Rothman's Quarterly Update Q1 2024

Rothman’s Quarterly Update Q1 2024

Hi everyone,

I feel guilty, since I don’t reach out nearly as much as I should. That’s my failing, and I apologize. I do however try to keep up with e-mail and have responded to many of you who have sent questions.

Let’s get cracking and talk about what’s happened in the last Lord-knows-how-long…
New Alicia Yoder novels!

The first two Alicia Yoder novels are out and she’s causing quite the ruckus… I should let you know that we’re currently working on book 3, to be released in March of this year. It has also been released in German and French.

Here’s a tease for Book 1:
“New Arcadia: Where Memory and Deception Blur”

In a genre-defying techno-thriller that’s capturing hearts and minds, Kirkus Reviews hails the story’s intriguing hero as a potential game-changer.

Dissociative amnesia is Alicia Yoder’s unwelcome companion, shrouding her past in a fog of uncertainty. Once a brilliant neuroscience graduate student, she now finds herself embroiled in the murky depths of a secret government organization. Promised that her memory loss is but a temporary shadow, Alicia soldiers on, determined to complete her training.

But when a seemingly routine diplomatic mission leads her to the de facto US Embassy in Taiwan, Alicia is thrust into a world where secrets become weapons and trust is a luxury. An emergency meeting propels her into a role she never anticipated, one far removed from the realm of diplomacy. With suspense that’ll leave you breathless and a plot that has the New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson raving, “You won’t be disappointed,” Alicia’s journey through the labyrinth of her forgotten past is a rollercoaster of suspense, intrigue, and revelation.

In “New Arcadia,” the line between memory and deception blurs, and Alicia must overcome the mysteries of her past to survive a future defined by forces beyond her control. Get ready for a thrill ride that’ll keep you guessing until the very end.

New languages coming!

I’m already being published in English, German, French, and Spanish, and in 2024 we should see Italian and Japanese added to the list of translated languages.

Japanese has been an interesting adventure, especially since so much of that is different than what I’m used to. Imagine vertical text inside the book. Oh, and imagine that the book opens from left-to-right.

Here’s a sample of the full cover for Darwin’s Cipher (pretty neat, eh?):

3. Brand new release in Spanish:

The first book in the Levi Yoder series was just released to the Spanish-reading world. (Notice how the “front” of the cover differs from where the front is in the Japanese book.)

4. What’s being worked on:

Like I said in #1, I’m actively working on book 3 of the Alicia Yoder series, but immediately afterwards, book 2 of Time Trials will be on my plate, and I’ll be putting out the final book on the Plainswalker series by June of this year.

Almost certainly, book 5 in the Levi Yoder series will be on my to do list, hopefully being released in time for the 2024 holiday season.

That’s about all the things I’m sure of for this year. All things being equal, it’s going to be a busy year.

And yes, I have plans on book 3 of the Exodus (Primordial Threat) series, but that will be delayed into 2025, I’m only human–maybe.

I will note that it’s interesting to me how some things are being worked on in what might seem like a bizarre order of operations. For instance, I already have the title and cover art for book 4 of the Alicia Yoder series, which isn’t even up for pre-order, and won’t be until we solidify the schedule–that’s almost definitely going to be 2025, but you never know–my coauthor might go crazy and push harder than I expect.

Want to take a peek at the cover? Okay, fine… twist my arm.

Something different that some of you might enjoy…

A friend of mine, who is a very successful author in his own right, is releasing a new novel that hits my funny bone. Many of you might know that I’m a foodie of sorts, so you’ll understand why the premise of this amused me. If it sounds like something you’d be interested in, then I can recommend this author, since I know him personally.

Description:

Cooking with Disaster an apocalyptic humor trilogy! It follows Eli ‘Nacho’ Naches, an assassin who gets a second chance at trying to survive the apocalypse. Having lived through the end of the world once, this time he knows what is truly needed for people to survive in a world where everything is hungry: food.

Choosing a chef class, he sets out to save the people that died the first time around, and vows to make their future delicious.

Dad joke(s) and funny observations of the day…

Me: “So when do I receive my shark?”
Loan shark: “What?”

In a dark alley, Mr. Clean and the Scrubbing Bubble eyeball their next victim… but this was no ordinary opponent.

I’ve gotten quite good at ventriloquism.

Scared the hell out of my proctologist.

Last but not least…

It’s well known that most vampires come from Europe, and I always wondered why.

Well, I began thinking about it, and we know that vampires are supposed to be hurt by holy water. I wondered if priests could say prayers over every storm cloud and kill the vampires.

I realized it must be possible, because there really weren’t any reports of them in Africa.

Why must it work, you ask?

Well, someone already blessed the rains down in Africa.