Ending on a High Note

Well, it's been one hell of a year, with many endings- and many reboots. I feel a bit like a character in one of those movies where everything blew up, and the dazed person emerges from the rubble, blinking and wondering how they survived.

From having my job taken away once more last January (thanks, corporate A-holes) to a number of other body blows, it's been a trial. If 'that which does not kill us makes us stronger,' I must be freakin' Superman. I've got back on a mostly even keel, but writing time is hard to come by, as well as mustering the energy to create something worthwhile- the brain and body are tired after 11+ hour days at the day job and commute.

I have high ambitions, goals, and desires for writing, and never feel like I've done enough at years' end. Always have so much more to do, and there's never enough time. Still, I produce more than most writers, and by doing one thing after another, and working to completion, I manage to accumulate a fair body of work for the year.

So this trip around the sun has seen a few things done well. I'd previously put out the first three Zack Taylor mysteries with small publishers, and got the rights back to those. So redid all 3, with new covers and newly-edited content. Print and ebook versions were reissued, and then I got all 3 produced as audiobooks as well! The long-awaited fourth book in the series, A Certain Slant of Light, finally saw publication, coming out last month (more on this later, see below).

And published a book of short stories, More Crooked Paths: 5 Tales of Crime and Mystery.

Got stories into two great anthologies as well. Hope it Fits was selected for the recently-published Red Dawn: Best New England Crime Stories 2016, from Level Best Books (The Boston Globe just gave this excellent work a mention). This is the second year in a row I've had a story featured in this prestigious annual collection, so I'm quite happy with that, especially since last year's collection, Rogue Wave, was a finalist for a Silver Falchion Book Award, up against books by big-name pros of the writing world.

And got two scary stories into Insanity Tales II: The Sense of Fear, a great follow-up to last year's Insanity Tales. This came out just in time for Halloween, and provided some frights with stories from 6 talented writers.

Wrote more that hasn't been published yet, but watch for upcoming releases.

Did a number of book events and spoke on panels: Authors by the Sea, and Queen City Kamikaze Con, the Sisters in Crime panel at the Edwards Public Library in Southampton, MA, with T. Stephens and Vlad V. at the Monson, MA library, at the Scarborough, ME library with the Level Best folks, at the Lancaster Library for a mystery panel (and later a panel of horror writers), at the Maine Potato Blossom Festival in Fort Fairfield, ME (where I grew up), the Haverhill Library, the Middlesex Community College bookstore in downtown Lowell, MA, and the Chelmsford author event. 

Other accomplishments: attended my 40th High School reunion, put out my first newsletter, something I've had as a goal for a while. Got to publicly read my work with other mystery pros at Noir at the Bar. Was featured in Granite Coast magazine. Also served as a writing contest judge for the Al Blanchard Award, given out by an awards committee at the Crime Bake mystery conference (writeup of that event here). At the conference I gave a presentation on producing audiobooks that was rather well-received. Sold a bunch of my mystery novels that weekend, the first time the bookseller has carried my titles at the yearly event- thank you, New England Mobile Bookfair! Speaking of the biggest and best mystery bookstore north of New York, we had a blast at the annual Gala Mystery Night, selling and signing books with the top mystery writers of New England. Attended a few other events there this year, including signings for Tess Gerritsen, and T. Stephens (to see an interview with T. Stephens, click here).

I've had terrific writers as guests doing interviews on the blog this year: Dana King, Kat Parrish, Leigh Perry, Patrick Shawn Bagley, and Peter Dudar. I've been interviewed by others this last year, notably Ann Everett, and Debbi Mack on the Crime Cafe. And just last night, was featured by Dana King, to end the year on a high note, celebrating A Certain Slant of Light, which he kindly read and gave a recommendation for. That's an awesome way to end a year for a writer, being recommended by another writer you respect.

So how was your year? What did you learn and accomplish, what are your regrets for this last year? What do you plan for next year?

I hope to get a slew of works out, including novels, short stories, and collections. And maybe some more non-fiction. See you soon. Gotta get back to work, so I can get those out... 

Have a safe and happy New Year. Celebrate and enjoy, and remember those who have left us this past 12 months.

3 New Book Releases!

Yup, it's been a busy time. Now you can see what I've been up to. We can now celebrate the long-awaited release of A Certain Slant of Light, the fourth Zack Taylor mystery. Woo-hoo!

The print will be out soon, listed on Amazon.
For ebooks, go for Kindle here, and all other formats here.
Here's the teaser:
Trapped by a final promise to a dying woman, a reluctant Zack Taylor seeks her missing grandson, a slippery con man of the art world. Zack discovers the corruption beneath the glossy exteriors, confronting murder, greed, fraud, and a host of crimes that belie the beauty of the art in which the people deal.

And just in time for Halloween, some scary tales in a collection with 5 other writers.
Print here, Kindle here, all other ebook formats here.
Teaser:
Reality slides into madness again in these eleven tales from some of New England’s finest storytellers. Feel your heartbeat quicken as your senses drift to dark places: the howls of horror, terrifying visions, a hint of mystery in the air, and the bitter taste of death. You may never sleep with the lights off again.

And from Level Best Books, the latest collection of Best New England Crime Stories 2016: Red Dawn.
The title says it all. Last year's collection, Rogue Wave, (which I had another story in) was a finalist for a Silver Falchion Book Award.  
Print here, Kindle here

Remember, books make great gifts. Just in case you want to get a jump on the holidays...

Big Show Day- Lancaster and Chelmsford, later Townsend

It was quite a day, with two book signings on one day, two different towns (three towns, if you count the celebration- more on that later).
Now that's working hard to get the word out!

With me in my travels this day was fellow writer Ursula Wong, whose second novel, Amber Wolf, will be out soon.
To see an interview with Ursula, click here. She talks about her debut novel, Purple Trees.

First, we went to the Thayer Memorial Library in Lancaster, MA, for a panel with members of the New England Horror Writers.
The event was sponsored by the Seven Bridges Writer's Collaborative, who have been doing great things to bring writers and readers together in the central MA area.
Thanks to Hollis Shore and Paula Castner for hosting us and promoting the program.

Here are some event pics- 

Joining me on the panel:

Left to Right: Paula, Moderator Dan Keohane, Remy Flagg, Jennifer Allis Provost, Trisha Woolridge, and Ursula Wong

 

We had an appreciative and attentive audience

 

 

 

A nice time was had by all. Then we had to race off to Chelmsford for the event put on by
The Society of Independent Publishers and Authors.

We set up at the Chelmsford Center for the Arts, and spoke with shoppers dropping in.  

Thanks to Laura Marshall and Sara for overseeing this one. 

Ursula Wong, still looking fresh at her second signing of the day...

Here you can see the back of Richard Hollman, and behind him is Kameryn James

There's Kevin Willett in red, across the room

You can see Katharine Grubb below on the far left, and the gentleman in neon green is Glenn Davison, who has published five books on kite-flying! Just to the right of the post is Scott Millin

So after all that, we needed a little celebrating. So we went to see writer Vlad V. to celebrate the upcoming release of Insanity Tales II: The Sense of Fear (from Books and Boos Press), with writers from The Storyside: Stacey Longo, Rob Smales, and the sadly missing David Daniel.

Check out our cover, with the image made as a cake-- a delicious taste of Insanity! 
To see a cool trailer for the book, click here

 

Free- Insanity Tales Giveaway

Hello again- good news! The second Insanity Tales anthology, Insanity Tales II- The Sense of Fear, will soon be out. The advance reviews have been spectacular! And we're getting an Introduction from the talented Joe McKinney.

So we the authors have put up a special event- we're giving away 3 print copies of the first Insanity Tales to pique your interest. It's a Goodreads giveaway, so just follow this link to enter for a chance to win!

To make sure you win something, we'll even offer you a free audiobook (a $14.95 value) of the first Insanity Tales, spoken by noted audio narrator Fred Wolinsky. Just shoot me an email so I can send you instructions on how to download the free audiobook! Check out a sample here.

Here's the cover for the first, and book II is also going to be creepy and unsettling!

Free Audio Book For You- to Celebrate New Releases

It's been a busy Summer, with several of my titles coming out on audio (for a free audio book, keep reading), and another book release. (This one isn't out yet on audio, but will be by September!)

And much more to come out in the near future. More Fables and Fantasies will be published later this Summer, 5 short tales dealing with fantasy and fairy tale worlds.

With other writers, there's Insanity Tales 2: A Sense of Fear (due out this October), as well as another anthology I'll be in, Red Dawn: Level Best Books Best New England Crime Writing, due out this November.

I'm also editing the fourth Zack Taylor novel, A Certain Slant of Light. The cover image is from a photo taken by my daughter at Notre Dame Cathedral, and is pretty chilling, with Death standing by to collect. Look for it to come out in September.

In the meantime, you can listen to lots more of Zack Taylor. Books #2 and #3 in the series were recently published as audiobooks.

So to get you primed and ready for the fourth book, I'm offering any one of the first three Zack Taylor audiobooks for free! A $19.95 value!

Each one has a different narrator, so you can listen to the samples and decide which one you prefer.

A Memory of Grief

A Fall From Grace

A Shadow on the Wall


Just send me an email with your preference (to: daletphillips@comcast.net), and I'll send instructions with a free code for you to download. Audible is a great place for audiobooks, and you can sign in with your Amazon account, if you have one.

More Signings! Me and other authors

Phew- it's a busy time. Recently had great book-signing visits to the libraries in Scarborough, Maine, and Danvers, MA.

Thursday night, the 11th, I'll be dropping by the New England Mobile Bookfair to see Ray Daniel  launch his latest book, along with the Wicked Cozy Writers. Should be a lot of fun.
(To see an interview with Ray Daniel, click here.)

Another drop-in is to the Chelmsford Library on Saturday, 6/13, to see their Local Authors Day, featuring the talented Ursula Wong. (To see an interview with Ursula, click here.)

Then I'm doing another panel at the Thayer Library in Lancaster, MA, on June 20th, for the Level Best Books anthology, Rogue Wave. We're starting early, so be there by 10:30 in the morning.

Then on Thursday, June 25th, I'm at Tatnuck Booksellers for a feature on 3 members of The Storyside: Ursula Wong, Vlad V., and myself, possibly reading from our collection Insanity Tales.

And then... up to Portland, Maine on Saturday the 27th for Portcon, a big convention, where I'll be signing books with the New England Horror Writers.

How's that for a schedule?

Happy Independent Book Store Day- Insanity Tales Example

Hello all- yes, today is the day you've been waiting for, Independent Book Store Day. A day to celebrate those local, independent, community-building, non-megachain, vendors of books.

They must work ever harder to do well in this age of electronic ordering at home with one's computer. They provide a place to come down and see and feel good books, to get a sense of the weight of a story, and the pride of ownership of something other than electrons. Like having a signed copy by an author you know or admire.

So go buy a book today, from someone near to you. Support your local bookbuying community. Many bookstores are having cool events today- readings, author signings, and more.

Here's a few great New England places:
Middlesex Community College Bookstore
New England Mobile Bookfair
Annie's Bookstop, Worcester, MA
Tatnuck Booksellers
Willow Books
Porter Square Books
RiverRun Books
Mainely Murders Bookstore
Letterpress Books
Toadstool Books

And just to show you how cool it is to be an author, one day you're walking down the street, and you see your book in the window of a bookstore! Like we did with the Middlesex Community College Bookstore in Lowell, MA. Our group collection, Insanity Tales, is the feature in their big window!

 

Bookstore Signing In Lowell

We recently had a signing and author talk at the Middlesex Community College bookstore in downtown Lowell, to celebrate Insanity Tales, the great collection of horror stories.

Lovely time, interested crowd, and an excellent discussion.
Many thanks to Manager Jennifer MacGillivray and the bookstore staff for the opportunity to reach out to readers.

Here I am (on left) with fellow Insanity Tales authors David Daniel, Vlad V. and Ursula Wong

 

 Some of the audience- just missing out on the photo op is Dan Graffeo, whose novel The Gambling Bug will be out soon from Great Old Ones Publishing

Dave strikes a pose

We talk about writing and publishing and collaboration among authors

Meeting the audience afterward

Featured in Latest Granite Coast Magazine

The new Granite Coast entertainment magazine is out, and features a few New England writers- most notably myself and fellow Insanity Tales author Stacey Longo, author of the new release Ordinary Boy.

The mag has lots of info about music and entertainment in our region, so check it out. Here's their Facebook page.

Authors by the Sea and Queen City Kamikaze Con Writeup

Fun couple of days this weekend, but exhausting.

First up was the Author's Night by the Sea, sponsored by Pear Tree Publishing, where we had a good night of signing books and meeting people.
Some pics courtesy of Jenn Hobbs, others by Maureen Ross.

 

Many thanks to K.D. Mason for his work on publicity, raffle prizes, and taking over in a time of need for others. And thanks to the Portsmouth, NH Elks Club for hosting us.

 

Friends new and old were there, including: T. Stephens

Scott Goudsward, Ogmios, Joe Ross of Rosstrum Publishing, Coralie Hughes Jensen, Maureen Ross, and others

Steven Hobbs

Jed Power

 

and Kurt D. Springs

 

Then early next morning, we were off to Manchester, NH, for the Queen City Kamikaze Con, where we were signing our works at the Books and Boos table.
More pictures available here.

And as the authors of Insanity Tales we were on a panel to discuss writing collaboration.
Left to right: David Daniel, me, moderator Stacey Longo, Ursula Wong, and Vlad V.
Thanks to Jason Rivers for playing official Staff Photographer for the panel shots.

Other friends were there, like The Dome from SciFi Saturday Night, the cool podcast of all things science fiction. Here, the Dome meets his cosplaying counterpart!

Stacey gets in on the action ...

And then we get the Three Jasons! Which one is the scariest?

Weekend- Two Book Signings

Hey there. I've been away for a bit. Got laid off, had to find another job. Glad to say, that happened, so I can focus on other things again. Whew.

So after being snowed out of the first two book signings of the year, finally have a clear day- and back-to-back events.

Tonight I'll be in Portsmouth, NH, for the Author's Night by the Sea, sponsored by the New England Author's Expo and Pear Tree Publishing. We've got lots of writers, prizes, a cash bar, and more. Come on by. And buy...

Tomorrow, we'll be at the Queen City Kamikaze convention, up in Manchester, NH. I'll be on a panel with fellow authors from Insanity Tales.

Which, by the way, on Kindle is #75 in Anthologies & Literature Collections > Horror
Just sayin', an awesome collection, with an Introduction by horror writing superstar Jonathan Maberry.

Insanity Tales Audio Now Out!

As of today, we have the professional audio book version of Insanity Tales up for sale on Audible.com. Woo-hoo!

 

It will soon be linked on Amazon with the print and Kindle version, all on one page, but you can get it now! Narrated by Fred Wolinsky, who's an Audible Approved narrator, meaning one of their best!

Though Halloween may be over, the frights don't have to stop. Give this a listen, but not just before bed- we wouldn't want you to lose sleep!

Haunted Acres

Had a great time at Haunted Acres this last weekend, signing books in their big tent with other members of the New England Horror Writers. We named it "The Haunted Bookstore" and people-watched amid the screams and laughs. What a fun place! Definitely a must-do for folks who like scary theme parks.

Despite the all-male nature of our crew, we had a good time. Vlad and I were there promoting Insanity Tales, 9 scary stories for the Halloween season. While we were there, our rebroadcast of SciFi Saturday Night played over the airwaves, interviewing us with fellow Insanity authors Ursula Wong and Stacey Longo. Click the SciFi link to go to the site to hear the show.

The Lineup: Kurt Springs, Vlad V., Bracken Macleod, Rob Smales, Errick Nunnally, Scott Goudsward, Tony Tremblay

 

Making faces

 Kurt and The Priestess. Check out his book Price of Vengeance

 

 

 J. Sjostrom, illustrator

 

 

Rob Smales- that guy is always taking pictures!

 

Vlad scares people...

 

More faces

 

Thanks to Brent for getting us there

 

And to the staff for the fun time, and to Kelly at the concession stand.

 

The last set of faces. Everyone wanted in on the act...