When author John Floyd had a conflict and couldn’t get to Pontotoc, Mississippi, in March as scheduled to speak to the Friends of the Pontotoc County Library, I suggested Janet Brown as a replacement speaker. The response was a hearty YES after I described Janet’s brand-new suspense novel Deadly Visits, and I was confident the first printing would arrive just in time for Janet to have books to take with her to Pontotoc.
What none of us counted on was a line of severe storms that moved through the region. Janet drove through some horrid weather that day, and attendance was down from the usual packed house at the Pontotoc library. A number of avid readers showed, though, buying personalized copies of Deadly Visits and making Janet feel welcome.
Fast forward to last Thursday, April 4, and the big launch at Lemuria Books of Jackson. The weather was horrendous, and Janet and I wondered if we would be the only people at the store, other than Lemuria employees. But we were thrilled at the turnout, as a whole slew of Janet’s umbrella-sporting friends braved the storms and stayed for the reading.
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| So into the story that the claps of thunder outside didn’t register! |
Next stop for Janet is the Winston County Public Library in Louisville TODAY (Monday) at noon, where she and I will both discuss our books and take questions. Will Janet bring rain? We’ll hope not, but if so, it will still be a fun trip. Another fun excursion will be the annual multi-author event at the Mendenhall Public Library in nearby Simpson County. This one is Wednesday at 2 p.m., and as many as two dozen authors, including Janet, John Floyd, and me look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones.
Valerie Winn is making stops all over the Mississippi Gulf Coast to promote The Dance Between. When she arrived last Saturday for a signing at Southern Bound Book Shop in Biloxi, she found an especially unique chalkboard announcement waiting for her, courtesy of Jacked Up Coffee Bar next door! Look at the menu item being promoted!
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| It goes great with a copy of The Dance Between! |
It does my heart good when book clubs and especially writing groups are launched. Case in point: published Rankin County authors Tom Dole and Marcus Whitman decided recently to start a group called “Kick the Tires and Write the Fires”, and I was honored to be their first speaker. I described how the publishing process works, but I was most interested in hearing from all of the attendees about what they were working on, whether a short story, a novel, or a non-fiction piece. A little encouragement can go a long way.
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| Signing 40 Days, my most recent Oakdale series novel. |
Speaking of book clubs, a woman Susan Cushman met at the 2017 Mississippi Book Festival invited her to speak to a group at the public library in Hernando, Mississippi. As I tell every author I publish, you just never know who you’ll meet who will spread the word about your book, and you never know when someone will contact you out of the blue with a speaking invitation. Susan’s host told Susan she loved Cherry Bomb, and quite a number of the attendees brought their already-purchased copies for her to autograph. That’s a wonderful feeling!
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| Long live book clubs! |
John Floyd will sign copies of The Barrens and discuss the book at Bryan Public Library in West Point, Mississippi, at noon on Thursday, April 11. Susan will sign copies of Cherry Bomb at an event in Jackson, Tennessee, on Thursday, April 18 called “Word. Wine. Dine.” I’ll sign copies of 40 Days on Saturday, April 20 (the day before Easter) at Barnes and Noble in Ridgeland, Mississippi. For a complete list of Dogwood Press author signings, please visit www.dogwoodpress.com. And our fantastic deal on selected Dogwood Press Kindle titles is still on, for only $4.99 each:
SUSAN CUSHMAN / Cherry Bomb
RANDY PIERCE / The Peter Bay
JOE LEE / 40 Days
JOHN FLOYD / The Barrens
VALERIE WINN / Forsaking Mimosa
Grab one (or all) as soon as you can and start reading, as they say, in less than a minute. Janet Brown’s Deadly Visits will be available via Kindle very soon.
Lastly, make sure Saturday, August 17 is not just marked on your calendar, but permanently etched where it can’t possibly be forgotten or replaced with something else to do. That’s the date of the Mississippi Book Festival, which is in its mind-boggling fifth year (!) and will take place once again at the Mississippi state capitol.
Thanks, as always for your time. Keep reading, keep writing, and please come say hello at a book event. Have a great day!