Frequently Asked Questions

about Soot and Sweat on Flesh, Torch: The Continuing Adventures of Firefighter Bette Maguire, and On Fire: Book 3 in the Bette Maguire series

Chapter Samples

QUESTION: Can I read a sample of Soot and Sweat on Flesh?
ANSWER: Here is the Prologue at the beginning of the novel. Here are Chapter 1 and Chapter 2.

QUESTION: Can I read a sample of Torch: The Continuing Adventures of Firefighter Bette Maguire?
ANSWER: Yes! Here are the Prologue and Chapter 1! Enjoy!

QUESTION: Can I read a sample of On Fire?
ANSWER: Yes! The prologue is currently available. Click on the "Book 3: On Fire" link at left, then the "Read Prologue" link on that page! Enjoy!

Other Fascinating Questions

QUESTION: What years do the books take place in?
ANSWER: Soot and Sweat on Flesh takes place in the year 2000, before the tragic NYC 9/11 events. The year 2000 was actually the year I started writing the book, so I used all the dates/days of week from that year. Torch, as a sequel, takes place immediately after the end of the first novel -- from about December 1, 2000, until August 2001, right before 9/11. The third book takes place five years later, in 2006. By that time, the horrific terrorist tragedy has changed Bette, her squad, and they way they do their jobs.

QUESTION: Where do the books take place?
ANSWER: Soot and Sweat on Flesh takes place in the fictional southern New Hampshire city of Webster (named after the great statesman Daniel Webster). NOTE: In reality, there is the small town of Webster, NH, which has 1500 residents and is located next to Concord, NH. My Webster, which is not based on that town in any way, has about 90,000 residents and an appropriately-sized fire department to support them.

QUESTION: How do you pronounce Bette's name?
ANSWER: Bette Maguire is the main character, a female firefighter looking for a chance to succeed at the job. Her first name is pronounced like the Bette in "Bette Midler" or as in placing a "bet" on a poker hand in Las Vegas. If anyone ever calls her Betty, she would definitely correct them. If somone wants to rile her, all they would need to do is call her Betty. Once you read the book, you'll see her personality is much more a Bet than a Betty.

QUESTION: How long are the books?
ANSWER: Soot and Sweat on Flesh is approximately 240 published pages and about 98,000 words. Torch is about 130,000 words. On Fire is the same length as the first book, about 240 pages, but it also contains 12 firefighter illustrations.

QUESTION: How can I order copies?
ANSWER: Click on the "How to Order" on the left of this page and you will see multiple ways of ordering the books, either with a money order or through credit card via Ebay or Amazon.com. Thanks for asking!

QUESTION: Do you have book signings?
ANSWER: Yes, periodically, I do, usually in the New Hampshire and Massachusetts area. Check my home page News section for details on where I'm headed next.
I'd be delighted to go mostly anyplace willing to host me and my book -- a book store or library is best. Please let me know if you know of any contacts!
I'd be happy to come sign and sell books at a discount, plus talk about the perils and joys of self-publishing! In fact, I can talk about any of the subjects I write about in my blog, The Random Thoughts on Writing. See link at left.