The Unlucky (29 page)

In performing her tasks in Toronto, I also wanted to have Sarah irrevocably appear to be a murderer. I wanted YouTube videos, actual footage of Sarah Roberts pulling the trigger and killing someone. Once that was done, killing Joel and Belinda was icing on the cake.

Enter the strait-laced detective who never breaks the rules and you’ve got Sarah in a lot of trouble.

Writing myself into a box, as I like to call it, is a favorite pastime of mine. The first time I ever wrote myself into a box was in The Warning, Book Two, when Sarah was locked inside a small portable jail on a commune near an abandoned airplane hangar. The room was square. A hole was cut in the floor as a toilet and the only way in and out was through the door, but that was padlocked and chained closed. There was virtually no way out.

I spent almost two weeks at my desk trying to get her out of that jail. I finally had her burrow under the hole in the toilet and crawl on the feces-encrusted dirt to the far wall where she was shot twice—grazed—and then finally escaped.

Writing myself into a corner is too much fun for me. And that was my goal for this novel.

Why do I use Toronto as a location so often?

I spent many years in Toronto and no matter where I travel throughout the world, Toronto has a special place in my heart. I bought cassettes at Sam The Record Man on Yonge Street in the mid ’80s. I went to the Amnesty International concert in 1987 at Maple Leaf Gardens and saw Bruce Springsteen and Peter Gabriel among others. That concert went on so long that night, we couldn’t get a train out of the city. My friend and I spent the night walking the streets of downtown Toronto until the first train out of Union Station the next morning. We fell asleep in the lobby of the Royal York Hotel—from book seven, The Vigilante—then got kicked out by security. And we bought coffee, one after another, at an all-night Golden Griddle restaurant until the sun rose and the trains began rolling again.

I remember AC/DC’s “Who Made Who” concert at the CNE Fairgrounds in the summer of 1986. It was so intense that when the trains pulled up to take people out of the area, there was a riot. Concertgoers attacked the GO Train (Government of Ontario Train) and destroyed them. GO canceled any other trains and everyone had to find their own way home. We ended up using a taxi service, which was pricey in those days on a high school budget.

I know, not all the memories of Toronto are good, but they are memories that became stories around the campfire. Like the time I was swarmed by seven other guys in a Radio Shack in the mall and suckered punched in the face because I looked at a guy wrong. Insane stuff, but man, that’s not even the worst of it. I’ve got dozens of true stories, near misses and absolute insanity on the streets of Toronto that ultimately led me to raising my daughters outside its borders.
 

But I also have a bevy of fond memories and when I can, I like to go back to Toronto, to my old haunts, and walk down memory lane, hence the use of Toronto as a location numerous times in my novels. Many of the places I write about I’ve been to, like The Office. A bunch of friends and I would always meet on Tuesday nights back in the early ’90s for Wing Night. I miss those days.

But alas, we must all grow up and move on. At least I can walk those streets, relive those memories and enjoy Toronto through Sarah’s eyes. Not the violent parts, though. I’ll let Sarah deal with that shit.

When I turned eighteen, I joined a company called Canadian Protection Services as a security guard. I worked my way up to Patrol Supervisor and eventually attained my Private Investigator License. When Jamie Stratton—the Eaton’s Centre Security Guard in this novel—found the white Dodge Charger and dropped to the ground in an attempt to secure the plate number of the car unseen, you were reading a true story. I did that exact thing when I was young. I still recall the plate number that got a sex-offender arrested and put behind bars. But he didn’t see me. He never saw me coming.

Just like Jamie Stratton, I applied to Durham Regional Police to be a cop, but I failed the spelling test. I know, I can’t believe it either!

But I stop there and say that these novels are not anything remotely close to being a memoir. This is entirely fiction with a little of the, “Write what you know,” saying.

Many people help with each novel and I would like to thank them here.

My wife. She’s a great inspiration as she’s often caught saying something sarcastic only Sarah would say. Even if she’s arguing a point, I sometimes stop her to run and write down that witty sarcasm. She has helped with book titles, ideas, and she’s always my first reader offering sage advice.

So to my wife, I thank you.

My editor, Robb Grindstaff—also an amazing writer—I couldn’t do it without him. We’re in our fourth year of working together and I can’t express how valuable he is to me.

So to my editor, I thank you.

My daughters, Bethany and Odette, whom I love dearly. The next book, The Abandoned, is on its way, but in its early stages, my daughter Odette came up with a plot line I couldn’t resist. Watch for The Abandoned’s release, and when it comes out and you’ve read it, the Afterword will explain her role. Bethany has offered numerous points that I’ve had to fix and even does last minute edits for me. She’s becoming quite the writer herself.

Lastly, the readers. I could not do this without you. You are my heroes. I love you all. That is why in The Enigma, Sarah Roberts Book Six, I had a cop named Mara as a dedication to Mara Martinez. I have used other friends’ and readers’ names in the past, as well as names of people I don’t particularly like.

In this novel, the Turner Brothers were used lightly. Turner was the name of a boy from Grade Two that took a chip out of my front teeth when he jammed my face into the tiled floor of the school hallway. Ever since that single act of stupidity, I have spent years in and out of dentist offices fixing my front teeth. They remained fragile since the first time they were fixed. A hockey puck in the mouth broke it once. A misjudged beer bottle smacked it out. A considerably sticky piece of Halloween toffee pulled the broken piece loose again. Back to the dentist over and over. The last time it was fixed was in 2011. It hasn’t broken since and I’m hoping it stays in place for a while longer.

The reason I’m going on about names is because in the novel before this one, The Haunted, Sarah Roberts Book Twelve, I used Sandra Gonzales’ name. Sandra is a wonderful human being and I’m so grateful to have her as a reader.

In this book, The Unlucky, I used Marina Diner as my detective. Marina is a real person whom I am also so grateful to have as a reader. I appreciate her enthusiasm when a new novel comes out. I don’t know these people personally, but as readers, I love them.

And Gigi, I hope you saw that you were the waitress in The Office Pub on John Street.

If you want to be a detective, a murderer, a helper who has a bit part, or a friend to Sarah, email me or message me on Facebook and let me know. I love using the names of the readers in the books and look forward to using yours.

Finally, a little fun. Sarah Roberts has her own Facebook Page where readers can see what she’s up to and follow her releases. Join us at
Sarah Roberts Facebook
.

Most of all, thank you for reading, and I hope you join Sarah’s ride for many more novels to come.

The Abandoned, Sarah Roberts Book Fourteen, is on its way where Sarah heads to Amsterdam and ends up in Greece.

Then Book Fifteen deals with a Drug Cartel that she has unwittingly pissed off.

And there’s so much more coming.

Get caught reading …

Jonas Saul

Good reviews are important to a novel’s success. If you enjoyed The Unlucky, please leave a review wherever you purchased the book.

Sincerely,

About Jonas Saul

Jonas Saul is the author of the Sarah Roberts Series and The Mafia Trilogy.

Visit his website,
www.jonassaul.com
for upcoming release dates, and to sign up for the newsletter. Jonas lives in Washington, USA.

Contact Jonas Saul

Website:
http://www.jonassaul.com

Twitter:
@jonassaul

Email:
[email protected]

Or send mail to Jonas Saul ℅ Imagine Press Inc.:

American Address:

900 Front Street, Suite #137

Leavenworth, Washington

98826

United States

Canadian Address:

101 - 1865 Dilworth Drive

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Kelowna, B.C.

V1Y 9T1

Canada

Jonas Saul Titles

The Sarah Roberts Series

1. Dark Visions

2. The Warning

3. The Crypt

4. The Hostage (*Featuring Drake Bellamy from The Threat)

5. The Victim (*Featuring Aaron Stevens from The Specter)
 

6. The Enigma

7. The Vigilante (*Featuring Aaron Stevens from The Specter)

8. The Rogue (*Featuring Darwin and Rosina Kostas from The Mafia Trilogy)

9. Killing Sarah

10. The Antagonist

11. The Redeemed

12. The Haunted

13. The Unlucky

14. The Abandoned (Coming Soon)

The Mafia Trilogy
(Starring Darwin and Rosina Kostas)

1. The Kill

2. The Blade

3. The Scythe

Standalone Novels

1. The Threat (Starring Drake Bellamy)

2. The Specter (Starring Aaron Stevens)

3. A Murder in Time (Starring Marcus Johnson)

4. The Snake (Coming Soon)

Short Stories

1. The Burning

2. The Numbers Game

3. Trapped

4. Twisted Fate (Tales of Horror)

Compilations

1. Sarah Roberts Series Vol. 1-3

2. Sarah Roberts Series Vol. 4-6

3. Sarah Roberts Series Vol. 7-9

4. Sarah Roberts Series Vol. 10-12

5. The Mafia Trilogy

6. The Jonas Saul Thriller Trilogy (The Threat, The Specter, A Murder in Time)

PUBLISHED BY:

Imagine Press Inc.

ISBN: 978-1-927404-40-9

The Unlucky

Copyright © 2015 by Jonas Saul

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.