tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-927335469212041702Tue, 04 Aug 2026 08:13:02 +0000newscrimeworking at homekidswritingbooksparentinginsanityholidayse-booksstupidself-publishingworkingfoodhouseworkcomputerstravelhumorHarkindleteenshome officepoliticsreadingshoppingchoresgizmosmovingcleaningguysnerveshome repairsmoneysummerTVcrittersfateconomyfamilyklutztechnophobiabargaindietdrivingnoisesleepbig businesscarspetsagingconferencesmannersmovieschoolheadlinesblogsbubbacell phonese-mailelvisbossesclotheswifebuzzwordscaliforniahealthmusicpartyrulesscrewedtyposvacationweatherFirepowerboozecalendardorkexerciseflying monkeysgamesyardworkco-workersfacebookmarriagemenorganizationoverheardreddingsportsstresstimebeercoffeefurnituregaragehome designillnesslaundrymarijuanaphonequizsciencestuffaddictionbrainreal estaterewritingseminarslothswimmingtraumasbeachcommutingcookinghelphermitmanhoodnamesplantsplumbingrantredneckssolitudetallweekendsemergencyeyeballsgermshoroscopesjunklanguagemanagementmemorymorningsprofanitytaxestrafficwider worldacronymsangerappliancesbirthdaymeatperfectionismsanta cruzseniorsteeftrashvoicemailbaldnessbathroomsbedtimebugsdoctordreamsguiltpaintingpaperworkphobiaspocketssadsexsubscribewarahabathingboogensdentistethicsgravitygremlinsjokeodorspokerquotesrecyclingsnowtelemarketersAquileo | Home Fronthttp://stevebrewer.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Steve Brewer)Blogger1066125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-927335469212041702.post-3743562486886987024Thu, 11 Jul 2024 16:42:00 +00002024-07-11T09:42:17.765-07:00Aquileo | In the Dark YonderMy short story, TOOTH, appears in the new issue of Dark Yonder magazine.It's the first new work I've published since TROUBLE TOWN, nearly three years ago. Part of that hiatus was an intentional break, part of it was the demands of family and medical stuff and getting older. I think of myself as retired these days, but I got this story in my head and it wouldn't leave me alone.TOOTH is the tale http://stevebrewer.blogspot.com/2024/07/in-dark-yonder.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Brewer)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-927335469212041702.post-2153192388403734569Sun, 02 Jun 2024 17:47:00 +00002024-06-02T10:47:36.581-07:00Aquileo | Happy birthday, Bubba!This month marks the 30th anniversary of the publication of LONELY STREET, the first novel starring bumbling Albuquerque private eye Bubba Mabry.LONELY STREET was my first published book, and it remains my best-seller over the years. It was initially published in 1994 as a mass-market paperback by Pocket Books. Thanks to small presses and the advent of easy self-publishing, I've kept it in print http://stevebrewer.blogspot.com/2024/06/happy-birthday-bubba.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Brewer)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-927335469212041702.post-4265161122442428692Wed, 01 Sep 2021 17:58:00 +00002021-09-01T16:17:34.970-07:00Aquileo | Body of workBack in February, when I announced there would be a 10th Bubba Mabry book, I posted on this blog a list of the previous Bubba tales, in order. Now that the new one, TROUBLE TOWN, is only 10 days away, I thought it might be useful to post a list of all my published work. It's quite a list. I've been publishing crime fiction since 1994. A lot of the titles are standalone "books about crooks," but http://stevebrewer.blogspot.com/2021/09/body-of-work.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Brewer)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-927335469212041702.post-2909942312928226779Wed, 11 Aug 2021 16:55:00 +00002021-08-11T09:55:02.201-07:00Aquileo | Sneak peek at the new Bubba bookBoy, it's been a long time since I last posted on this blog. Partly, that's because I was busy writing a new crime novel.Now, I'm pleased to announce that my 34th published book will be out next month. It's called TROUBLE TOWN, and it's the 10th outing for my bumbling Albuquerque private eye Bubba Mabry.I hadn't written about Bubba since 2012's PARTY DOLL and I thought I was probably done with http://stevebrewer.blogspot.com/2021/08/sneak-peek-at-new-bubba-book.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Brewer)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-927335469212041702.post-7904859458374327215Mon, 08 Feb 2021 17:31:00 +00002021-02-09T08:36:07.558-08:00Aquileo | Bubba's back!Thanks to ebooks and self-publishing, I've kept all my 33 books available in one form or another, but some editions have become increasingly hard to find. So it was with the first two Bubba Mabry books, which had finally slipped out of print.Those novels, LONELY STREET (1994) and BABY FACE (1995), were my first published books. Pocket Books brought them out as mass-market paperbacks. Years later,http://stevebrewer.blogspot.com/2021/02/bubbas-back.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Brewer)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-927335469212041702.post-6999648429951958382Sun, 16 Aug 2020 17:15:00 +00002020-08-16T10:24:35.464-07:00Aquileo | Drumroll and . . . rimshot!Need a laugh in these trying times? How about 4,000 laughs? Would that help? Ladies and gentlemen, I give you my 33rd published book, RULES FOR SUCCESSFUL LIVING, available now on Amazon and at Organic Books in Albuquerque (505-553-3823). As most of you know, I've written daily Rules for Successful Living since 2009, distributing the addled adages via Facebook and Twitter. In 2012, I http://stevebrewer.blogspot.com/2020/08/drumroll-and-rimshot.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Brewer)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-927335469212041702.post-8409503566947507054Wed, 22 Apr 2020 21:09:00 +00002020-04-22T14:09:09.218-07:00Aquileo | First time in paperback!One of my personal favorites, my crime novel BANK JOB, is now available in trade paperback here. BANK JOB was published in hardcover in 2005, but a paperback contract fell through. I subsequently published an e-book version, but print copies were getting hard to find. For most of its 15-year life, BANK JOB has been under movie option in Hollywood. The current option holder is Peter Ettinger, http://stevebrewer.blogspot.com/2020/04/first-time-in-paperback.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Brewer)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-927335469212041702.post-5209398378924336377Fri, 03 Apr 2020 22:06:00 +00002020-04-03T15:06:44.357-07:00Aquileo | Safe at homeLike most of you, we're hiding out in our house, waiting for the experts to tell us the worst of the coronavirus plague has passed. Here in Albuquerque, the peak is expected in late April. We've been sheltering at home since March 14, when we returned from a quick road trip to San Diego. The Left Coast Crime conference was canceled by health officials six hours after we arrived. We went home thehttp://stevebrewer.blogspot.com/2020/04/safe-at-home.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Brewer)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-927335469212041702.post-3010776981363124390Wed, 05 Feb 2020 17:13:00 +00002020-02-05T09:13:25.259-08:00Aquileo | New heist thriller!UPSHOT is now officially available on Amazon, via independent booksellers and at our family-owned Albuquerque, NM, bookshop, Organic Books. My 32nd published book, UPSHOT is my first new novel in nearly two years. The last one, COLD CUTS, came out in April 2018. In the new novel, set here in Albuquerque, a heist crew knocks over an armored van belonging to a cannabis courier company. The http://stevebrewer.blogspot.com/2020/02/new-heist-thriller.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Brewer)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-927335469212041702.post-7620427228561901931Fri, 20 Sep 2019 22:10:00 +00002019-09-21T02:47:47.777-07:00Aquileo | Read my shorts!I'm still working on my new novel, UPSHOT, and I'm beginning to doubt whether I can get it published before Christmas, as hoped. I'm on my fourth draft, and there's still more rewrite to come. Plus, there are beta readers and cover art and proofs. Let's say, sometime this winter, there should be a new novel available. But you can still get some Steve Brewer reading this holiday season. I've got http://stevebrewer.blogspot.com/2019/09/read-my-shorts.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Brewer)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-927335469212041702.post-660544389202116785Sun, 23 Jun 2019 16:58:00 +00002019-06-23T09:58:24.601-07:00Aquileo | Summertime newsYou're more likely to drive too fast on an exit ramp/frontage road because you've become accustomed to the higher speed of the freeway. Psychologists call this being "velocitized." I'm feeling velocitized this week because my busy, busy life abruptly slowed down, and my brain hasn't caught up yet. With the arrival of summer, a few items disappear from my schedule, including the class I teach athttp://stevebrewer.blogspot.com/2019/06/summertime-news.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Brewer)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-927335469212041702.post-2252731118515104500Fri, 29 Mar 2019 21:09:00 +00002019-03-29T14:09:23.498-07:00Aquileo | Work, work, work, work, workWhen you're a novelist, you do lots of things that aren't writing novels. For most of us, writing won't pay the bills, so we find part-time work to fill in the gaps. Over the past three decades, I've worked as newspaper reporter, humor columnist, freelance editor and college professor, all while busily cranking out novels and short stories. During most of that time, I also was a househusband, http://stevebrewer.blogspot.com/2019/03/work-work-work-work-work.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Brewer)15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-927335469212041702.post-3345581287466650872Mon, 17 Dec 2018 19:12:00 +00002018-12-17T11:45:32.063-08:00Aquileo | Time flies when you're selling booksWow, it's been five weeks since I posted about the grand opening of Organic Books, our family bookstore in Albuquerque. The time has sailed past. The store has been busy with holiday shoppers and folks from the surrounding neighborhoods. Old friends and local authors stop by to visit. Next thing you know, it's nearly Christmas. The photo shows our sons Seth (in hat) and Max working at the http://stevebrewer.blogspot.com/2018/12/times-flies-when-youre-selling-books.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Brewer)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-927335469212041702.post-2259067818025126996Mon, 12 Nov 2018 14:15:00 +00002018-11-12T06:15:00.380-08:00Aquileo | Organic Books has its debutThe grand opening of our new bookstore on Saturday truly was grand, with hundreds of customers visiting and welcoming us to the Nob Hill neighborhood. Other booksellers in town also visited, bearing gifts, which was much appreciated. We already feel like we're part of Albuquerque's book-selling community. We sold a ton of used books, as well as lots of new books by local authors. Many of the http://stevebrewer.blogspot.com/2018/11/organic-books-has-its-debut.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Brewer)14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-927335469212041702.post-6730030897927957586Sun, 28 Oct 2018 19:23:00 +00002018-10-28T12:23:08.836-07:00Aquileo | Organic Books' Grand Opening Nov. 10Organic Books is taking shape! We've worked furiously for the past week, getting 10,000 books onto shelves, and it's starting to look like a real bookshop. We've still got lots of work to do, but we anticipate a "soft" opening in a week or so, in advance of our official Grand Opening on Nov. 10. The store has been getting lots of interest from passers-by since the signs went up in the front http://stevebrewer.blogspot.com/2018/10/organic-books-grand-opening-nov-10.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Brewer)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-927335469212041702.post-7515770673419610480Thu, 11 Oct 2018 16:37:00 +00002018-10-12T09:52:42.726-07:00Aquileo | The latest on Organic BooksOur new family-owned bookstore in Albuquerque's Nob Hill neighborhood draws closer to a reality with every passing day. We now have a logo, designed by Max Brewer with input from the rest of us: We love the open-book artwork, which fits with the Art Deco decor of the historic Nob Hill Business Center. We plan to put this design in our large front windows, and it'll be featured on our bags, http://stevebrewer.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-latest-on-organic-books.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Brewer)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-927335469212041702.post-1523110856971517572Sat, 29 Sep 2018 17:31:00 +00002018-09-29T10:31:20.692-07:00Aquileo | We're opening a bookstore!Wouldn't you love an airy, well-lighted bookshop with a great selection of used and new books? My family is opening just such a store in Albuquerque. Kelly and I signed a lease yesterday for space in the historic Nob Hill Business Center on Route 66. In keeping with Nob Hill's all-natural hipster vibe, the independent bookstore will be called Organic Books. Our two sons, Max and Seth, will workhttp://stevebrewer.blogspot.com/2018/09/were-opening-bookstore.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Brewer)13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-927335469212041702.post-5959504376442548417Fri, 06 Jul 2018 16:02:00 +00002018-07-06T09:02:52.735-07:00Aquileo | Summertime newsOther than social media posts, including my daily Rules for Successful Living, I haven't written anything in more than a month. And I'm okay with that. All the writing advice says you should write every day, and that's good practice when you're starting out. But veteran writers -- I've been trying to write fiction for 30 years -- occasionally need a break to recharge the mental and physical http://stevebrewer.blogspot.com/2018/07/summertime-news.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Brewer)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-927335469212041702.post-1494715733548693241Wed, 09 May 2018 16:53:00 +00002018-05-09T09:53:51.950-07:00Aquileo | BETTER CALL SAUL, y'all!Here's something fun: One of my books will be featured (ever so peripherally) in a future episode of BETTER CALL SAUL. BETTER CALL SAUL is the prequel to BREAKING BAD and, like that enormous hit, it's filmed here in Albuquerque. They're filming the fourth season at locations around town now. One scene is being filmed at the Monte Carlo Steakhouse, a local institution which I used as a settinghttp://stevebrewer.blogspot.com/2018/05/better-call-saul-yall.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Brewer)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-927335469212041702.post-646801608243297892Fri, 27 Apr 2018 14:07:00 +00002018-04-27T07:07:51.738-07:00Aquileo | Pre-order COLD CUTS now!My latest crime caper, COLD CUTS, is now available for pre-order on Amazon Kindle. If you pre-order, the ebook version will appear in your reader automatically on the official pub date, April 30. The Kindle version is only $2.99. The trade paperback version, available at Amazon here, is $9.99. COLD CUTS was inspired by a real-life situation: people smuggling Mexican bologna across the border http://stevebrewer.blogspot.com/2018/04/pre-order-cold-cuts-now.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Brewer)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-927335469212041702.post-3776304290756880974Fri, 20 Apr 2018 16:59:00 +00002018-04-20T09:59:18.080-07:00Aquileo | COLD CUTS now in paperback!My new crime novel, COLD CUTS, was published this week in trade paperback. It's my 31st published book, and I'm very proud of the way it turned out. The paperback sells on Amazon for $9.99. A $2.99 version will come out on Kindle by the end of the month. The fast-paced novel was inspired by news reports about smugglers who specialize in Mexican bologna, which some consider a delicacy. The mainhttp://stevebrewer.blogspot.com/2018/04/cold-cuts-now-in-paperback.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Brewer)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-927335469212041702.post-741195135845593858Fri, 13 Apr 2018 15:23:00 +00002018-04-13T08:23:25.021-07:00Aquileo | COLD CUTS coming soonI'm at that stage of the publishing process where I'm waiting for the printed proof to arrive in the mail. Earlier this week, I finished the final edits and formatting for my new crime novel, COLD CUTS, which will be available in trade paperback and Kindle versions by May 1. COLD CUTS is a comic crime story about a low-level scammer, Lucky Flanagan, who gets mixed up with some guys who are http://stevebrewer.blogspot.com/2018/04/cold-cuts-coming-soon.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Brewer)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-927335469212041702.post-6107777088441011207Tue, 13 Mar 2018 19:42:00 +00002018-03-14T04:07:29.989-07:00Aquileo | Cover art reveal!Behold the cover art for my next crime novel, COLD CUTS, which is slated to come out May 1 in ebook and trade paperback. COLD CUTS is a taut, funny story about low-level criminals who start smuggling bologna across the Mexican border. That's right, bologna. Certain bologna that's made south of the border is considered a delicacy, but it's against the law to bring it into the United States. Ahttp://stevebrewer.blogspot.com/2018/03/cover-art-reveal.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Brewer)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-927335469212041702.post-355155585217332091Mon, 29 Jan 2018 16:29:00 +00002018-01-29T08:39:23.791-08:00Aquileo | Busy as a groundhogThat's not the way the saying goes, but it's nearly Groundhog Day (which is also my birthday), and it certainly is a busy time. I've got news of a public appearance, my current writing, and a Kindle bargain. I'm looking forward to my speech Saturday (Feb. 3) at SouthWest Writers. I'm anticipating a big turnout because of the topic: "Nuts and Bolts: The Mechanics of Clear Writing." A nice http://stevebrewer.blogspot.com/2018/01/busy-as-groundhog.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Brewer)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-927335469212041702.post-1068805273933020822Wed, 17 Jan 2018 17:50:00 +00002018-01-17T09:50:43.737-08:00Aquileo | The Great IndoorsmanI'm not a big fan of snow, which is one reason I live in Albuquerque, where winters tend to be mild. But I like winter because it's a good time to stay indoors, writing and reading. I know lots of you are seeing deep-freeze temperatures and snow and ice, and I recommend that you stay inside and read my crime novel BANK JOB, currently on sale on Kindle for 99 cents. BANK JOB is in development http://stevebrewer.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-great-indoorsman.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Brewer)1