 My first six novels were traditionally published. When I got the rights back to those books and began writing new ones, we decided to "go Indie," meaning we would bypass traditional publishers and go straight to market with our novels. It's been a thrilling ride!
I've always wanted my books to be gritty, contemporary, sometimes dark, tension-filled thrillers—but with an underlying message of hope in God. For more than 20 years, one scripture has stood out as the 'vision' for my books: What I tell you in the darkness, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim on the housetops. - Matthew 10:27 - So, now you know the story and meaning behind the name of our publishing company: Rooftop Press.
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 When I wrote my thriller, NOBODY, the publisher sent me to Las Vegas for three days to research the book. We'd heard Vegas had an enormous homeless population and thought featuring a homeless man as the main character could be intriguing. (His name in the book is Chester Holte.)
While in Las Vegas, I toured shelters, soup kitchens, and medical trailers where the homeless congregated, as well as the "tent cities" and canyons where they slept. Of course, I also visited the clubs, casinos, and famous night spots. A key to the trip was visiting with Jud Wilhite, senior pastor of Central Church in Las Vegas. We spent time together talking about who he was trying to reach via his mega-church. And, wow, that place was attracting drug dealers, strippers, casino employees...you name it — all in the loving name of Jesus Christ! Jud shared a poem with me entitled, "I Stand By The Door," which is introduced at the beginning of Nobody. The book is really all about leading others to "the door," to God's door. That's what Chester's life was about.  Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! If you’ve just discovered the hunt, be sure to start at Stop #1, and collect the clues through all the stops, in order, so you can enter to win one of our top 5 grand prizes!
My newest release is an epic domestic thriller--CHARM ARTIST.  Here’s what it’s about:
After the Portland terrorist attack, the kidnapping of his daughter, and the domestic violence case that almost killed him, Detective Wayne Deetz and his wife Joanie escape for a long overdue vacation in Sedona, Arizona, to make some monumental career decisions. When Joanie’s childhood friend, Suzanne, acts euphoric and distant, Deetz and Joanie become suspicious of her boyfriend, the beguiling millionaire artist Octavius Hunt. The more Wayne and Joanie dig into Octavius’s corrupt and scandalous background—and his shady partnership with Mayor Marsden Maddox and entrepreneur Timmy Kondore—the darker and more twisted Suzanne’s reality becomes. When Wayne and Joanie dare to venture one step too far into Octavius’s sinister world of drugs and pleasure to find answers, they find themselves square in the madman’s crosshairs. Although Octavius Hunt is a bad example of someone who thinks creatively and spontaneously—I’m a good example! HOW I COME UP WITH ‘WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT’—BY THE SEAT OF MY PANTS There are novelists who are plotters—plan the whole book out before they begin writing—and there are seat-of-the-pants authors—who write the book on the fly as they go. I’m the latter. So, I take just a seed of an idea for a few characters and what might happen—and start the writing journey. As the manuscript slowly grows, I type ideas of ‘what can happen next’ at the end of the book. As the book grows more, I add more and more ideas about what can happen next at the end. By the time I’m halfway finished, I’ve broken those ‘ideas’ into categories for each main character. I also add an ‘Ending’ category with various ideas about how the book can end. This process makes me a slower writer than many, but I believe the resulting organic story and chilling twists-and-turns make it worth it for you—the reader. If you’re interested, you can order Charm Artist on Amazon! Here’s the Stop #10 Basics: Clue to Write Down: (in the) Link to Stop #11, the Next Stop on the Loop: James L. Rubart’s site! Good luck!
Patty and I just returned from a trip to NYC to visit our daughter, Esther, and see the sights. I'd taken each of our 4 kids to NYC when they graduated from high school, but Patty and I hadn't been together yet. Since Esther is based there as a flight attendant with American Airlines, this was a great time to go. We stayed at the Arthouse (Upper West), did the CircleLine boat ride around Manhattan, saw the 911 Memorial Pools, Central Park, Starbucks Roastery, Electric Lady Studios, and took in Chelsea, Greenwich Village, and Soho. Of course, Patty had to make stops at Tiffany's and, especially, the New York Public Library. The other cool thing was, I had always used the subways to get around . . . but Patty got us on the buses and I never looked back. Loved the buses, because you're at street level and can see the sights while you get to your next destination. Shout out to Amsterdam Ale House and Motorino Pizza. Good times in my favorite city with wonderful people.    For 13 years I've had a part-time job as an usher at a 13,000-seat Arena in Duluth, GA. I got the job just to do something fun every few weeks. I've truly enjoyed the camaraderie and the work, which has enabled me to see an array of sporting events, great speakers, as well as concerts with James Taylor, Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, Greenday, Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, Cher, Third Day, Need to Breathe, Keith Urban, and many more. It's been a long drought due to Covid, but we have some great shows lined up for the rest of the year. See you at the show!
 Book #4 in the Signs of Life Series Coming EARLY!
That's right, Charm Artist is now set for release in ebook and paperback formats on July 2, 2021 (instead of the original target date of Sept. 1, 2021). The audio book will release on or before Sept. 1, 2021. PRE-ORDER CHARM ARTIST HERE! EARLY READERS ARE SAYING... ★★★★★ “There’s a reason Creston Mapes is an Amazon #1 Best-selling author; he’s an absolute genius when it comes to writing suspense. In this new installment of Signs of Life series, Detective Wayne Deetz and his wife Joanie are on a well-deserved vacation in Sedona, Arizona. But Deetz quickly finds himself pulling back the curtain on the dark and seedy world of opioid addiction in all its ugliest glory. So much for a quiet vacation with the wife … Once again Mapes takes us on a wild ride, and leaves us breathless to the very last page.” — Best-selling Author Diane Moody ★★★★★ “I was hooked on the first page of Creston Mapes’ new book, Charm Artist. I could not put it down and I had to find out what was going to happen next. Just like n his other books in the Signs of Life Series, Creston’s character, Detective Wayne Deetz, did not fail to solve the crime, even though he was on vacation! My surprise was the role his wife, Joanie, played in helping solve the crime. This is a fast-paced, enjoyable read. — Gail Mundy ★★★★★ “If you like suspense, Creston Mapes will not disappoint. This fourth book in the Signs of Life series has Detective Wayne Deetz and wife Joanie on vacation visiting her best friend, Suzanne. The detective can’t ignore suspicious behavior of Suzanne and her boyfriend, especially when they learn of her lies about leaving town. Even though Deetz is supposed to be considering retirement, police work is in his blood. He can’t just walk away from the danger Suzanne is in. You don’t have to read the books in order, but you will want to read everything Creston Mapes writes. Ginger Aster, faithful fan.” — Ginger Astor ★★★★★ “I was captivated from the first chapter. I think Charm Artist is the best of the four in the series so far. Honestly, I couldn’t put it down, and read it in just two days. Once again, Creston Mapes writes straight out of the major headlines and gives us a ‘can’t put it down’ thriller.” — Missy Caulk Late at night I used to veg-out on cable news, from CNN to FOX. I'd watch it during lunch and listen to radio news talk shows in the car and at home. It was a habit -- and now I realize it was a bad habit.
For Lent, I gave up cable news completely and I venture to say, I'll never go back. It's been one of the most freeing things I've ever done. Now, I'm not stressed about the state of the country/world. It's all in God's hands. What's going to happen is going to happen. When something big goes down, I'll find out about it soon enough. Oh, I've also limited my social media junk to one day a week, when I get all caught up. That, too, has been immensely freeing. After all, I really don't need to know about the steak my sixth grade friend had for dinner on his yacht, in his mansion, whatever.....  Had a lovely stay on Amelia Island with my wife Patty recently. Almost every day we rode bikes, went to the beach, fished, and walked beach in the evening. I caught a bonnethead shark in the surf, several blue fish, and a bunch of whiting. Began taking notes for my next novel, which I'm thinking will be based on Amelia Island and in the town of Fernandina Beach.
Currently still writing Book #4 in the Signs of Life Series, entitled Charm Artist - set to drop Sept. 1. You can pre-order HERE. Hi friends, this week I had the privilege of doing a guest interview with Author Trish Perry. Here's the LINK.
Enjoy! Creston Book #4 in the Signs of Life Series is in the works and it is now up for PRE-ORDER on Amazon! Release date is set for Sept. 1, 2021, but we hope to have it our before then. All best. CM |
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