Looking over my Shoulder from James W. Ziskin

How has writing crime fiction changed the way you see ordinary people and everyday life—and has it made you more suspicious, more empathetic, or both? 

I don’t believe writing crime fiction has changed the way I act toward people, but I will say that it has made me think about what they’re capable of. As a reader and a writer, the stories that interest me are about regular people who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances. And it’s even more compelling when good people are pushed to do unthinkable things. I’m not interested in stories about evil people doing evil things. They’re dull. No internal conflict for them. It’s so much more satisfying, terrifying, conflicting when an average guy or gal loses control for a split second, crosses the line, and does something horrible.

Why is that? Why do I find that satisfying? Well, for one thing, because once that split second has passed, sanity returns. And with it, guilt. Or maybe regret, remorse. Denial? A marvelous spectrum of emotions and dilemmas presents itself to our malefactor. And for another thing, I wonder if I might not be capable of crossing the line. What if something drove me mad for a split second? Am I a murderer-in-waiting?Now there’s a story.

In general, I don’t trust people I don’t know. At least not implicitly. That’s why I don’t worship actors or politicians. I don’t know what they’re like when they go home to their private lives. Maybe they shrink heads in their basements, or commit unspeakable crimes against human dignity, or worse. All I can do is judge them for their talent or their public behavior. Think of someone like Cesar Chavez or Kevin Spacey. Publicly, one helped millions of oppressed, exploited people. The other was an incredibly talented performer. Privately, they did things that disappointed me. I don’t necessarily hate famous people for their personal shortcomings, but I can’t admire them unquestioningly for their public persona either. I often say that they’ll surely let me down eventually, so why take the chance and gush over them? Why invest emotionally in someone I can’t be sure won’t steal my wallet?

All this to say that my attitudes toward others haven’t changed due to my crime writing. I feel the same today as I did twenty years ago. In life, I give strangers a chance, the benefit of the doubt. But not carte blanche to my devotion. I reserve that for people I know. The ones who have proven themselves worthy of my trust and admiration.

So even if I’m wary of people I don’t know—careful not to put too much faith in them—I don’t walk down the street looking over my shoulder in fear. Rather, I watch them and wonder about their struggles and breaking points. Might they be doing the same with me? After all, they don’t know me. Yes, I wonder about them. About what they might be capable of. What horrible things I might be capable of. I think of that a lot. Then I make up stories about those people (and me).

*********************

THE PRANK…enigmatic and unnerving. The pace never flags for a second. This is some masterly plotting. I loved it.”

—Liz Nugent, author of Strange Sally Diamond

 

“The Holdovers meets The Bad Seed,”

THE PRANK. A picture clipped from Playboy magazine, a missing Swiss Army Knife, and a prank gone terribly wrong conspire to make Christmas 1968 a deadly holiday to remember.

From two-time Edgar Award finalist, Anthony, Barry, and Macavity award-winner James W. Ziskin, THE PRANK releases July 2026.

850

Dfoigjkhgh

On the Fence

What is a film adaptation that you believe is actually better than the original novel—and why?

By Dietrich

It’s a tough call to crown one over the other. Books and films are different beasts with their own strengths. A novel can burrow deep into a character’s psyche or wander through philosophical tangents that would drag a movie to a halt. Books allow more interiority, nuance and unfiltered authorial voice. A film can offer a punch in ways pages can’t match. The best adaptations don’t just translate, they transmute. Sometimes the result is a step up in impact. Sometimes it’s a compelling companion piece, but, many times the movie version just falls short.

A great example of a novel and its adaptation that bring the best of both worlds is Cormac McCarthy’s No Country For Old Men. In the book, Sheriff Ed Tom Bell’s internal monologue gives the story a philosophical weight—meditations on aging, morality, the erosion of a way of life, and a world growing meaner. We’re given Llewelyn Moss’s background and motivations, and the novel’s unrelenting bleakness and historical gravity hit hard.

The Coen Brothers took a story (originally conceived as a screenplay) and turned it into pure cinema. Tommy Lee Jones does a first-rate job conveying Bell’s weariness and Javier Bardem’s Anton Chigurh becomes an icon of unsparing fate—those dead eyes and the coin toss scenes create terrific tension. 

While the book is richer in introspective depth, the film strips away some interiority yet gains in atmosphere and pacing. I liked them equally and think they complement each other. Read the book for McCarthy’s voice. Watch the film for how the Coens visualized the terror in the silences. Why choose when you can have both?

A newer example is Shane Black’s Play Dirty, based on Donald E. Westlake’s Parker novels written as Richard Stark. The film offers a fun, modern riff on the original Parker stories. The Parker novels are lean, efficient crime fiction from the ’60s and ’70s. They excel at brutal competence and moral grayness, though are light on character warmth.

Shane Black paired Mark Wahlberg (as Parker) with LaKeith Stanfield (as Grofield), injecting rapid-fire dialogue, capturing the spirit of Stark’s novels while adding wise-ass humor. The heist mechanics are updated, trading vintage safe-cracking for edge-of-your-seat choreography without losing the gritty realism.

Here again, the books are great examples of pulp purity. The film offers more of a cinematic experience for contemporary audiences. It’s not better, but it gives the material impact and entertainment value in ways that feel true to the spirit of the Parker novels. Again, why not enjoy both? Dive into the paperbacks for their stark efficiency, then catch the movie for the Shane Black swagger and the updated heist thrill. No need to pick one over the other. Both have plenty to offer.

Classics such as The Godfather, where Coppola elevated Puzo’s pulp, show that when the right filmmaker meets the right material, cinema can deliver something special.

And since we’re into the summer months, here are a few titles I’ve recently enjoyed that I’d like to recommend for your beach reading. None have been made into feature films, but each remains a standout read and all offer cinematic potential.

Bomber by Len Deighton

This classic masterpiece chronicles a single, tragic WWII bombing raid from both the British and German perspectives. It’s a gripping, page-turner that’s perfect for history buffs. Outside a 1995 BBC dramatization, there’s been no film adaptation.

Gunman's Rhapsody by Robert B. Parker

Unlike many other Wyatt Earp retellings like Tombstone, this one hasn’t been adapted to film. Written in his signature style with sharp dialogue, Parker breathes fresh life into the legendary gunfight at the O.K. Corral. It’s a lean western with pace.

Plum Island by Nelson DeMille

The first of the series, it introduces us to John Corey, a wounded NYPD homicide detective recovering on Long Island. He gets involved in a double murder case involving a biological research island. It’s packed with DeMille’s trademark cynical humor, sarcasm and punch. While there were announcements around for a potential TV series, it didn't go forward.

The Cuban Affair by Nelson DeMille

DeMille delivers a sleek thriller in this standalone story about a US Army veteran-turned-charter boat captain who is lured into a dangerous, multi-million-dollar covert mission to Cuba. It also offers a lot of potential for a film.

The Brothers McKay by Craig Johnson

This highly anticipated 22nd installment in the Walt Longmire series takes the Wyoming sheriff on a journey that blends cowboy grit with deep-rooted family secrets. Johnson’s lyrical prose and rich character work shine as bright as ever. No film yet, but the Longmire series was a popular TV adaptation, which drew from earlier books.

Suspicion or Empathy?

 

Terry here with our question of the week: 

How has writing crime fiction changed the way you see ordinary people and everyday life—and has it made you more suspicious, more empathetic, or both? 

 I have been blessed or cursed with a sunny disposition. I once went camping with a woman who was always morose (for many good reasons, but that’s another story). One morning she groused that she hated waking up to my cheerful voice around the morning campfire. So in that sense, I guess it can be a curse. Not that I don’t have my grumpy days. But my “set” disposition is cheerful. 

Writing crime fiction has not changed that. About halfway through every book I write, I say to myself, “Terry, everyone in the book is too nice. You have to have some characters who aren’t so nice.” Then the real writing begins. Because I do know that in real life there are lots of people who lie, cheat, steal, snark, criticize, and murder…sometimes with no conscience. 

I also know that even ordinary people can find themselves in situations where they think their only way out is to lie, cheat, steal…or murder. And it may not even be "their only way out." It may just be for a lark. I once knew a perfectly lovely girl in college. She stole things. All the time. And had no qualms about it. She shrugged it off as stealing from people who could afford the loss. The crazy thing is, she gave away the things she stole. She tried to give me things she’d stolen and I didn’t feel right about it. But did I turn her in? No. 

Have I ever lied? You bet. In fact, in my callow youth I used to find it funny to lie about who I was. People I met and whom I’d never see again, I’d tell all kinds of outlandish things. Have I ever cheated…at cards or whatever? Not that I can remember. But when I was a kid and played monopoly, I’d hide money under the board so other players wouldn’t know how much I had. Someone told me that was cheating, but I didn’t think so. I haven’t murdered anyone, though. At least, not intentionally. 

 My point is that no matter how much I view the world with good cheer, I’m not a fool. I know that people do bad things. Writing crime fiction has not significantly changed my assessment that most people may commit “small” crimes, but most people don’t commit “big” ones. And it’s the big ones we write about as crime writers. 

I frequently run into people who are suspicious of others. They are quick with tales of how something bad happened to someone out of the blue. So I know it can happen. I know people who have been mugged, victims of home invasion, and in one case a woman who was threatened with rape and murder (she talked the guy out of assaulting her, managed to get him to give her his knife, and then ran). I also know people who have been under siege from people with guns. They survived, but people near them did not. I can, and do, imagine their horror, grief, and terror. 

But when I write, I have to dredge up the feelings of victims because I don’t live with that kind of suspicion or fear in daily life. As to whether it has made me more empathetic, not really. Samuel Craddock, protagonist of twelve books, is an empathetic lawman. He understands what drives people to commit crimes. But that doesn’t change his view of justice. No matter how kindly he feels toward someone who has been driven to commit bad crimes, he believes that justice must be done. In fact, he believes that deep down, criminals feel a sense of relief when they are caught. Is it true? I don’t know. Maybe for some; and for others, they justify their behavior and are furious when they are caught. 

There is one brand of criminal that stands out—the lunatic. I once spoke to a guard at San Quentin who said that most men on death row are dangerous because they are absolutely nuts and will do anything with no sense of guilt. Can you be empathetic about someone like that? I guess you can if you think they would have preferred not to be nuts. 

But then, who designates whether someone is crazy? I’d argue that abruptly cancelling USAID, which resulted in thousands of lives lost, was the work of a crazy person. But that person and his helpers are walking around free, and thought by many to have no blame attached to their actions. Am I empathetic toward people like that? People who are cruel to others and feel no remorse? Not really. In fact, I hope one day they get the other end of the stick. But writing crime fiction didn’t change my view about that. I’ve always felt that way.

Imagine a Crime... by Matthew Greene

How has writing crime fiction changed the way you see ordinary people and everyday life—and has it made you more suspicious, more empathetic, or both?

I think one of the reasons I've been drawn to crime fiction is my propensity to imagine drama everywhere I go. And I'm not talking about run-of-the-mill-soap-opera-style stuff: crushes and grudges and love triangles, oh my. I mean something a bit more sinister.

You could try this yourself. The next time you're at a boring party, in an interminable meeting, or stuck on the subway, start to imagine what would happen if someone in your midst suddenly dropped dead. (This is, and I cannot stress this enough, strictly imaginary.) Who would do this him him/her/them?! And then, like you'd do in any good closed-circle mystery, let your eyes flit from one suspect's face to the next. Was it the brooding man in the corner? The aloof older couple? The single mom at the end of her rope? It's surprisingly easy to assign motives to strangers if you just let your mind wander to some of its darker corners.

The trick, I've found, is to believe that anyone is capable of anything if pushed. (Except me, of course. I would never hurt a fly.) I find this thought endears me to the strangers I see in situations like these. Instead of letting them pass me by, I suddenly find them endlessly interesting. I want to plumb their hidden depths and understand their hopes and dreams.

Although I know the sensationalized story I spin about them isn't accurate, neither was the knee-jerk narrative that popped into my head when they first came into view. At least this way, I'm training myself to believe that everyone around me is complex, multi-faceted, and worthy of attention. I may be casting them in a short-lived mental drama, but it only serves to remind me that there is more to everyone than meets the eye.

Of course, I make no promises that you'll find a solution to your impromptu improvised mystery. Endings are hard, but character intros are so much fun. And I can assure you that before you've had time to interrogate all your suspects, the party will be picking up, the meeting will be ending, or the train will be pulling into the station.

I'm starting to realize how terribly strange this all may sound, and I'm tempted to delete this rambling confession and start the blog post over again. (Perhaps this is the danger of missing too many therapy sessions while I'm rehearsing a new show.) But where's the fun in that? After all, I'm complex and multi-faceted, too.

So...does anyone else do this? Am I assuming this behavior is more normal than it really is? Is this like that time, before I came out, when I insisted to a group of guy friends that "all guys check each other out" and expected them to back me up? (Spoiler alert: they didn't, and I'm gay.) Or is this common among crime writers? 

God, I hope it is...

Rinse and Repeat by Poppy Gee

Aside from promotion, what’s the first thing a new author should do after publishing their first book? 

1. Start work on your next one. A new novel is the best way to promote the old one, and working on a new novel is the best way to keep yourself busy and productive during the rollercoaster of publicity. This is my key advice, but there are two other things I also do...

2. Mark the milestone. On the day I signed my publishing contract, I bought a small glass jar with some shells in it from an second hand shop. I keep it on a shelf in my house. Everytime I see it, I think of the excitement of that day. When my first novel came out, I cooked a nice dinner and my husband and I celebrated with a glass of bubbles. In some ways, that was nicer than the actual book launch because I wasn't feeling nervous about my speech!

3. Take photos of your book in the wild. It's incredibly special to see your book in a library, a bookstore, or in the hands of a friend or stranger who's about to read it. This is your books' most special birthday and you'll cherish all those photos in years to come! I have a slightly skewed photo my mother took of my book in a newsagency (a shop that sells newspapers, magazines and birthday cards) in St Helens. My book was set in that area and the staff were excited and created a wonderful display of my book. I cherish this photo now!

Mum took this picture in the St Helens Newsagency, 2013.

It's later than you think, by Catriona

Aside from promotion, what’s the first thing a new author should do after publishing their first book?

Angela, Gabriel and Eric have said a lot of it and very well already this week, but I'll chip in. It's about promotion, The thing is, by the time your book's out it's quite late (too late?) to start promoting it. I've learned this the hard way. Ideally, you should be on the case months before the publication date - sending out review copies, pitching articles and guest posts, building a list for a newsletter, getting a vibrant online presence up and running . . . putting the finishing touches to the bunker where you'll go and hide because that all sounds too dreadful to be borne.

Truly, it's quite an unusual combination to find inside just one human skin: a love of sitting alone in a room typing for 90% of the time; and a passion for jumping up and down saying "buy my book!" for the other 10.

What makes it less dreadful is to be among friends. Angela's point about building community is really key. If people are boosting your signal because you're a good 'un who lifts up other voices in between hoping they'll lift yours, it's a lot less soul-destroying, like peeing in the ocean, lonely.

I don't know what writers would do who don't LOVE reading books quite like the books they write - not my only or even main question for these individuals (because isn't that kind of weird?) - but it's quite easy for me to spend almost all my online time talking about the wonderful books I've read, am reading, want to read, can't believe I've only just heard about . . .

For example. here's what's happened since I got to Scotland on the 2nd of June:

The one bit of promotion that does need to wait until the book actually exists - so yay you're not too late for it! - is personal appearances. Whether it's public libraries, schools, Rotary clubs, bookclubs, writers' groups, conventions, festivals . . . there are a lot of committees with a lot of speaker slots to fill year after year. If you're willing to travel a bit, donate profits from books sales to a good cause and be felixible, easy to deal with and entertaining, you can be quite busy while you write that second book, submit satellite short stories all over the place, plan the next round of promo further in advance and . . . remember to take your book off the shelf and smell its wondrous pages every now and then,

Cx

Get (back) to it by Eric Beetner

 Aside from promotion, what’s the first thing a new author should do after publishing their first book?

There are a lot of answers to this including taking a moment to enjoy the feeling, be proud of what you’ve done. There are an equal number of things authors should NOT do, including obsessing over reviews on Amazon or Goodreads. 

I think one thing that doesn’t get discussed enough, or practiced enough, is to get to work on the next thing. Always be writing. Ideally, this process should have started long before a book is released in that slow liminal space while the gears of publishing grind slowly to move the lumbering beast forward inches at a time. But please don’t ever sit back and enjoy the glow for too long. Anyone who has ever sat in front of a fire knows that in time, usually shorter than you think, the fire dims, the coals stop giving off heat and you are left cold and alone.

Let’s think positively and say your book does well. Readers, agents, publishers will all be anxious for your next book. Maybe it’s a sequel, maybe another stand alone, but either way if you haven’t even started it yet, then the gap between books will stretch to a point where readers might move on.

Use the momentum of a fresh release to urge you on. Writing is all about inertia. If you don’t let the engine stop turning, then it won’t fight you the next time you try to fire it up. 

And don’t rely on a contract deadline because there will come a time when you don’t have that to motivate you. Every writer starts writing without that looming deadline to all them along, so you know you can do it. Write each new story under your own deadline where the goal is simply to finish and make it great. You don’t need the carrot on a stick to keep you trotting along. 

Yes, take the time to share each new triumph whether it is appearing on a best seller list or just getting a 5-star review. But never dam up that creative river with a book that’s already out in the world. Keep writing, keep working. 

There is a difference between a writer and someone who has written. If you are a writer, then you have more than one story to tell. Keep writing as if hordes of readers are banging down your door to get to the next story. Write as if Hollywood producers are pacing the floors of their ocean-view offices wondering where the next blockbuster will come from your pen. Write because you are a writer and that’s what you do.

Every writer should be able to tell anyone what their latest book is about and also be able to give a tease about the thing they are working on now. Don’t delay.

If you look at the output of your favorite writers, the most prolific and most successful, they will all be working constantly on the next thing.

So congratulations. Now get back to the keyboard and do it again.

Welcome to Heartbreak Hill

  

Aside from promotion, what’s the first thing a new author should do after publishing their first book?

 

Truth be told—it never changes.

 

Whether it’s your first book or your twentieth, you celebrate. And you should. You did what Hemingway famously described: you sat before the typewriter—or the keyboard—and bled.

 

You wrote the story. Then rewrote it. Then rewrote it again.

 

You waited for developmental edits, line edits, copy edits, and proofreads. You listened to beta readers. You listened to well-meaning people explain they have a million-dollar idea...if only they had the time. Some even offered to let you write their book in exchange for a cut of the profits.

 

If only.

 

You crossed out if only because you found the time. Usually at the expense of weekends, sleep, family dinners, and whatever social life you once enjoyed. The dog forgave you. The cat is still considering its options.

 

If you were especially organized—or were fortunate enough to possess the rare mutation known as a marketing brain—you built a website, established a social media presence, lined up reviewers, contacted bookstores, booked podcasts, and courted influencers before publication day.

 

You’ve climbed a mountain.

 

You just don’t realize you’ve reached Heartbreak Hill.

 

That’s where every author asks the same question:

 

What do I do now?

 

If it’s your debut, you probably think you’ve done everything possible.

 

You haven’t.

 

That realization stings.

 

If you’re a veteran, the question changes slightly: What can I do better? What can I do differently? The champagne has been poured, the congratulations accepted, and while it’s still gratifying, you know publication isn’t an ending. It’s a checkpoint.

 

Then you look at the keyboard.

 

There are really only two choices.

 

You can walk away because you’ve said everything you wanted to say.

 

Or—far more likely—you start another book. Maybe a short story. Maybe something entirely unexpected.

 

Because that’s the inconvenient truth about writers.

 

There is no finish line.

 

There’s only the next blank page.

Celebrate!

 

 

Aside from promotion, what’s the first thing a new author should do after publishing their first book?

CELEBRATE! For all the years of writing, re-writing, hoping, praying, despairing, and finally just persevering. For the hundreds of query letters, the never-ending string of thanks, but no thanks. For all the times you thought this would be it, but it wasn’t. Celebrate. You have earned it. And you will never feel this exact feeling again.

Then throw yourself a big old, ain’t I special party! At least that’s what I did. And I have zero regrets. Zero. There will be plenty of time to worry about sales reports, and selling enough for the publisher to want number two, and earning out. But for one night, or a month, or however long you want, celebrate that moment. You accomplished something extraordinary, whatever else happens.

Once the champagne bubbles have burst and you sink back to earth, get back to work on writing your next novel.

Finally, take advantage of all the opportunities to fully become part of your writing community. Join the organizations. Show up to reader/writer conferences. Talk to readers to let them know you have arrived. And most importantly. Go to the Debut Author Breakfasts, they are phenomenal, but will cost you at least one minute of your fifteen minutes of fame, because you will feel like a star, for a minute.

But above all else, I say again, Enjoy this moment for all it’s worth.

I Sell TENS of Books from James W. Ziskin

Do you keep track of your sales numbers? If so, how? What tools and processes do you use? Would you recommend doing so?

The Royalties Statement

“I sell TENS of books!”

I’ve been singing that tune for years. In fairness, I must give credit where credit is due. I stole (borrowed) that line from my wife. And even though we don’t reside in a community property state, we do own property in one. So I’m claiming half the credit for the quote and full credit for the meager sales numbers.

No, I don’t keep track of my sales for a couple of reasons. I’ve alluded to the first above. Another reason is that I don’t particularly trust the numbers. I know I’ve sold more books than my royalties reports show, but I simply don’t have the energy to dispute them. The difference probably wouldn’t be that great anyway. Certainly not enough to make me rich. So, instead of tilting at that windmill, I’ll sit in my own juices and stew. Maybe someday I’ll ask for an audit.

If you’re a masochist, however, there are a few readily available tools to monitor your sales. Amazon Author Central, for example, will show you some sales, though I don’t know for sure how accurate it is. But there’s no charge. You can wallow in your anemic sales for free! 

Of course you can also pay for sales data, though I’ve never done that. And since it’s a service you have to pay for, I’m certainly not going to give them publicity here. Plus, from what I hear, the results are anything but reliable.

All of this is to say that I don’t see the utility in monitoring my sales. In any case, the only measure that truly matters is what my publisher reports. I’m not saying those reports are accurate, but those are the ones used to calculate my royalties. If you self-publish through Amazon, they supply sales reports and pay you accordingly. I don’t know how accurate those are since I know little about self-publishing. If you’ve got experience with that, please post in the comments below.

*****************

THE PRANK…enigmatic and unnerving. The pace never flags for a second. This is some masterly plotting. I loved it.”

—Liz Nugent, author of Strange Sally Diamond

 

“The Holdovers meets The Bad Seed,”

THE PRANK. A picture clipped from Playboy magazine, a missing Swiss Army Knife, and a prank gone terribly wrong conspire to make Christmas 1968 a deadly holiday to remember.

From two-time Edgar Award finalist, Anthony, Barry, and Macavity award-winner James W. Ziskin, THE PRANK releases July 2026.

836

Lasdjkgfdljg

The Ignorance-Is-Bliss Approach

Do you keep track of your sales numbers? If so, how? What tools and processes do you use? Would you recommend doing so?

by Dietrich

You finish your novel, send the manuscript to your editor, and now you’re faced with a choice: stress over marketing metrics, or close the laptop and let the universe take the wheel.

If you lean toward the latter—like I do—you’re not alone. Some of us share a similar philosophy: obsessing over data can choke the creative process. We figure that if something earth-shattering happens (like a book hitting a major bestseller list), the phone will ring.

This attitude lets us focus on writing the next book while we occasionally check reviews to keep a finger on the pulse. This hands-off approach helps keep our mental health intact, but it’s also a little like driving blind. Relying solely on a publisher or publicist has a few snags. Publishing houses tend to move slowly, and royalty statements don’t arrive weekly. By the time you notice a dip or spike, months could have passed. Also, publicists eventually move on to other projects, leaving no one to monitor your daily metrics. Small victories can slip by unnoticed. For example, your book might be climbing a specific Amazon subcategory, but you’ll never know if no one is watching.

Fortunately, tracking your numbers doesn’t require a degree in data science. The industry has evolved, making the process relatively painless. Amazon Author Central offers free geographic data on your weekly BookScan sales (which capture physical book sales in most major retail stores) and tracks your historical Amazon Author Rank. Additionally, some major publishers now provide internal author platforms with up-to-date print and e-book sales data.

You don’t need to check the numbers daily. A simple monthly check-in works well: set a calendar reminder for the first of the month and spend ten to fifteen minutes reviewing your data. Or, you could just check the data after a specific event, such as a major media interview or a promotion, to see whether the buzz has translated into sales.

Knowing your numbers can tell you where your readers are buying your books, which marketing efforts are paying off, and how your career is moving. It removes some of the guesswork from the business side of writing. That said, if the idea of tracking data still triggers a headache, you still have reader feedback through reviews and comments.

Ultimately, there is no single best way to manage a career. Whether you dive into data science or remain blissfully detached, the goal is to find a routine that supports the business without draining your creativity. One thing most of us can agree on is that the best marketing tool we will ever have is that next great release.

Part coming-of-age story and part family drama, set against the harsh backdrop of World War II Ukraine and Germany.

In the winter of 1945, a German village deep inside Ukraine burns under Russian assault. Young Jakob Fritsch, torn from his family, is forced onto a cattle car bound for a work camp where death looms. When a Stuka’s bomb derails the train, Jakob escapes the smoking wreckage alongside two untrustworthy survivors. They forge through snow-laden wilderness, hunted by soldiers and partisans.

A tragic turn forces Jakob to go on alone. Starving and freezing, he braves the perilous countryside of Poland en route to Berlin — the only place he can go — which is being torn apart from all sides.

Far away in the shattered outskirts of Berlin, Frida Beckmann lives amid relentless bombing raids and encroaching Soviet forces. With her father in a prison camp and her mother broken by grief, Frida shoulders the weight of her family’s survival. Tested by hardship, betrayal, and loss, she is pushed well beyond her years.

Jakob and Frida navigate their war-torn paths, struggling to survive in a time stripped of mercy — seeking refuge when all the world’s gone mad.