Just a quick note to say thanks for your support in 2018, especially in what we think of as “book-buying season” with the holidays almost over. All of us at Dogwood Press signed books for one person after another who bought for parents, friends, cousins, co-workers, and more. It’s very humbling to know that when those gifts were unwrapped on Christmas morning, the recipients added books with our signatures to their collections.
It was great fun to team up with nearly the whole team at Lemuria on December 18 for Dogwood Press Day, where we signed a few books for Christmas shoppers and caught up with old friends. John Floyd, who taught so many creative writing students during his years at Millsaps College, always signs books for writers of all ages who had the opportunity to learn from him. And it was fun to see childhood friends of Valerie Winn–who were quite familiar with the house on the cover of The Dance Between–stop by to pick up their copies of her new book.
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| A fun evening at a wonderful bookstore! |
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| Lifelong friends!
Meanwhile, John’s winning streak continues: The twentieth anniversary issue of The Strand Magazine contains his story “Lucian’s Cadillac,” and the new Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine has an especially fun one called “On the Road with Mary Jo.” Pick both up magwherever you buy books (hint: grab a copy of John’s fantastic The Barrens).
  I had a great time at Lorelei Books of Vicksburg on December 6, presenting not only a reading from my novel 40 Days but a publishing seminar that covered what I’m looking for as Editor-in-Chief (primarily mystery/suspense) as well as what to do and what NOT to do when getting in touch. Hey, I completely understand the excitement when you’ve put together what you think is the next Great American Novel. As I told the gathering in Vicksburg, though, put yourself in the shoes of the interviewer before submitting that proposal–is it written in such a way that conveys all of your strengths as well as the professionalism you wish to show? As the old Head and Shoulders tag line reminds us, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. The submission requirements page on the Dogwood Press website is something I mention at every book talk, since there are always questions about submitting one’s work for consideration.
 I just flew in from Pittsburgh, and boy my arms are tired!
Janet Brown joined us at Lemuria for Dogwood Press Day and got to meet several folks who’ll probably grab her spellbinding suspense novel Deadly Visits as soon as they can get their hands on it. Janet will launch at Lemuria on April 4, and she’ll soon have a calendar full of book talks and appearances in support of the book. Can’t wait!
 You’ll never look at your cell phone the same way again!
And a real oddity: Valerie was at Books A Million of Biloxi, Mississippi, signing copies of The Dance Between and preparing to autograph a book for a customer when she noticed that the endsheets of the particular copy she opened were brown instead of the pink that goes with the cover. Turns out an entirely different book–by an author not with Dogwood Press–was inside the front and back of what appeared to be a copy of Valerie’s new novel. Those things happen. But not very often, thankfully!
 No disrespect to Mr. Johnson. I’m sure his book is very good. But we hope not to see it inside The Dance Between again!
There’s still time for you to take advantage of the great $4.99 download price on the following Dogwood Press titles:
RANDY PIERCE – The Peter Bay
JOHN M. FLOYD – The Barrens
JOE LEE – 40 Days
SUSAN CUSHMAN – Cherry Bomb
VALERIE WINN – Forsaking Mimosa
Thanks again for supporting us in 2018, and we look forward to making new friends and meeting new readers and writers in the new year! Visit www.dogwoodpress.com to learn more about what we do, and where our writers will be speaking and signing books. Email addresses to reach everyone on the team are included, so get in touch if you’re looking for a speaker at your next event. Happy reading, and happy holidays!
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