I'm thrilled that Her Name Is Mommy is to be the selected book in July. I'll be answering any questions here or on the Wings Yahoo readers group. Here's a bit of a teaser:

At Christmastime, Chicago PI Mike Shepherd spots a child silently crying on an otherwise empty mall bench. Mike and his fiancé try to help four-year-old Madison. He alerts mall security about the lost child and a surveillance tape reveals one hour earlier a man had kidnapped Madison’s mother.

Mike takes on the task of delivering the ransom, battling deadlines, kidnappers, bureaucrats and even the FBI. Mike must rescue the woman in spite of dealing with a disgruntled federal officer bent upon proving he can handle the case without the help of a lowly private investigator.

J D Webb

What am I working on?

Since the question was asked, I'm working on finishing a suspense novel called The Smudge. The tag line is - A small-town paralegal goes to her ATM machine one nasty night and wipes a smudge off the screen. It's blood. Then she hears a moan.

Trisha Morgan is threatened by a murderer to return a DVD of a hit on a Chicago mobster. That video was thrust into Trish's purse by a dying FBI agent and the killer wants it back. Should Trish go to the police when the killer knows who she is and where she works and lives? He's warned her not to involve the police. And what does Trish's husband know about this?
J. D. Webb

Incredible News -- The EPPIE Finalists

Four Wings authors are EPPIE finalists for 2007:

Mystery Category -- Moon Over Chicago
by J. D. Webb

Historical Romance Category -- By the Sword
by Alison Stuart

Single Title/Mainstream -- And the Truth Will Set You Free
by Linda Rettstatt

Science Fiction/Futuristic Romance -- Devil's Due
by Rhobin Courtright

Well, great news. My third novel is out tomorrow. Her Name Is Mommy is a continuation of the story of Chicago PI Mike Shepherd. This time he's trying to save the life of a little girl's mommy who was kidnapped in broad daylight from a busy shopping mall at Christmas time. And, as usual, he gets into trouble. First he's not too thrilled with the FBI agent in charge of the case, then he takes the place of the victim's husband to deliver a ransom. Of course, things go wrong and he's captured by the kidnappers -made up of a family who thinks going on a crime spree is fun. There are many twists and turns and you won't believe the ending.
Here's a wonderful review by Michael Murphy. By the way he is an awesome writer and his books should be on your to be read list.

In the tradition of Mickey Spillane, J. D. Webb crafts another taught thriller that brings back tough guy private investigator, Mike Shepherd. Her Name Is Mommy is a thrill ride that will keep breathless readers guessing through a maze of plot twists.

Grateful when a Christmas shopping trip with girlfriend Diana Barton is interrupted by a kidnapping at a shopping mall, Shepherd, hero of Webb’s novel Shepherd’s Pie, takes charge. The wife of a wealthy Chicago contractor has been kidnapped, leaving behind four-year-old Madison. Mall security, police, and the FBI offer far less than the hard-boiled detective. Shepherd offers to switch places with the kidnapped woman’s husband and delivers three million dollars in diamonds to a bold gang of kidnappers led by desperate ex-con Bryan Bisch.

Bisch’s motives go beyond the millions in ransom money. Blaming the contractor for the arrest that led to his imprisonment, Bisch intends to kill the contractor and the hostage. Only one man stands in the way of his well-planned perfect crime, Mike Shepherd.

Aided by the resourcefulness of the brave hostage, Shepherd seizes an opportunity. In an old-fashioned suspenseful shootout, he frees the hostage, but a final twist nearly ends Shepherd’s life.

The end will leave the reader wanting more Mike Shepherd novels. Here’s hoping that J. D. Webb doesn’t make us wait too long.

Michael Murphy
Class of ‘68
Cold File
www.mjmurphy.com

Pick up a copy and enjoy. As always I do not include graphic violence, sex or offensive language in any of my stories. Drop me a line. I'd love to hear from you.
Dave

www.jdwebb.com
Shepherd’s Pie (Golden Wings Award winner)
Moon Over Chicago (Now available)
Her Name Is Mommy (Dec 2007)
The Smudge (coming soon)

J. D. Webb
will conduct a lecture on writing and publishing at the Decatur Public Library in Decatur, IL, on Sunday, October 8, from 1:30 - 3:30 P.M. Sponsored by The Friends of the Decatur Public Library , the program is free and open to the public.

Mr. Webb will discuss new trends in the electronic publishing field. A question and answer session with the audience will follow. His first book, Shepherd's Pie, was published October 1, 2006. His second novel, Moon Over Chicago, is scheduled for publication in March 2007 and the sequel to his first book is titled Her Name Is Mommy and will be out in December 2007

For more information about this author, go to the following web site: www.jdwebb.com.

Marie asked what everyone is working on. Well, here goes. I'm about 1/3 of the way through my newest book, Her Name Is Mommy.
Chicago Detective Mike Shepherd sits on a bench in a mall waiting for his fiance to finish Christmas shopping. Across from him a small tot sits next to a pile of packages searching the passersby for a familiar face. No one comes and for 15 minutes he watches, leary of speaking to her by himself. When his girlfirend returns, he convinces her to go with him to see if the child is okay.
They talk to Erin and find out she's four years old. When they ask her what her mother's name is she replies, "her name is mommy." Mike subsequently learns a woman has been kidnapped from the mall and the child was left behind. Now his quest is to reunite the mommy with her daughter.

The first chapter is on my website www.jdwebb.com, along with some other stuff you're welcome to read.
J D Webb

We all stare at the TV screen and our hearts melt at the scenes from the gulf. Just sending a contribution seems so feeble. All who live in that area or have loved ones there please know that prayers are being lifted for you. One thing I know is that this country will come through for you. When it comes to providing a helping hand, there is none better than the USA. God bless you all.

I join you in the prayers for the folks on the gulf coast that have had their world decimated. Kind of puts my day in proper prospective. Here's how it went:
Yesterday was a Stephen King kind of day.
While cooking supper Sunday night I noticed two yellow and black-striped insects buzzing my kitchen light. I batted them with my trusty flyswatter (two home runs) and continued with the grilled-cheese sandwiches. Then another insect buzzed me. I was leading 3 to 0. I decided to investigate the source of entry of my guests. In the adjoining room I discovered a batch of uninvited yellow jackets and I began to beat their little bodies against the wall calmly, okay not calmly, calling for my wife to locate the RAID. It was lost for some time but eventually we were able to spray the buggers dead and redecorate a portion of the white stucco walls with unattractive pecan colored spots. I was able to putty the entry hole and stem the tide of angry beasts, only suffering 4 puffy redmarks on parts of my body. I won the game 79 to 4 and never did get my %$*&%# grilled-cheese.
In my family this type of happening is referred to as 'Webb Luck'.

Mystery Author J D Webb, www.jdwebb.com
Shepherd's Pie Nov 2006, Moon Over Chicago Mar 2007
published by Wings-press, Inc

In the last two years I've lost a hard drive and then a motherboard. We (my guru geek and I) recovered most of my work on the hard drive, but the motherboard lost everything. I ended up redoing a mega bunch of files and addresses, etc. An electrical storm fried my motherboard but now I have a backup battery to prevent that from happening again. I dearly wanted to bury my precious board out under the river birch with my two parakeets and one guinea pig who rest in peace there, only bothered by an occasional lawn mowing. I succumbed to the environmental side of my brain screaming about what the nasty components would do the ground water.
I sympathize with all who have gone through the blue-screen-hell or the "can not reboot" message. My wife wants to sew the keyboard to my shirt so when I sit down, I will be ready to log on much more easily. Doesn't she realize that the way I spill food and drink during meals it would ruin my prized possession? Yes she does.

Hi all. Back from my writer's workshop. What a fantastic time I had. Not only did I get autographs on books from William Kent Krueger and Jeffery Deaver, but I actually got to talk to them at length. Okay for about a half hour total and some of it was dangling behind someone else's shoulder but I did manage a couple of spine-tingling comments like, "Wow" or "So cool." You get the picture.
In reality I was able to receive a one-on-one critique from W K Krueger, a real favorite of mine, and he ENJOYED MY STORY and LOVED MY TITLE. Even the side citicisms were gentle and I hope I didn't slobber on him. I can't remember. The most exciting thing is that he is going to do a blurb for Shepherd's Pie, my book coming out in Nov. ARRRGGGGHHHHH.
Now that my heart is back in the correct ventricle I need to get on with finishing my next book.
First I must repel from my ceiling position and settle down into my chair.

What a great day today! Had a rain last night and the heat spell is broken. Just dropped in to say hi on my way to a writer's workshop in Indiana for three days. Will check back next week. I'm anxious to meet two of my favorite authors, William Kent Krueger and Jeffery Deaver. Sweaty palms already. Going to miss my wife and my dog. Wife won't let me send pictures but my dog will. LOL
Dave

My first published book will be Shepherd's Pie Nov 2006 with Wings. Mike Shepherd is a Chicago private detective winging (pun intended) his way down the Eden's Expressway to an important date with his long time girl friend, Diana Barton. They have been at odds over his occupation. He likes it and she hates it. He could be doing something more worthwhile than chasing criminals. So he makes a date and wears his only suit to make amends for all the times he has missed a date or stood her up to earn his meager living. The suit is a gallant gesture because he always wears jeans. To dress up he wears a sport coat with his jeans.
Unfortunately he spots fugitive Ferlin Husky Lewis (his father was a big country music fan) tooling down the same Eden's Expressway. Mike decides to chase him for the $3,000 bounty and, as luck would have it, Mike's cell phone has not been properly charged so he can't tell Diana that he will again be late or a no show.
Mike gets shot at, ruins his suit and loses Ferlin and when he goes to Diana's apartment she's so upset she decides to break off their relationship. To make matters even worse, Ferlin who was sent to jail when Mike captured him seven years ago now becomes incensed that Mike is again chasing him, that he goes on a killing rampage stalking Mike and Diana.
go to www.jdwebb.com to read the first chapter. Let me know what you think.

Moon Over Chicago. Hello to everyone. J D Webb (Dave) here and ready to talk about my newest release from Wings sked for Mar 2007. This book has as its main character Fulton Moon (Yes, nicknamed Full Moon) who is a cobbler by trade in Chicago. His shop called Moonshines, located in a less than upscale area, is a gathering place for homeless and indigent neighbors. Fulton tries to help them out whenever they get into trouble. This time he gets in way over his head . Beautiful and sinister Lucinda Mathews is trying to escape an abusive husband and before Fulton knows it, he's involved in a kidnapping, muggings and even murder. Fulton, devoutly Caucasian, is ably assisted by his surrogate father Benjamine Franklikn Washington, proudly African-American, who dispenses advice that is not always heeded.
The old saying write about something you know is in play here as I owned a shoe repair business for 12 years. I thought it would a different slant to have a cobbler as a amateur detective. I invite everyone to visit my website and read the first chapter of my book. www.jdwebb.com Then come back and ask any questions or make comments about it. I'll answer.