Real Spies, Real Lives

The author talks about the benefits and the distractions of researching historical fiction on a search engine. For a few more days, you can get the eBook of Phyllis A. Duncan's debut mystery novel, Supreme Madness of the Carnival Season , for only 99¢ Get yours before the weekend is over. You can find it HERE . A Spy's Legacy , book one of the eBook box set SECRETS , is now available in pa...

Another form of espionage is corporate or economic espionage, which may have started with secrets about how the Chinese manufactured porcelain. No sale this month, but on June 15 the print edition of A Spy's Legacy (book 1 of the SECRETS eBook box set) will be available HERE . Also, there'll be no episode of the podcast on 6/13/24. We'll resume on 6/20/24.

Apologies for the poor audio. In our rush to record, edit, and upload this episode we must have used the laptop microphone instead of the cool, fancy mic, and there was no time to re-record because we're retreating. Today and tomorrow you can still preorder SECRETS for only 99¢ HERE . As well, A WAR OF DECEPTION is still only 99¢ to download through 5/31/24 HERE .

Tradecraft in 18th Century France? Yep. The author discusses the conclusions to two historical streaming series, A Gentleman in Moscow and Franklin . Also, some thoughts on the harrowing documentary, 20 Days in Mariupol . Starting today through Monday, Memorial Day, the author's debut espionage novel (from 2017), A War of Deception , is free to download HERE . SECRETS, a 3-novel, eBook box set...

A busy publication/production week left no time for podcasting. Back next week! You can preorder the eBook box set SECRETS for 99¢ HERE and grab May's featured sale book A War of Deception (eBook) for 99¢ HERE .

Some musings on a busy writing life and how writing retreats help you cope. You can preorder the 3-novel, eBook box set SECRETS HERE . You can find the May sale book, A War of Deception HERE .

Book events are key to author/reader interaction. They can go well, but they can also go bad, per the author's recent experiences. SECRETS , the 3-novel eBook box set is now available for preorder for only 99¢, and you can find it HERE . May is the book birthday month for the author's debut espionage novel, A War of Deception . The eBook edition is on sale all month long, also only 99¢. Yo...

My thoughts on Guy Ritchie's new movie, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare , and a reading from Book 1 of the upcoming eBook Box Set, SECRETS . This month's featured books, all three in the Spy Flash Series are free through 4/27/24, and you can find them HERE .

Two Apple TV mini-series show that espionage isn't a 20th century construct: "Franklin" and "Manhunt," about the hunt for John Wilkes Booth. Plus--a reading from the featured April book, Spy Flash II . Find all three books in the Spy Flash series on sale HERE .

Apologies for the late posting of this week's episode. Listen to the episode, and you'll understand why.

A busy schedule and an annoying cold mean no episode this week. We'll be back on April 11. Apologies, P. A. Duncan

Old habits die hard. Turns out P. A. Duncan is as much an overachiever as a writer as she was as a public servant. The March sale on Duncan's debut mystery novel, Supreme Madness of the Carnival Season , is on for six more days, so act now before you lose out on the 99¢ sale. You can find the sale book HERE . You can also preview the April sale books HERE . That sale starts on 4/1/24--no fooli...

Some thoughts on the Massachusetts Air National Guardsman who illicitly photographed classified documents and posted them online. The author's debut mystery novel, Supreme Madness of the Carnival Season , is still on sale--99¢ for the eBook through the remainder of March. You can find it HERE . Oh, and Happy Ostara!

The author plays around a bit with AI--Artificial Intelligence--on what it takes to be an espionage writer. And . . . to celebrate the book birthday of her debut mystery novel, Supreme Madness of the Carnival Season , the eBook of that novel is FREE to download March 14 - 18, 2024. You can download it for FREE HERE .

With props to Sarah McLachlan for the title. Why it took so long for the author to release a mystery novel, plus reading that grounds the antagonist's backstory. Supreme Madness of the Carnival Season is having its first book birthday this month, and to celebrate the eBook is only 99¢. Find out what secret is hidden behind a parlor wall. You can find Supreme Madness of the Carnival Season HERE...

Spies and secrets go together like ham and Swiss, peanut butter and jelly--you get the drift. But sometimes the secrets are personal, something the author will explore in an upcoming eBook Box Set entitled, appropriately, SECRETS . Today is the final day that all four books in the 9/11 series will be 99¢ each, so head over HERE to get that bargain before it expires.

It took a few days, but the author, also an historian specializing in Russia, finally found words to discuss the death of Alexei Navalny. Also, today 2/22 and tomorrow 2/23/24, are the final two days that all four eBook novels of the 9/11 series MEETING THE ENEMY will be free. All four novels right now are comfortable in the top 10 of an Amazon bestseller list. You can find the free eBooks HERE .

A review of the new movie Argylle and of an Acorn TV series, Deception . The author's 9/11 series, MEETING THE ENEMY , is still on sale, and FREE days are coming up next week. You can find the series HERE .

The author discusses John le Carré's memoir, The Pigeon Tunnel , and a documentary where le Carré discusses and expands on the memoir. A "must-see" for le Carré fans, says the author. The February sale books, the four novels in the 9/11 series MEETING THE ENEMY remain on sale for 99¢ each for the eBooks, which you can find HERE . PROLOGUES , the eBook-only box set of the four MEETING...

The author talks about the popularity of book series among readers and what constitutes a series. Plus, is her own work a series? You decide. The February sale eBooks are all four books in the 9/11 series MEETING THE ENEMY , which are 99¢ each. You can find them HERE . The eBook box set of MEETING THE ENEMY reader magnets, PROLOGUES , will remain at 99¢ for February, also. You can find PROLOGUES H...

The author provides a bit of background on a work in progress about The Troubles in Northern Ireland back in the 1970s. The sale on PROLOGUES, the eBook box set of Meeting the Enemy reader magnets continues through 1/31/24, and you can find the box set HERE .

The author talks about an upcoming project, an eBook box set of three novels pushing some secondary characters to the forefront. And the eBook box set of MEETING THE ENEMY reader magnets, titled PROLOGUES, launched on 1/15 and is available still at its preorder price of 99¢. Find it HERE .

Listen to some background on the author's newest eBook release, PROLOGUES, a compilation of all four reader magnets for the 9/11 series, MEETNG THE ENEMY. PROLOGUES is still available for preorder HERE . Hear some stats on how well the podcast did last year (pretty good, actually), and listen to a free excerpt of the lead-off story in PROLOGUES. If you're interested in more from author P.A...

I hope you enjoyed your holiday break because I did, but now the podcast is back with weekly episodes. Check out the eBook box set of the reader magnets of the 9/11 series, Meeting the Enemy . You can preorder the eBook HERE , and it launches on January 15, 2024. And I'm now on Substack with some blog posts and some flash fiction. You can subscribe HERE --for free. Happy New Year! And thanks f...

To make sure each episode is a quality presentation, the host is taking time off from the Real Spies, Real Lives Podcast for the rest of 2023. Look for a new episode Jan. 4, 2024--and Happy Holidays!