Local author R. L. Anderson has released another book in his Will Nickerson mystery series.

 (You may remember Anderson's earlier work, which has been mentioned on this blog: Concord author borrows from Lake County locations for fictional work [April 17, 2012] and Will Nickerson mystery series gets update [April 29, 2013].)

The latest is "Let's Make it a Merry Christmas," which actually draws inspiration from The News-Herald. Anderson writes:

A couple of years ago, Jim Collins had an editorial about what he called "Christmas Cliches," all the tearjerker Christmas movies that come on TV every year. It was a great editorial and it got me to thinking–yes, those things really are pretty sad, and so are most Christmas related books. So–I came up with the idea–why not write a Christmastime story that's not sad? But what to write about? One of my pet peeves gave me the idea. That is, hearing Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. It's in all the ads and it makes me want to throw the TV or radio out the window! So–I got to work on the idea and Let's Make It Merry Christmas was the result. I decided to do it as a part of the Will Nickerson Mysteries, with many of my existing characters in my fictional small town of New Oslo, North Dakota telling the story. 

The scenario is that Dakota Ranch Park is turning its annual Christmas festival into a generic Winter Holidays event with no references to Christmas. Nativity scenes, caroling, Christmas trees–all gone. Even Santa is getting the boot, displaced by a silly character in a polar bear suit. A group of disgruntled volunteers walk away, vowing to hold their own Christmas festival to restore all of our cherished Christmas traditions to this North Dakota community. But–just as the Official Sakakawea County, North Dakota Christmas Festival Committee gears into action, a mysterious saboteur pops up at every step of the way, threatening to wreck it all. Can amateur detective Will Nickerson get to the bottom of it in time to save Christmas In New Oslo?

Let's Make It Merry Christmas is a very light mystery–without a murder this time, as it's Christmas and I wanted to keep it free of violence and death. The language is clean and it will make the reader laugh at times and maybe groan now and then at the occasional excursion into the corny. But it won't make you cry. Lose that handkerchief! You won't need it.

Anderson's book is available in paperback and Kindle editions from Amazon, as well as on Nook and Kobo.

About a year ago in this space, I published some information about local author R.L. Anderson's Will Nickerson mystery series. Anderson recently contacted me again to let me know he has a third novel published in the series, and all three parts of the series are now available for Amazon Kindle, Nook and in print.

Anderson writes:

I now have a third novel published, titled Viking It Is, which is set in a small Scandinavian community in North Dakota and also features Will Nickerson, plus many of the other main characters who appeared in the first two.
...
All three are "whodunits" with rural/small town settings and feature Will Nickerson, a small town merchant turned amateur detective, who lives in the fictional community of New Oslo, North Dakota.  As noted previously, Lake Metroparks and the Holden Arboretum inspired the settings for the first two.  Viking It Is focuses more on the town of New Oslo itself, with its Scandinavian heritage (I am half Swedish myself, so I can relate very well to the Swedish and Norwegian cultures which come out in this and my other stories).  In this third installment of my series, an obnoxious and enigmatic stranger comes to town and promptly vanishes without a trace.  Is it murder--or what?  It's up to Will and his fellow townsfolk, plus a host of equally enigmatic visitors staying at the New Oslo Motel to find the answer.  As with Ranch Park and It's A Place For Trees, I've packed a lot of twists and turns, subplots, surprises, plus the occasional shock, into the story, to keep the reader guessing till the very end--just whodunit.  

If you're interested in purchasing any of his books in any of the formats:

Ranch Park: A Will Nickerson Mystery (Will Nickerson Mysteries) (Volume 1)	Paperback	Kindle	Nook
It's A Place For Trees: A Will Nickerson Mystery (Will Nickerson Mysteries) (Volume 2)	Paperback	Kindle	Nook
Viking It Is: A Will Nickerson Mystery (Will Nickerson Mysteries) (Volume 3)	Paperback	Kindle	Nook

-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

R.L. Anderson Jr. is a resident of Concord Township who grew up in Lake County.  The self-employed small businessman is working on his Will Nickerson Mysteries series, which he recently emailed me about.

Anderson writes:

My first novel, Ranch Park, is set at a fictional theme park that has some similarities to Lake Metroparks Farmpark, but I have located it near a fictional town that I call New Oslo, North Dakota. I chose North Dakota because I had a ranch there for awhile and know that state very well and wanted to write a novel with a North Dakota setting. My second novel, It's A Place For Trees, takes place at a fictional arboretum that has a few similarities to both Holden and Penitentiary Glen, but I've located it in my dad's home state of Pennsylvania, also near a fictional town. I have a third novel in the works. All feature Will Nickerson, a small town businessman turned amateur detective. They are light and easy reading mysteries, with a touch of very light and playful romance woven in, along with lots of action, suspense and surprise, and, although I have adult readers in mind, the language is 100% clean.

Check out R.L. Anderson's author page on Amazon for more information on the author and his books. From there -- and for just $6 -- you can get the Kindle edition of both of his books (or, borrow them for free through the Kindle Owners' Lending Library). Anderson also said he occasionally offers free promos.

Another author I previously profiled: Annmarie Cleversey, who used Painesville and Morley Library as inspiration for her Hailey Hanson Mysteries.

Are you an author in the area or one who has taken inspiration from the beauty of Lake and Geauga counties? Drop me a line so I can share your work with my blog's readers.


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl