More Shows Coming Up and New Story Sale

Hello again- it's a busy time this season, with so much happening!

First up, I'll be attending the book launch of Ray Daniel, for his latest mystery, Hacked.
Thursday June 08, 7:00 PM, at the Barnes and Noble, 1 Worcester Rd, Framingham, MA.

Update: writeup and pics of the event here.

Ray's a terrific writer and stand-up guy. To see an interview with Ray, click here.

After that, I'll be at the Society of Independent Publishers and Authors  (SIPA) meeting, speaking about how authors can produce audio versions of their books.
Thursday, June 15th 6:30-7:30 pm in the CCA Conference Room, Chelmsford, MA.

Just sold a story to Mystery Weekly Magazine! Can't wait to see that get published.

And then the booksignings!
First is the Chelmsford Public Library. Saturday, 6/24,  2-4 PM.
Come and meet local authors and pick up some great summer reads!

And then July! Save the Date: 13th Annual Books in Boothbay: Saturday July 8,  9:00 am - 1:00 pm!
Maine's Summer Book Fair will be held at Boothbay Railway Village in scenic Boothbay, Maine. Dozens of authors from around the state will sign their books, discuss writing, and meet fans.

Later that afternoon, Saturday July 8, I'm cruising on to the 35th Annual Moxie Festival- to sell books with the Horror Writers of Maine.
We'll be signing our latest anthology, Northern Frights!

And the Summer caps when I'm teaching classes on Mystery Writing and Thriller writing at the Cape Cod Writer's Conference. 
Want to learn better ways of writing and selling? This conference is for you!
The Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis, Massachusetts, August 3-6.

Last night I received my print copy of another anthology I'm in,
Busted! Arresting Stories from the Beat.

Pretty cool of writers to be with.

  Oh yeah, and soon will be the publication of my fifth Zack Taylor mystery, A Sharp Medicine.

SIPA, Books, and Chelmsford Center for the Arts

Each year the town of Chelmsford hosts a big July 4th parade and town fair, a real slice of Americana. They start the festivities the night before, with a band concert and lots of booths for local organizations.

This year, the Chelmsford Center for the Arts had a huge art exhibit, and also hosted our table for the Society of Independent Publishers and Authors (SIPA). We had a number of books from local authors, and a portion of the money from books sold went to support the CCA. Thanks to Laura Marshall for setting up this opportunity!

Here's a few that came to run the table while people stopped by to browse on their way past. 

Left to right is Barbara Klain, Bruce Fottler, and Kameryn James.

 

I shared space at the front table. We had a good time, chatted with some folks, made some new fans, and enjoyed a lovely night. This is a great way to connect with readers.

 

In other news, tune in to WEMF radio this Thursday night at 9 to hear my interview with Max Bowen. It'll be rebroadcast on Saturday.

News and Number 600

Happy Summer- or Solstice, or however you term the season.
Lots of things happening- and just wanted to note that this is the 600th blog post! That's quite a record, as many start a blog, but fall off along the way. We're still going strong, and in fact will move the platform to a Wordpress site soon enough, to keep up with the times.

First bit of news- later this week we'll interview author Cheryl Hollon.

The excellent crime magazine Thuglit will soon be closing it's doors after a terrific eleven-year run of the best stories around.
I'm honored to report that my tale "Forever Amber" was accepted as the last story ever- for the upcoming final issue:

I'll be taking part at the Boothbay (Maine) Festival of Books on Saturday, July 9, along with the Sisters in Crime.

WEMF radio will interview me on July 14th. Tune in for a good time!

Then I'll be signing books with the NEHW at the Seacoast ComiCon in Kittery, ME on July 23rd.


So yeah- busy Summer ahead, and it's just started! See you soon!

Reunion and Potato Blossom Festival

So I went back to upper Maine for a high school class reunion, and had a great time. So nice to connect with people after all these years. It was held at the Aroostook Valley Country Club, where I used to work 40 years ago. It's on the border, and actually the clubhouse is on Canadian soil.

What a trip down Memory Lane. So nice that people have mellowed, and all were pleasant and friendly- unlike the experience of many in high school. Maybe they were nice because they now knew I could write about them if they weren't!

P.S.- If you want to read a great book about a class reunion, see Reunion by David Daniel. It's awesome! 

Many thanks to Vickie Levesque for putting in a ton of hard work to make a good time for everyone else.

I was in a play (The Star Spangled Girl, by Neil Simon) with Sue and Kirk over 40 years ago, and we still laugh about it now.

Some people just age better than others...

Me with some lovely classmates

Friends forever!

Just about everyone was smiling and happy. 

With Rhonda, who's been a big supporter of my writing career.

I also put up a booth and sold books at the Maine Potato Blossom Festival the next day. We got the parade and some sales in before the rain hit!

And more classmate friends stopped by to share in the fun.

Fremont, NH, 250th

Yesterday I appeared with Joe Ross of Rosstrum Publishing to sell and sign books at the Fremont, NH 250th celebration.

It was a beautiful day, but our shade device didn't make it, and we got sunburned from being out all day.

Still, it was a great time, meeting new people, like Larissa Chiccino, a model and consultant for Arbonne beauty products.

And Christine and Gary White, who make hand-crafted decorations for the home.

And Carl Juliano, a voiceover performer and actor.

There were lots of activities, and a good crowd on the first day of summer. Not a bad way to sell books and meet new fans.
 

Happy Father's Day. Happy Bloomsday

It's been a great Father's Day for me, with lots of love from my family.

Pretty cool, since I'd never planned on having one. A lovely woman made me change my mind about kids, and am so happy she did, because I've got great ones.

Went outside, and it was a staggeringly beautiful day, cool and breezy and sunny. I felt the need to see the sea, and off we bopped to Newburyport. Strolled along the quay, browsed through shops, ate a superb lunch outdoors in the shade, and watched the boats dance on the water. I felt relaxed and at peace. Needed that. Certain days should be enjoyed to the fullest extent.
Pics below.

And tomorrow is Bloomsday (Juneteenth), a celebration in honor of Leopold Bloom, the character from the pen of James Joyce. Not everyone can get through Ulysses, but there's some fun stuff in there. Happy Bloomsday. Hit Wikipedia for more info.

Heee's Back! Timelines and Book Review

Hello again-- I'm now back, after being away for two weeks, on my first real vacation in many years. Still wiped out from the journey and activities. Still trying to catch up with email. Still trying to come to terms with life here, which is completely different.

As a writer, I'm always dealing with different timelines, planning and plotting projects and happenings. So I'm always half in the present and half in the future (with an occasional side trip into the past). Realized that while I was away, I spent the last two weeks living only in the present. It was a strange sensation, a not unpleasant one. No email, phone, or social Internet connections for two weeks. All unplugged.

Didn't think about work, or book sales/releases, or much of anything except seeing the sights and dining out. Needed that mental getaway as well as the physical one.

But now break's over, back on my head.

One fine piece of news in my absence, I find a review of my novel "A Memory of Grief" by NY Times best-selling mystery author Debbi Mack. How cool is that?

And another person posted a 4-star rating for the book on Smashwords:
"A fun summer read. Very enjoyable."

Hey, I should go away more often!