Christoffer Petersen

Authentic Arctic Crime books and Thrillers

Constable David Maratse

Maratse milestones!

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So… I’ve written a few Maratse stories. That might be a bit of an understatement, and I suppose I know it is when I look at a the above image of the omnibus editions. So far, I’ve written 24 novellas about Maratse. I tend to think of the novellas as behind the scenes or background stories, written primarily to get to know Maratse and to help me write the novels. I relax when writing a Maratse novella. It’s like coming home and visiting an old friend. We’re both getting on a bit now. Maratse’s birthday is July 3rd, 1979, so he’s a few years younger than me (six, but who’s counting?).

He’s a quiet fellow, passionate and unstoppable when suitably incited into action, but reluctant to engage or be engaged in conversation. He grunts more than he speaks, and I love him for that. Of course, choosing the right “voice” for Maratse is difficult when he says so little. However, he has been known to be unnaturally loquacious in one or two novellas, often when talking about dogs and ice.

Typical.

The question I often ask myself is will there be more Maratse novellas in the future? The answer is yes, and probably, and then definitely, when I feel a story coming on. Who knows? It might just be that the cheeky teaser covers for future omnibus editions might be published in the future… especially as novella #25 is already “in production”. 😉

I use covers as inspiration and motivation to produce stories, so you’ll have to forgive this glimpse into the future. Number 25 might be “in production” but three more omnibus editions is 12 more novellas!

I’m useless at maths but that’s… ah, that will be 26 novellas…

… deep breaths…

I guess I’ll be spending a lot of time with an old friend!

Chris

Meanwhile, in Greenland…

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Continuing the speculative and stand-alone story begun in Arctic State, Arctic Rebound, the fifth novella, is out today. I know, I’m biased, but I love the gorgeous blue cover, and I’m secretly really pleased with how the story turned out. Yes, shh, don’t tell anyone, but this one’s particularly fun, a little tragic, but very Maratse.

Chris

Go behind the scenes!

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This is one of those “love ’em or loathe ’em” posts. I happen to love writing short stories, and I really appreciate the support of readers willing to take a chance on a short story – a 20-30 minute read – especially in these inflated times.

Not sure inflated works in that sentence, but prices sure are inflated at the moment.

Behind the Scenes is capped at 0.99. I will bundle the stories at a later date, which means a better deal for interested readers who are willing to wait.

But what’s so special about Behind the Scenes? Of course, I am the wrong person to ask, but I had a lot of fun writing this one. I know, I know, I say that all the time, and it’s true. But Behind the Scenes is set in an alternative timeline, where we meet Maratse and Kamiila Sorsuttartoq from the Guerrilla Greenland series. Petra pops up in the novellas from the series, and she’s…  well she’s married, with two kids!

What?

Yeah, I know. Like I said… so much fun to write. And in an alternative time… anything goes!

But wait, Petra’s not in this one.

And it’s pretty much just another survival/hunt – i.e. being hunted – story set in winter in Greenland. Now, that might sound familiar. It’s what I do. But a lot of readers seem to like these kind of stories. If that’s you, then feel free to dive on in!

And that brings me to the point of this post (finally, sigh) Behind the Scenes comes out today, on Amazon (link), and in the Kindle Unlimited streaming programme.

You can read Behind the Scenes as a standalone short story, jump into the series of novellas beginning with Arctic State, or read the first of the Guerrilla Greenland shorts: Radio Free Will.

Chris

Upcoming releases – February 2022

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I’m still putting things together for January, and hope to put out a couple of short stories on the fly. However, two books are scheduled for release in February, including:

The American Artisan (novella)

When ghosts from an old case haunt an American artist as he walks the streets of Nuuk, Constable David Maratse is recalled to Greenland’s capital to investigate.

The American Artisan is the twenty-third in a series of novellas to feature Constable David Maratse in Greenland.

This is a fun one as one of the main characters is named after a backer of a recent Kickstarter campaign. The tone, however, isn’t fun, as that character is in peril, of course.

The Crocodile Beat* (novel)

In Australia’s vast and desolate Northern Territory, Constable Petra ‘Piitalaat’ Jensen’s most southerly missing persons case might just be her last.

Forced to take some well-earned leave, Petra searches for solace in the Australian Outback, only to find herself caught up in the search for a missing police sergeant.

The Crocodile Beat is the thirteenth in the Greenland Missing Persons series of novellas and novels normally set in the harsh, unpredictable Arctic, rich in tradition, myth and culture.

Both books will be posted to Amazon on the day of release, but may take up to a day to be visible.

However, The Crocodile Beat will be available in more stores as I try something new. It won’t be available in Kindle Unlimited, but it will be available for streaming in Kobo Plus. I’m trying new things in 2022 in the hope to gain more exposure.

We’ll see what happens.

Chris

*Edit (February 5, 2022): The Crocodile Beat will be a stand-alone novel. Sigh. 🙂

The Carpathian Connection

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And the first release of 2022 is The Carpathian Connection! Now, it is a short story, and unfortunately I can’t claim the words for my million word challenge as I wrote it in 2021. But it’s LIVE!

The Carpathian Connection is a short story, written as a reward for a Kickstarter campaign (I did change the name of one of the characters for this release). It’s around 8,000 words, or just over 25 paperback pages. The story features Constable David Maratse and reunites him with Constable Nujakina Uppik. She turned up for the first time in The Skin Drum, and I’m curious that she returned for this story. It’s one of those odd moments when needing a character for the story, they just arrive, as if waiting in the wings, holding up their hands, and saying, “I’ll take this one.”

I know. It’s weird. But that’s what happens.

The story starts with the discovery of a body, of course, and then Maratse does his thing. There is a chase, plenty of Greenland “stuff” – you know, boats, bergs, and bodies.

I think it’s a fun read. 🙂

I’ll be back with another post tomorrow. (Note to self: got to figure out how to get a girl out of a burning barn… working on it!)

Chris