📖 3-Minute Story: Crime Stories from the Digital Nomad Underworld
It was 2am in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I was awake, and blearily reaching for my phone on the bedside table as some thoughts swirled in my mind, my partner Kyle still sound asleep beside me.
Earlier that night, Kyle and I had been hanging out with some fellow digital nomads. We’d been out at a bar, discussing a shocking story about some nomads staying in the city who had been robbed — by women pretending to want to party with them, armed with a new drug that made their targets suggestible to handing over wallets and unlocked iPhones.
I had felt pretty safe in Buenos Aires, so I was surprised to hear the story — but as someone who kept to a “go to bed before midnight” sleep schedule, I realized I was insulated from most of what was going on in the shadows.
As we walked back to the house we were staying at for the month, I reflected on all of the other stories I’d heard about crime happening in and around the digital nomad and traveler community.
She disappeared from a yoga retreat in South America — no one has found her body.
Hikers on the Inca Trail have met their demise by following voices they hear in the dark at a haunted campsite.
Secret societies disguised as “art groups” control the Paris catacombs, putting on raves while also stealing maps and headlamps of tourist explorers, dooming them to becoming lost in the cave network beneath the city — never to be heard from again.
These stories clattered around my head: urban legends shared by American expats, locals, and international travelers of all backgrounds.
But who helps those who get lost in the world? I wondered. Who helps to find the missing people who find themselves crossing borders into the hands of those who wish to do them harm?
That’s why I was fumbling for my phone in the dark at 2am. I opened my notes app, and wrote the title for my debut work of fiction:
The Nomad Detective.
I immediately saw my main character Violet Chase as a Private Eye on the hunt for her first, and most important case: her missing twin sister. But after sustaining a head injury, Detective Violet Chase is gifted with synesthesia and the ability to see auras. Her mixed-up senses help her discover who’s lying to her and what their true motives are.
It’s this detective who finds love, heartbreak, and mystery as she solves crimes all over the world — from the mythical Inca Trail to Machu Picchu to the fog of the Venetian art scene.
The Nomad Detective is my way to explore what happens beyond the shimmering Instagram photos all of us nomads post online in front of breathtaking wonders of the world.
We all seem to know about the crime that happens in our hometowns: break-ins, vandalized cars, fires.
But the crime that happens in the expat and digital nomad community? It feels like it evaporates. Becomes ephemeral. Feels like it’s not “real life” because when you’re traveling, everything is heightened.
In a foreign city where no one has any context for each other’s lives, who could you be?
What could you get away with?
The Nomad Detective: Volume I is available for pre-order on Amazon — and officially comes out August 1st! — and inside the book you’ll find four serialized short stories:
* The Nomad Detective and the Case of the Moonlight Jungle Party
* The Nomad Detective and the Case of Dead Woman’s Pass
* The Nomad Detective and the Case of the Venetian Masquerade
* The Nomad Detective and the Case of the Cryptic Catacombs
And I can’t wait to share them with you :)
P.S. To all my paid subscribers — a free copy of the book will be coming to you soon! And if you’re not a paid subscriber, consider subscribing to get access to my archives, a free copy of The Nomad Detective, and more.
Oh, and if you dig what I’m working on — feel free to share this Substack with your friends and fellow writers.
Here are more posts of mine you may find interesting:
✨ 2 Things I’ve Read and Loved This Week…
* Fourth Wing and Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros. The Fourth Wing series kicked off a weekend-long reading marathon for me! I was saving these books because I knew I’d enjoy them after reading the entire Sarah J. Maas universe, and while the writing can be a little meh at times, I thought the conceit of a war college with dragons was pretty fun and action-packed. I’m way behind on keeping up with my book reviews on my blog, but I’m going to catch up soon and will persuade you to give them a shot if you haven’t already.
* The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen. The cover of this book is atrocious, but the plot is well done — especially if you’re into assassin stories in the romantasy genre. It’s a slow burn romance and start of a larger book series, and I really loved the action, worldbuilding, and political intrigue in this book. If you loved Throne of Glass or Fourth Wing, you should add this to your TBR pile.
✍️ 1 Journal Prompt
Whispered Conspiracies. Write a dialogue-only scene where two or more characters are planning something secretive. This exercise challenges you to convey plot, character, and tension using only spoken words.
Consider the following elements:
* Setting: Establish the location through dialogue. Are they whispering in a crowded café? Speaking in code over a phone call? Passing notes in class?
* Character voices: Make each character's speech pattern distinct. Use dialect, vocabulary, or speech quirks to differentiate them.
* Subtext: Incorporate what's not being said. Use pauses, interruptions, or abrupt changes of subject to hint at underlying tensions or unspoken information.
* The plan itself: Reveal details of the secretive plan gradually. Consider what the characters already know and what they need to discuss.
* Stakes: Convey the importance and risks of their plan through their words. Are they nervous? Excited? Conflicted?
* Relationships: Show how the characters relate to each other. Are they equals? Is one in charge? Do they trust each other completely?
* Obstacles: Have the characters discuss potential problems or contingencies in their plan.
* Time pressure: Create a sense of urgency in their conversation if appropriate.
Feel free to share a link to what you write or any thoughts in the comments:
📲 A Product I’m Loving This Week
My partner Kyle created the new movie recommendation app OmList, which helps you find what to watch. You swipe on your favorite movies, battle films against each other, and get a rec list with movies you haven’t seen.
Unlike other movie recommendation apps that try and use AI to guess what you want to watch, OmList is being built on comparing your ranked movie list to other users, giving you better and more niche recommendations that are driven by your fellow movie lovers.
I use this app all the time and it’s given me some really great movie recs when I’m trying to find something amazing to watch.
It’s free and you can download it below!
💻 New Blog Posts on AmySuto.com
* Working Remotely in Istanbul, Turkey (Digital Nomad Travel Guide)
* Best Travel Credit Cards for Digital Nomads
* Working Remotely in Singapore (Digital Nomad Travel Guide)
📸 Photo of the Week: Cloudy Writing Vibes in Krakow
I’m working remotely from Krakow, Poland this month, and the weather is quite confused. Rain and thunderstorms one day, 90-degree summer weather the next. When we arrived, it was also pretty chilly.
But I’ve loved writing from this cute desk beside the window ledge, the sun creeping in between the sheer lace curtains.
Follow me on Substack Notes, Instagram, and Twitter/X for more!
Sending creativity and good writing vibes your way,
-Amy
p.s. I create my newsletter voiceovers and my podcast episodes using the tool Wondercraft AI, a text-to-speech tool that speaks in YOUR voice. 🎙 Use my code SUTO50 or this link to get started on Wondercraft!(paid/affiliate link)
Get full access to From the Desk of Amy Suto: Make Writing Your Job at fromthedeskofamysuto.substack.com/subscribe
