Sunset Private Eyes is now live on Wattpad. There's a link over there somewhere >>>>>
Kat and Vivian are fresh off the Tinseltown busts, dealing with sudden celebrity and eager to cash that publicity in for their first paycheck as private eyes. There's no shortage of cases. The phone is ringing off the hook.
The lady detectives are building a business and a reputation, bringing on new help and investigatory capabilities. In Sunset '77, Vivian played the pivotal role in taking down the predators and bringing Crystal home. In Private Eyes, it's Kat's turn to work undercover.
I'm casting. I often have thoughts of actors when I imagine new characters. Who would play this role in my fantasy film adaptation? When I first wrote Watching The Detectives, she was too young, but I saw Scarlett Johannsen as the best fit to play Kat Price. I also liked Christina Hendricks for the role, when she goes blonde, but she's way too voluptuous, while ScarJo isn't enough. Now in her forties, maybe Johannsen has aged into it.
In chapter 4, you'll meet a sketchy character I became so fond of that I gave him a bigger role. Actor DJ Qualls is precisely who I had in mind to play Rich, a fixer-upper project Kat takes a chance on.
I have a crusty old, ball-breaking bartender modeled after Don Rickles, and a new cop I created for one reason: a tribute to one of my favorite character actors.
Detective Michael Madsen. There's no doubt who plays that role. Madsen passed away in July 2025. He was always perfect in the role of outsiders, ne'er-do-wells, and men with anti-social tendencies. Detective Mads is all that, a character designed around the actor's persona. I'm also a fan of his sister, actress Virginia Madsen. She could play the role of Kat. (shrugs)
I have not cast Vivian, and it's bugging me.
This story has many cases, from bang-bang get-it-done-and-get-paid jobs to a single-chapter case to a long sting operation covering most of the book. In research, I learned more about the international diamond trade than any layman needs to know. I get into the weeds.
I mentioned in my long and rambling Sunset Teaser blog from two weeks ago (since deleted) that a sequel was born within this novel. The truth is, I already had a synopsis and outline for a sequel. Now, I have two ideas for Sunset sequels, roughed out and ready to write. Those are far down the road.
You get three chapters this weekend, and then my STTS schedule.
I'm currently in the middle of the final rewrite of White Wedding. That will follow Sunset. After that, I don't know.