by Keri Rozansky | Aug 12, 2026 | Blog
Recently, I traveled to see my parents and take care of some business in Michigan. My family and I stayed with my parents for the duration of the trip, save for a few days we were in another part of the state doing that business.
We were watching TV at my parents’ one evening. A police procedural-type show was on. My retired police officer dad always watches with a mindset of whether the policing on the show is comparable to his real life experience as an officer. Sometimes it is, sometimes it clearly is not.
I realized I was watching the show through somewhat of the same lens. I was never a police officer, but I’ve done a lot of research – reading, speaking to current and former officers of all ranks and varied police departments – and noted the same discrepancies my dad had. “That wouldn’t happen that way,” “why don’t they have guns during this standoff?” and several other holes in the policing side of the story were observed by both me and my dad. Other than those obvious holes, I enjoyed the episode.
My dad read my book, and only had one complaint, and I understand why. My only response was that it made sense before another plot point was cut. I had felt that the character dynamic was preserved, but he mentioned the overall ramifications it may have during a real-life investigation. Noted. That interaction will be handled differently in future books.
At a recent activity for my son’s former Boy Scout troop, I spoke with an alumnus of the troop with a background in law enforcement. When I told him about my book, he was interested. He also lamented about the inaccuracies portrayed in entertainment: “I wish I could solve a crime in 48 minutes!” This reflected similar advice I received from an online support group called Cops & Writers on Facebook. The law enforcement officers in that group remind the writers to portray the passage of time – summer turning to fall and winter and so forth. Some crimes take months or years, and very few take only a few days or weeks – if you’re lucky.
I’m still moving forward with drafting the next book, and there are more outlines waiting to get the attention they deserve. As I said previously, I won’t be making any major announcements until I feel real progress toward a next step has been made.
I continue to watch my favorite shows for the content I loved before, but I can’t help but notice the little things I now know make a difference. Have you ever researched something so much or so thoroughly that you begin evaluating things differently? Let’s talk on Facebook!
by Keri Rozansky | Aug 5, 2026 | Blog
As I continue to market Midnight Splash, I continue to work on other writing projects. The next book is still in drafting phases and isn’t ready to announce yet, but research and writing moves daily on it. This week’s research: car brand emblems, or ‘badges’ as most people call them.
Why? At one point in the next book, such details may become important to leading Detective Ellison in the right direction.
Car badges come in all shapes and sizes. There’s the Chevrolet “bow tie,” the four joined circles of Audi, the galloping horse of Mustang, and many more. These small details are subtly planted in the back of our minds to remind us to associate certain symbols and shapes with particular products. There are even ‘can you name all of the brands?’ graphics that remove the names to test your product knowledge.
That knowledge can be shaken up during the worst of times, and can come back when you least expect it – and help connect a missing piece to a bigger mystery.
Can you identify your favorite things based on their logos alone? Let’s talk more on Facebook!
by Keri Rozansky | Jul 29, 2026 | Blog
You can hear about my official ‘writing journey’ on my website in the “About Keri” tab. Honestly, that’s the story of how I arrived at the place I am today – a published author with many more stories to tell.
I’ve always loved reading. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t. That turned into a love of writing. For my birthday one year, I was gifted a diary. The cliché book with a lock to keep my deepest thoughts to myself. Rather than thinking and writing about my feelings and experiences of the day, I crossed out the dates and used the book to write short stories, poetry, and other creative work that I didn’t want anyone to see. I didn’t write about boys or problems with friends or any of the other things girls typically wrote.
These stories were all for me. If anyone saw them, it wasn’t because I showed them. I never thought of writing as a job or a career I could have. I turned toward ideas like police officer, teacher, and other ‘real’ jobs.
It wasn’t until my senior year of high school I seriously thought about writing as more than a hobby. My English teacher handed back a paper I wrote and point-blank asked me why I hadn’t been in her freshman advanced English class. I’d heard time and again how good my academic writing was, but I still never showed anyone my personal creativity.
Instead of pursuing a creative writing degree or merely a career as an author without a college education, I went to college with the hopes of becoming an English teacher. I met some pitfalls and ultimately turned toward professional writing. I’ve had writing experiences I wouldn’t have had if I had gotten that teaching degree. I’ve written news copy, travel blogs, website content, and now – finally – my first novel.
I still kept my personal creativity private. I currently can’t think of any friends of family who have read anything completely unpolished.
Writing is still deeply personal and private for me, and there are some things that may never see the light of day. But I have learned that when you have something to say, and the right people listen, it opens up doors you could only dream of approaching one day.
I hope you enjoy Midnight Splash and any other work I’m brave enough to show the rest of the world.
by Keri Rozansky | Jul 22, 2026 | Blog
Now that Midnight Splash is out and available for regular sale, what now? You mean aside from continuous marketing, possibly attending some events and conferences, or coordinating things like bookstore or library appearances.
Yep. I’ll be balancing all that as well as outlining and writing the next story. I’ve had one in drafting stages for a while. It took a back burner position as I got everything in order for the launch of Midnight Splash. It also gave me time to make some tweaks and improve the story before I finish writing.
No first draft is perfect, but giving the story some extra time to ‘sit’ has helped me come back to it with fresh eyes and realize that certain things just aren’t working or making sense.
I talked to my aunt and uncle for my birthday earlier this month, and my uncle pointed out something I haven’t thought of in several weeks: now that it’s done, you know what to do next time to make it go better.
There’s so much truth to that, business-wise and writing-wise. I’ve set up a company, opened bank accounts, improved a website and added an online store, bought writing and editing software that will serve me well into the future, and made other decisions and took action that can work in the background from here on out.
As difficult as it is to get from first draft to published book, that seemed to be the easiest thing this time around.
Where was I going with this? Yes, more writing. Once I find a new groove I’ll be able to devote more time to the next story. I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up (including my own) by announcing any sort of completion date, but with what I’ve learned I can only hope that the next book doesn’t take me an extra 18 months than what I’d originally planned.
Is there a big project you completed and finally felt like you could relax? Did you relax – or did you move onto the next thing? Let’s talk on Facebook!
by Keri Rozansky | Jul 15, 2026 | Blog
In case you missed it: Midnight Splash released yesterday!
It’s now available for regular sale on my website, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble!
Now that it’s available, you can request it be stocked at your local bookstores, libraries (public and age-appropriate school libraries), or wherever you get your books. It’s just one way you can help support me if you can’t commit to buying.
* A note about requesting for schools: The topics of death/loss, murder, etc. aren’t always appropriate for children of all ages. Midnight Splash is in the young adult category of fiction, and is best for older teens and up. Midnight Splash and its themes are more suited to high schoolers and older *
Some other ways to support me:
– Leave a review – wherever you bought the book
– Spread the word on social media – TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Substack or whatever social platform(s) you use, let people know what you’re reading
– Follow my social media (linked above)
– Recommend the book for your book club
– Anything else you do to spread the word about the things you enjoy!
Happy reading!
