A Life Through Books

Date Published: 06-06-2023

Publisher: KCIN Entertainment Group, LLC

Books 1 & 2 (Book 3 releases September 8, 2026.)

The Dark Waters series follows the rise and fall of one of Philadelphia's most powerful families.

Judge Keenan Waters and his family have spent decades building a legacy of power, influence, and respect. But behind the perfect public image lie buried secrets, betrayal, and deadly consequences that threaten to destroy everything they've built.

As loyalties are tested and relationships crumble, the Waters family is pushed closer to the edge of ruin. With shocking twists and intense family drama, the Dark Waters series keeps the readers turning pages until the very end.

Perfect for fans of Black & African American Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Fiction, the first two books are available now, with the shocking conclusion, Dark Waters 3, arriving September 8, 2026.

 

Interview

Is There a Message in Your Novel That You Want Readers to Grasp?

The message I want readers to grasp is that not everything is what it seems. No matter how wonderful it may appear, nothing is perfect, and I think the Waters Family proves that all too well in my new book.

 

 

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

With the Dark Waters Series, what I found challenging was bringing all five characters within the family stories together without losing the reader. Dark Waters was originally written as a screenplay for a streaming series and later adapted into a book. Making sure all the stories from the script were heard, but in a different format, was the most challenging.

 

 

How many books have you written and which is your favorite?

I’ve written seven books so far. I can honestly say I don’t have a favorite book, story, or character. I love them all equally.

 

 

If You had the chance to cast your main character from Hollywood today, who would you pick and why?

If I had the chance to cast my main character from Hollywood, I would probably choose Ernie Hudson. He was my original inspiration for one of the main characters in my new book. I feel as if his presence is so strong that I could always create a story around him.

 

When did you begin writing?

I began writing as a teenager, taking it seriously around 2008. 

 

How long did it take to complete your first book?

It took about nine months to write it, and around a year and a half to edit it.

 

 

Did you have an author who inspired you to become a writer?

I used to be really drawn to the big-name, traditionally published authors, which I still love, but I am inspired by any writer who can tell a really good story. That’s where I draw inspiration from.

 

 

What is your favorite part of the writing process?

My favorite part would be creating chapters. I love opening a chapter and letting it blossom into a story, then closing it with a nice, neat bow before I head to the next one.

 

 

Describe your latest book in 4 words.

Drama, deceit, lies, murder

 

Can you share a little bit about your current work or what is in the future for your writing?

I just wrapped the Dark Waters series. It was a three-book series I started writing in 2022. Book 1 was released in 2023. I skipped a year and released Book 2 in 2025, and now the final installment, Book 3, is dropping this September.

 

I start working on my new book in the fall. It will be a completely different read from Dark Waters.

 

 

 

 About the Author

Nick Haskins is the author of the Dark Waters series, as well as novels She's Obsessed, Betrayed, My Husband's Wife, and On the Edge of Heat.

Known for his suspenseful storytelling and unforgettable characters, Haskins has spent more than a decade building a catalog of contemporary drama and suspense that has attracted readers across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

Born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, where he still resides, Haskins began his publishing career in 2011 and has remained committed to independently producing professional, reader-focused books. In addition to writing novels, he is creating film and visual media projects based on his work.

Haskins continues to connect with readers while developing new stories to expand his publishing catalog.

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Purchase Link

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Date Published: 06-06-2023

Publisher: KCIN Entertainment Group, LLC

Books 1 & 2 (Book 3 releases September 8, 2026.)

The Dark Waters series follows the rise and fall of one of Philadelphia's most powerful families.

Judge Keenan Waters and his family have spent decades building a legacy of power, influence, and respect. But behind the perfect public image lie buried secrets, betrayal, and deadly consequences that threaten to destroy everything they've built.

As loyalties are tested and relationships crumble, the Waters family is pushed closer to the edge of ruin. With shocking twists and intense family drama, the Dark Waters series keeps the readers turning pages until the very end.

Perfect for fans of Black & African American Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Fiction, the first two books are available now, with the shocking conclusion, Dark Waters 3, arriving September 8, 2026.

 

 About the Author

Nick Haskins is the author of the Dark Waters series, as well as novels She's Obsessed, Betrayed, My Husband's Wife, and On the Edge of Heat.

Known for his suspenseful storytelling and unforgettable characters, Haskins has spent more than a decade building a catalog of contemporary drama and suspense that has attracted readers across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

Born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, where he still resides, Haskins began his publishing career in 2011 and has remained committed to independently producing professional, reader-focused books. In addition to writing novels, he is creating film and visual media projects based on his work.

Haskins continues to connect with readers while developing new stories to expand his publishing catalog.

Contact Links

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Instagram

Purchase Link

Amazon

Crime Thriller / Suspense

Date Published: 09-07-2026

Publisher: Mission Point Press

Prey animals are taken down by predators. It’s as if prey animals are made to be food. 

Carnivore predators possess razor-sharp canine-like teeth. Carnivores are the watchers from the shadows. All of them, such as lions, tigers, bobcats, and wolves, are wired the same way. They don’t eat lettuce for lunch. To a carnivore, you simply look like another rabbit in the grass. 

There’s another carnivore that is often overlooked – humans. Humans have canine teeth. They are born wired with the same instincts as the alpha predators. 

We’re taught to control it. Supposedly. 

Birds will tell you when the sun is going to come up. At the faintest glimmer of dawn's early light, they begin to converse with each other, presumably to find out where the bugs are that day. Usually, we don't hear them in their earliness. Our day starts later. Usually. 

Frogs and insects do the same during the pre-dawn moments, buzzing and croaking in the woods, fields, and swamps. Presumably they do this to find out where the predators are. It's been said that frogs might be telling each other where the rattlesnakes and blue herons are at any given time. We don't usually hear them croaking away in the early hours of the day. Usually. 

Today, however, as the woods came to life with this early morning serenade, Jim Peters could hear them very clearly. It was August of 1990. He was in his cabin in mid-Michigan, situated on the edge of a quiet, deep-woods nature refuge known as Turtle Lake. Peters was lyingin bed backwards, that is, with his feet at the head of the bed and his head at the foot of the bed, chin resting on his wrists as he looked at a model train set. 

The train set, an ancient Lionel from the 1940s, included buildings, roads, bridges, cars, trucks, a shopping center, and a train running through it. The set looked ordinary enough to the casual passerby or rare visitor to the cabin. But in fact, it was window dressing, a model of the crime scene that was to come. The train had nothing to do with it. 

In a short while, when the birds, frogs, and bugs had quieted down, Peters would push a button and Mozart's opera The Magic Flute would float from the speakers connected to his compact disc machine. Peters liked Mozart. The music was pure and uncluttered. It flowed from one section into another so smoothly that it was hard to tell a transition had taken place. The complexities of its composition flowed as smoothly as pouring oil. 

As smoothly as the diabolical scam he was planning.

About the Author

Bob’s extraordinary musical abilities were the subject of numerous brain studies, which have inspired a popular RadioLab podcast.

Little did they know that Bob was also a talented writer.

For years he wrote articles about his saloon-playing days for music publications. Many of these stories were compiled into a book called The Journeyman Piano Player: Adventures in Gracious Dining. Bob has written reams of poetry, some of which became lyrics to songs that he composed. The longest piece of poetry he ever wrote was the lyric book for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a grand opera he composed and orchestrated.

Mr. Milne has been fascinated by nature his entire life. At a young age he realized that instincts are present in all species of birds, mammals (including humans), and literally every living thing in nature. He has used this information countless times over his lifetime to predict what the human species will do in future situations.

Bob is now retired from the long piano tours and is enjoying his woodland home. Today he spends his time studying nature in the woods. Signed copies of his book may be purchased through his website.

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Horror / Suspense

Date Published: 08-03-2026

Everyone has an angel name and is being prepared to ‘ascend’ when the time is right. Their angelic identities will play a significant role in aiding humanity when the world ends.

As the weeks pass, Maylin becomes accustomed to the peculiar confrontational therapy. The black curtains and bars on the windows no longer trouble her. The lack of privacy, mystifying theology, and strange rules become commonplace. She sees Margo less frequently since the children are kept in the basement.

The death of another patient awakens Maylin to dark secrets within the walls, and soon the horrifying truth about Nakir and Heaven’s Hope is revealed. Maylin must confront her insecurities, rediscover her individuality, and use her wits and resources if she hopes to save Margo and the other children.

Inspired by a true crime case, this slow-burn thriller roars to a pulse-pounding climax, reminding the reader to think independently, ask questions, and be careful who you trust.

About the Author

J. Todd Kingrea is the author of "With A Blighted Touch" and The Deiparian Saga ("The Witchfinder," "The Crimson Fathers," and "Bane of the Witch"). He has also authored two non-fiction books, two short stories, and role-playing game scenarios. When not writing, he enjoys collecting and watching movies, reading, and prowling through dusty old bookstores. He and his wife live in Galax, Virginia.

You can find him online at www.jtoddkingrea.com, on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Stay in touch at jtoddkingrea@yahoo.com.

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Date Published: 04-15-2025

Publisher: SparkPress

When an illusionist joins the Pines & Quill writing retreat, one of the owners vanishes without a trace in the middle of everyone, but the surrounding would-be witnesses don’t see or hear a thing. That’s when crime boss Georgio Gambino makes a checkmate move against his nemesis, Sean McPherson. He forces a writer in residence to kill another writer and frame McPherson. In a video call, Gambino warns the writer, “If you don’t follow orders, your daughter will die.” Then, he pans the camera to prove access to her college dorm room.

McPherson discovers that Carmine Fiore, Gambino’s second in command, covets his boss role and is staging a coup. As Gambino’s soldiers traffic drugs, weapons, and humans, Fiore plants incriminating evidence against the notorious Sureños gang. Can McPherson leverage that knowledge for a temporary truce and the gang’s help?

The writers in residence—a former NASCAR driver, a professional triathlete, an architect turned house flipper, and a world-renowned magician who may not be who she appears to be—band together with McPherson to create the illusion of a lifetime.

Gambino picks up his cell phone and makes another call. His heart races with anticipation. When the recipient answers, he says, “If you hang up, I’ll kill your child. Do you understand?”

"Is this some kind of sick joke?”

"I assure you this is no joke. When I disconnect, you’ll receive a video call from my associate. He’s visiting your child's class—Market Power in the New Economy. If you don’t do what I say, it will cost the life of the person you love most.”

"Who is this? What do you want from me?”

"I’m the person who’s going to kill your child if you don’t do what I say. In two days, you’re heading to Pines & Quill writing retreat. While there, you will frame Sean McPherson for murder.”

"Frame someone for murder? What do you mean?”

"No, not just someone. You’re going to frame Sean McPherson. You’re going to kill one of the other writers in residence. I don’t care which one, nor do I care how you do it. You’re a crime writer. Figure it out. You arrive at Pines & Quill on October first and leave on the twenty-first. You have three weeks to accomplish the task.”

About the Author

As a novelist, photographer, and voracious reader, she never travels without three essentials—a laptop, a camera, and a book.

Growing up, she dreamed of being a magician, an international spy, and a mad scientist. There’s still time!

Her writing studio is the hayloft of a historic carriage house in the Pacific Northwest, where creativity thrives. Her husband, Len, a private pilot, and Henry, their not-so-standard Standard Poodle, join her on daily walks. She always carries a camera because sometimes, the best word choice is a picture.

A journey that left an indelible imprint on her was a 20-day, 211-mile trek across the majestic landscapes of Scotland. She, her husband, and their son hiked from the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, with the pinnacle being the climb of Ben Nevis at the midpoint of their adventure, the highest point in the British Isles.

"My writing goal is simple: to leave you wanting more." —Laurie Buchanan

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