My introduction to the story of a person attempting to solve their own murder came when I saw the outstanding 1949 noir classic D.O.A., starring Edmond O’Brien. The idea of a character hunting their killer is powerful. And when you wrap it in a sci-fi thriller about human clones, it sings.

In Constance by Matthew Fitzsimmons, human cloning exists, although it comes with a few glitches. In classic whodunnit form, Con D’Arcy’s clone awakens because her original is dead. That’s the rule. And like the first Constance, she’s independent and fearless. Despite missing eighteen months of memories, she goes in search of answers. Besides the excellent writing, it’s the research that makes this novel enjoyable. The world-building is solid and believable. And the questions cloning raises are numerous and troubling.

There was one idea that stood out for me. If a person commits murder, can their clone be held responsible after the original dies? That, my friends, would make for some interesting dinner conversation. And here’s another one. Should clones enjoy the same rights as their originals? Are they even people?

If you love well-researched thrillers where, at times, the bad guys outnumber the good, then I suggest you grab Constance. And when you’ve finished reading it, ask yourself one question. Do I want to live forever?

Book Description

A breakthrough in human cloning becomes one woman’s waking nightmare in a mind-bending thriller by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Gibson Vaughn series.

In the near future, advances in medicine and quantum computing make human cloning a reality. For the wealthy, cheating death is the ultimate luxury. To anticloning militants, it’s an abomination against nature. For young Constance “Con†D’Arcy, who was gifted her own clone by her late aunt, it’s terrifying.

After a routine monthly upload of her consciousness—stored for that inevitable transition—something goes wrong. When Con wakes up in the clinic, it’s eighteen months later. Her recent memories are missing. Her original, she’s told, is dead. If that’s true, what does that make her?

The secrets of Con’s disorienting new life are buried deep. So are those of how and why she died. To uncover the truth, Con is retracing the last days she can recall, crossing paths with a detective who’s just as curious. On the run, she needs someone she can trust. Because only one thing has become clear: Con is being marked for murder—all over again.

Where to Buy

Amazon
Barnes & Noble

More Reviews

Did you enjoy this review? Check out my other reviews here. And don’t forget to follow me at BookBub.

August 2021 Highlights and Screenplay News

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August 2021

Greetings. I hope you’re enjoying your summer. Me, I’ve been doing house-related stuff, including hanging a hummingbird feeder for my daughters. So far, no birds, though. I’m told they like the color red. Maybe if I dangle some Christmas ribbon?

By the way, did you know hummingbirds are the only birds who can fly backward? Also, they have no sense of smell.

Screenplay News

You heard right. I’ve taken a break from writing novels to focus on a feature screenplay. It’s a sci-fi thriller based in the present starring a hapless security guard named Brandon. For now, I’ll just say that it’s a pretty wild ride.

After polishing the script, I plan to send it around to see if there’s any interest. I’ll keep you posted on my progress. Keep in mind that everyone in LA is writing a screenplay. So, I don’t expect this to be an easy slog. Keep a good thought for me.

Books to Enjoy

And now for something completely different. Check out these thrillers—all yours for the taking. But hurry. This promotion ends on August 15, 2021.

A Mystery-Filled Summer

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Recommended Viewing

Revolt Poster

If you’re a Netflix subscriber and enjoy sci-fi thrillers, check out ‘Revolt,’ starring Lee Pace. You might remember this actor from the outstanding drama series ‘Halt and Catch Fire.’

Logline. In the war-ravaged Kenyan countryside, a U.S. soldier and a French foreign aid worker team up to survive an alien onslaught.

Okay, that’s a wrap. See you next month when I attempt to learn how baseball works. See you on the first down line. Peace and love.

Faithless Summer Sale—July 22-28

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YOUR NEXT THRILLER IS WAITING

[Faithless Ebook Cover]

Today through July 28, you can grab Faithless and save a cool five bucks. Come on. That will buy you a Venti Caramel Macchiato at Starbucks. With change to spare. So, what are you waiting for?

Book Description

It all began in a strange, dark place. When I woke up, I was alone. Immersed in a tank with wires and tubes. The other test subjects are goners—drowned in black water.

My only memory is dying from my wounds during a night raid in Afghanistan. Something brought me back. When I opened my eyes, I was uninjured. Crazy, right?

Men in gray suits are after me. If they shoot me, I heal. How is that possible? I need to find out who these men are and why they want to end me.

Oh yeah, almost forgot. There’s this fever—I get it bad. And without the experimental drug I was on, I’ll flame out.

My name is Jane. And I will stop them.

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