Latest News- new audio out, new interview, new bookstores, new trips

So- it's been a quiet time here on the old blog, though life has been far from that.
Here's some of what's been going on.

As part of my job, we went to the Portsmouth Regional Hospital and toured for four days, seeing what a great job nurses and providers do in healthcare. Here's our team at the nearby U.S.S. Albacore.



While there, I dropped in on the Portsmouth Writer's Night Out, part of the NH Writer's Project.
Met some new people, and saw a few I knew, like Jeff Deck and James Patrick Kelly, both of who have new books outs.

Also stopped by RiverRun Books and got the first of the Zack Taylor series, A Memory of Grief on their shelves.

Another new Indie bookstore that carries my books is The Silver Unicorn in Action MA. Drop by when you're in the area and check them out.

My latest audio book is now out: The Last Crooked Paths: A 5-story collection of crime and mystery short stories.
Narrated by George Kastrinos, it's a great listening experience for only a few bucks.

And soon I'm off to Killer Nashville, a mystery conference down in Tennessee, where I'm on a panel talking about Action/Adventure. They've also got my mug up as a Winner of the Jimmy Loftin Memorial Scholarship.

There I'll be seeing J.A. Konrath, the Indie superstar, whose blog I had a guest post on several years ago. More on all this when I return!

Oh yeah- check out my guest stint on Sci-Fi Saturday Night, talking about my work.

Derry Author Fest

We had a huge crowd at the Derry Author Fest yesterday at the Derry Public Library. People stayed all day to hear speakers on writing and publishing topics, chat with the writers, and buy books.
They did a lot of advance promotion (check out the video), which made for the size of the crowd.

Thanks to Erin Robinson and the library staff for making a great day.
And we even got a mention in the local paper!

I was there along with Ursula Wong to give a presentation on Publishing Options: Choosing Your Path. We were the last show of the day, and the audience was attentive and asked great questions.
Plus, we got to sell our books in between sessions. Here's Ursula with her books:

And there were other great writers, like Dan Szczesny

Dan was on a panel talking about Marketing, 

with (L to R) Erin Moulton, Paul Durham, Erin Bowman

There was a table to hand out info for the New Hampshire Writer's Project, a group I work with.

And the bookseller there was Water Street Books, of Exeter, NH.

Business was brisk, as people bought copies to get signed.

The authors were able to answer questions and chat with those attending.

Here's Dan with a fan

The event was free, and people seemed to enjoy it, even as they learned a lot about the publishing process. 

Can't wait for next year!

Writeup of the Derry Author Fest

We had a great time at the Derry Author Fest yesterday. The Derry, NH Public Library hosted a fun event, with panels, informative talks, informal table chats, and book signings by local authors.

Good turnout, with people attending the talks and buying lots of books!

Many thanks to Erin Robinson and the library staff who worked hard to make a successful event. The authors got welcome packages with hand-written thank-you notes, and great lunches from Panera.
Also thanks to the sponsors of the event (click here to see a full list), including the Water Street Bookstore, an independent bookseller (and we just celebrated National Indie Bookstore Day).

We had a special guest appearance by Rob Greene and Masheri Chappelle, both officers of the New Hampshire Writers' Project, an organization that supports and informs writers across the state of NH.

Here's Dan Szczesny, a Travel Writer, Journalist, and Author, with a new fan.

 

One big room was set up for the talks, with different authors chatting about different subjects and answering questions.

Here's K.R. Conway, a writing teacher who's got a YA dark urban fantasy series.

One speaker was Nicole Tadgell, a talented artist who illustrates children's books.

Another was Paul Durham, a children's author.

Here's Robert Crawford, the Poet Laureate of Derry

Poetry can be so shocking!

The last panel of the day sets up

Erin Moulton and Francisco X. Stork

And the final books get signed

NH Writer's Project Fiction Slam

Last night we had fun at the Nashua regional contest for the NH Writer's Project Fiction Slam. Held at Fody's, there were a half-dozen people vying for the win here, to go on to the state competition. Each person reads a 3-minute original story, and they receive feedback and a score from the judges.

Amazing talent from the competitors, and exceptional critique provided by the judges of literary light.

From Left- Judges Mary Johnson, John Murphy, Rob Greene, and Emcee Claudia Decker

Fourth judge Jen Valentine with contestant Chris Lamere

Starting off the night of competition is Ursula Wong, author of Purple Trees and the forthcoming Amber Wolf.

 

Kathy Boss

 

Chris reads his piece

The audience at the other end of the table. The guy with his chin in his hand is Dave Agans, author of the newly-released comic novel The Urban Legion. 
Dave will be interviewed on this blog later this week, so stop by!

Other contestants awaiting their turn

Mary Jeddore Blakney, (Jae), another author with books out

 Another shot of the judges and hostess

Mark reads his piece on being a writer- go figure!

 

Vicky Meagher reads the play that was not a play

Now the hard part- out of all the excellent pieces done that night, picking the top performers.

 

Emcee Claudia (on left) with the winners- Mary Jeddore Blakney (first place), Kathy Boss, (third) and Ursula Wong (Second, and a previous winner of this contest).

Fiction Slam Night Contest

Recently attended the Fiction Slam Night Contest, sponsored by the New Hampshire Writers' Project.
The contest was held in the French Building Auditorium Rotunda at the NH Institute of Art in Manchester, with a lovely reception area to refresh the 80-some-odd people who came to hear the 8 winning entrants from the regional 3-Minute Fiction Slam competitions.

Now I've got rather high expectations, and this was a night of extraordinary talent. The stories were top-notch- quick, concise, and sometimes touching. It was a tough task for the three judges to select winners from the terrific stories read.

Thanks to the Institute for hosting this wonderful event, and to all those in the program who made it all possible. There are a lot of people working hard to create excellent fiction, and all in our backyard.
And shoutout to John Herman for being an entertaining emcee for the event. 

Judges: Tim Horvath, James Patrick Kelly (who also generously supplied cash prizes), and special guest Jacquelyn Benson

The contestants- each one already a regional winner

The appreciative crowd

Nashua regional winner Jennifer Valentine and supportive family

Steven Wong, Nashua group coordinator Ursula Wong (middle- the rose between two thorns)- the author of Purple Trees, and Dave, from the Nashua group

I'd say there were a lot of winners, but you can see the ones holding prize checks!

Kent Devreux and Rob Greene

If you'd like an example of one of the superb stories of the night, try Getaway.