That’s the honest truth, and I know I can speak for the authors on the Dogwood Press team, too! Writing is more than just fun…it’s a calling. We wake up each day and look forward to it. Additionally, we thoroughly enjoy getting out and meeting people. There’s nothing better than having conversations with folks who also love to write, and love to discuss their favorite authors and the craft of writing. The icing on the cake is when someone comes along at a book talk and says, “You make this book sound so interesting, and you sound like you’re having so much fun! I think I’ll give it a try!”
I was honored to speak at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College several days ago to a roomful of creative writing students and shared something I’ve told a lot of folks over the years: Many people talk about wanting to write a book, but they’re quick to add that it’s difficult to make time for writing. Well, hogwash. Again, we wake up each day and look forward to it. It’s a priority. And that said, you can complete an entire book in one calendar year by simply writing a page a day!
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| I kindly ask you to refrain from throwing fruit and vegetables until the end of the talk! |
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| The nice lady to my right is Jennifer Moffett, creative writing instructor at MGCCC. She put together a compilation called Illumination that includes essays and poetic works from the students I spoke to.
Randy Pierce has had a fantastic Magnolia Mud launch! A packed house welcomed him in Richton on March 31, then he officially kicked off the tour at Lemuria in Jackson before journeying to Oxford for a stop at Square Books and over to the Delta for an evening at Turn Row Books in Greenwood. He was written up in The Clarion Ledger and The Sun Herald newspapers, and strong reviews have been published so far in the Madison Herald and Neshoba Democrat.
Meantime, John Floyd accomplished something VERY impressive: he was mentioned as a contributor to three very prestigious and widely-read magazines — The Strand Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Woman’s World — at the same time! John was the first author I published, and it remains a true honor to work with one of the very best writers of short fiction in the country.
ALSO…we’ve titled the new John Floyd collection 50 Mysteries, and it will be out in October. Remember those funny stories in his previous hardback collections you enjoy so much with Sheriff Charles “Chunky” Jones and his former elementary school teacher, Angela “Angel” Potts, who helps him solve crimes whether he wants her help or not? An entire book — in a story/solution box format — is just months away!
 What a fantastic magazine…and classed up, of course, by the one-and-only John Floyd!
And then there’s one of the most creative people I know: Valerie Winn. Two years after the release of her great novel, Forsaking Mimosa, she continues to come up with some fantastic ways to get the attention of folks who haven’t been introduced to her work!
 These ladies are all eyecare professionals. What better way to check your eyesight than to read a good book?
Happy reading…and happy spring! John’s new book, 50 Mysteries, is less than six months away. So is my new Oakdale series novel, Director’s Cut. Can’t wait for those to come out! For a complete list of all our author events, as well as pictures, book reviews, and more, please visit www.dogwoodpress.com. And here’s our updated list of Dogwood Press titles that are available for download through Amazon Kindle. Order right now and start reading in less than a minute!
RANDY PIERCE – Magnolia Mud
VALERIE WINN – Forsaking Mimosa
JOHN M. FLOYD – Deception
JOHN M. FLOYD – Clockwork
JOE LEE – Last Chance Texaco
JOE LEE – The Long Road Home
JOE LEE – The Magnolia Triangle
JOHN LEE – The Legend of Roger
Thanks for your time, and come say hello at a book signing! Keep reading, and if you write, keep it up!
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