My first novel since late 2014, 40 Days, is a month from release! I’m very excited about it. And I’m asking myself the question I’m betting most–if not all–authors ask some variation of: WILL THEY LIKE IT? In my case, well, I sure hope so! And 40 Days, while a suspense novel set in the same small-town-full-of-mayhem fictional environment of Oakdale, Mississippi you remember, is a bit of a departure for me. It’s very much a faith-based story with a hint of supernatural thrown in. I hope you like it! We’ll get the party started at Lemuria in Jackson on Wednesday, March 7 at 5 p.m. Would love to see you there, and bring a friend! The next afternoon, March 8, I’ll visit my hometown of Starkville, Mississippi, for a stop at The Book Mart and Cafe at 3 p.m. Many more book talks and signings are already lined up. I can’t wait!
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| Counting the days until the launch! |
A main theme of my novel Last Chance Texaco from 2012 is that sometimes the most routine of choices and circumstances can totally change our lives. Several months ago I was asked by my editor at Town and Gown Magazine of Starkville, Mississippi, if I would feel comfortable writing a feature for the breast cancer issue of the magazine. Of course I would, I said, and was assigned a story on Molly May, the outgoing Miss Mississippi State University, a contender for the title of Miss Mississippi 2018, and a breast cancer survivor. After the story was published I had an opportunity to hear Molly speak and couldn’t have been more impressed with her poise, candor, and commitment to cancer patients through her breast cancer awareness platform. After a lot of careful thought, I decided to approach Molly about a book. I felt in my bones that her story was so powerful and inspirational–especially given what she had gone through at such a young age–that there would be a substantial market for it. And we’ll roll out My Crowning Achievement (Beating Cancer) at the end of July. Molly, of course, is my choice for Miss Mississippi, but this is truly a memoir that will be just as relevant a generation from now as it will be when it hits the stores. Be watching for it!
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| A book that transcends pageants, even if Molly is named Miss America a year and a half from now!
Here’s something important to know: Molly and her mother, Debra (also a breast cancer survivor) are forming a 501c3 nonprofit organization called Caps That Care. In addition to raising money for Batson Cancer Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi, Molly and Debra have collected head coverings like beanies, bandannas, scarves, and soft caps–anything made of soft, breathable fabric that cancer patients can use in lieu of wigs–and donated packages of them to Children’s Miracle Network hospitals in all fifty states! And I’m proud, as Molly’s publisher, to donate ten percent of all copies sold of My Crowning Achievement (Beating Cancer) to Batson Hospital. So when you purchase a copy this summer or fall, you’re doing a kind thing for cancer patients at the hospital.
In the meantime, John Floyd received another high honor: His story, “Gun Work”, published in Coast to Coast Magazine in 2017, has been named as one of the stories in Best American Mystery Stories 2018! You may remember that his fantastic story, “Molly’s Plan,” was in Best American Mystery Stories 2015. Another great honor for a fantastic writer, and another fantastic collection
of John Floyd short fiction is coming in the fall when we roll out The Barrens, and “Gun Work” will be included! Can’t wait!
Valerie Winn’s sequel to Forsaking Mimosa will be out late this year, too. It’s called The Dance Between and is a very poignant novel that will make you laugh, think, and cry. It is set twenty-five years following the conclusion of Mimosa and a wonderful second edition of what–if I have anything to say about it–will be a multi-volume series! Below is a photo of a nice man from Pensacola, Florida, named Dennis Dugger with Valerie. He bought a copy of Mimosa last summer and emailed Valerie about how much he enjoyed the book. Valerie said she told him to find her at the Pink Rooster Art Galley in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, if he was ever in town, and he did and once again bragged on how much he enjoyed the novel!
Nobody looks cooler and more at home than Susan Cushman doing a radio interview! She was interviewed by River Jordan at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville last October, and she continues to tour on behalf of Cherry Bomb and turns new readers on every day to her sterling debut novel!
Susan knocking it out of the park with River Jordan! Yes, 2018 promises to be one of the busiest years I’ve ever had as a book publisher, but I wouldn’t have it any other way! I truly love what I do and am a blessed man to work with a select group of not only really good writers, but quality people as well. The tour schedule for everyone is on the Dogwood Press website, and I hope you’ll stop by and say hello at a book signing! Come pick up an autographed book, and while we can’t sign a digital download, we’d love for you to grab a title or two through Amazon Kindle if that’s your preferred way of reading! Here’s what’s available!
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JOE LEE — 40 Days (coming in March)
JOE LEE — Director’s Cut
JOE LEE — Last Chance Texaco
JOE LEE — The Long Road Home
JOE LEE — The Magnolia Triangle
SUSAN CUSHMAN — Cherry Bomb
SUSAN CUSHMAN — Cherry Bomb
VALERIE WINN — Forsaking Mimosa
VALERIE WINN — The Dance Betweeen (coming in December)
JOHN M. FLOYD — The Barrens (coming in December)
JOHN M. FLOYD — Dreamland
JOHN M. FLOYD — Fifty Mysteries
JOHN M. FLOYD — Deception
JOHN M. FLOYD — Clockwork
RANDY PIERCE — The Peter Bay
RANDY PIERCE — Pain Unforgiven
RANDY PIERCE — Magnolia Mud
MOLLY MAY — My Crowning Achievement (Beating Cancer) (coming in October)
JOHN LEE — The Legend of Roger (perfect for the middle-schooler in your life!)
That’s everything! Thanks so much for your time, and thanks as well for your support. Have a great day, and make at least a few minutes each day to read!