Real Spies, Real Lives

We've talked about the archetypes in spy novels, now let's talk about The Big Four -- the plots for spy novels. First up, The Mission. Book 2 in my mystery series, The Ewington Mysteries , is ready to preorder (the eBook). You can preorder Mournful Influence of the Unperceived Shadow for only 99¢ at amazon.com/dp/B0DYJYWXYN .

Why it's important not to reveal the identity of covert operatives, the laws ensuring protection, and more. The Cold War novel LOVE DEATH is still on sale for 99¢ through the end of this month. You can find it at amazon.com/dp/B08QDLXBCS. Coming in March, a new mystery in the Ewington Mysteries Series.

A writing talk about plot vs character and which drives a story. The 2021 standalone espionage novel LOVE DEATH is the featured sale book for February 2025. The eBook version of the novel is only 99¢. You can find it at amazon.com/dp/B08QDLXBCS

Learn all about the archetypes that should appear in spy fiction, courtesy of author Graeme Shimmin. P. A. Duncan's new novella, Every Day is a Test , is FREE to download through 1/19/25. amazon.com/dp/B0DRPNH4VS Unexpected Paths Publishing announces its first publication by an author other than P. A. Duncan: Secondhand Hugs , a chapbook of poetry by Mel Jones. amazon.com/dp/DRTGZKL7

Apologies for no music. Technical difficulties or operator error, take your pick. In this first episode of 2025, we learn that the podcast will now be twice a month, not weekly as it was previously. And a new novella by P. A. Duncan debuted on 1/1/25, and you can find it as an eBook or Paperback here: amazon.com/dp/B0DRPNH4VS Look for a new episode in two weeks.

Play the recording. It explains it all.

Apologies for no podcast today. My flu shot kicked my butt. I'll be back next week, but in the meantime, keep an eye out . . . for spies!

You've seen the memes: "Don't mind my browser history; I'm a writer." But is there anything to worry about? Maybe. Maybe not. We're in the final few days of the October promo: the 3 novels and the reader magnet for SELF-INFLICTED WOUNDS will be 99¢ each through 10/31/24. Find them at amazon.com/dp/B08L3886FP.

Fifteen years of the writing life, and what do I have to show for it? Everything I ever dreamed of. The three novels and the reader magnet for Self-Inflicted Wounds are FREE to download through Sunday, October 20. amazon.com/dp/B08L3886FP

To celebrate the 200th episode of the Real Spies, Real Lives Podcast, here is a history of how the podcast got started and some stats on how it's fared up to the 5th season so far. And the October eBooks sale is still on. The three novels and the reader magnet for SELF-INFLICTED WOUNDS are 99¢ each, and you can find them HERE .

Some insight into how the 1960s TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. inspired the author's fiction and an homage to the ground-breaking television spy series. The sale books for October are the books in the series Self-Inflicted Wounds plus the trilogy's reader magnet, Dateline: Belgrade . The four eBooks are 99¢ each, and you can find them HERE .

Sun Tzu's THE ART OF WAR and its take on espionage. Five days left to score all four ebooks in the series, A PERFECT HATRED for 99¢ each. Find them HERE .

A spy's training enhances skills they already have, but what are the effects of information overload, AI, and ethical quandaries. All 4 eBooks in A PERFECT HATRED are free starting today, Sep. 19, 2024, through Sep. 23, 2024, and you can download them for free HERE .

I've run out of time while preparing for the convention I'm going to this weekend, so Part II of getting inside a spy's head will be next week. Sorry for the inconvenience, but adulting . . .

What are the characteristics of a good spy and how do spies use them for a successful operation? The September sale eBooks--all four books in the series, A PERFECT HATRED--are 99¢ each this month, and you can find them HERE . Sept. 13-15, the author will be at the Creatures, Crimes, and Creativity Con in Columbia, MD. Find out more HERE .

How does my Top 5 list of realistic spy movies compare to The Google's? Listen and find out. Note: If you haven't watched any of these, you need to. Also, three days left to download the eBook of THE BETTER SPY for on 99¢ HERE .

P. A. Duncan is on a writer's retreat where she's writing, not podcasting, so a new episode will drop next week on 8/29/24. See you then!

What about a celebrity could possibly make them a good spy? Listen and find out. The paperback edition of TAKING HER BOWS dropped earlier than expected, so you can find a copy HERE . The August sale book, THE BETTER SPY , is only 99¢ for the eBook HERE .

An answer to a question writers always get--why did you become a writer. The August sale book The Better Spy is 99¢ HERE . The paperback edition of Taking Her Bows will be available to order on 8/17/24 HERE .

Computer issues made this late yet again. Many apologies. This episode concludes the answer to the reader question "Who won the Cold War?" The August sale book is the novel in stories THE BETTER SPY, which you can find HERE all this month for only 99¢.

Apologies for a late upload. Updated software offered some incompatibility issues, which I hope to resolve by next week. This episode is where I try to answer a reader's question about who won the Cold War. To download Love Death for free (until midnight TONIGHT), go HERE .

A look into the world of culinary espionage. Nope, not a typo. You can find the July sale book, Love Death , for only 99¢ HERE . You can find the paperbacks of A Spy's Legacy and For My Country HERE . And you can find the eBook box set SECRETS HERE .

The third and final part discussing the protection of classified information. On to new topics next week. On July 13, 2024, the paperback edition of For My Country , book two of the eBook box set SECRETS will be available for purchase HERE . The July sale book, the novel Love Death is available HERE for a low eBook price.

We explore some of the reasons people mishandle classified information, and the real world results of such actions. The sale book for July is LOVE DEATH from 2020, and "end-of-Cold-War" novel with its beginnings from before the Berlin Wall was constructed. The eBook is 99¢ all month, and you can find it HERE . And we're a little more than a week away from the print edition release of...

P. A. Duncan talks about why securing classified information is so important and what the repercussions may be for mishandling it. This is part 1; part 2 is next week's episode. The paperback of A Spy's Legacy is available HERE , and next month the standalone novel Love Death will be on sale for 99¢. Also next month on 7/13, the paperback edition of For My Country will launch.