MEALS ON WHEELS

I don't text and drive, but I must admit that I've had more than a few meals while behind the wheel of the BookMobile over the years. If I'm due for a book event at noon, I usually pack a lunch and eat while traveling. Hey, it saves money, maximizes my time, and even allows me to eat healthy. Then, instead of having to look for something to eat right before my event, I can hop into the store and immediately start sizing up potential book buyers!

I don't know that there's an art to working with walk-up traffic or not, but my author John M. Floyd and I have done a ton of signings over the years where nearly all sales are dependent on selling to customers who don't know us and haven't read our work. I arm my authors for such occasions with foldout brochures and tell them to introduce themselves to the folks browsing about, and it works--John and I have sold lots of books over the years by reaching out like that...instead of waiting for them to come to us.

In addition to being a good friend, John is a fantastic writer. Mystery/suspense short fiction is his specialty, and he was the 2007 winner of the coveted Derringer Award. Dogwood Press has published three excellent, book-length collections of his stories: Rainbow's End (and other stories) in 2006, Midnight in 2008, and Clockwork in 2011. His next collection, Deception, is set for a spring 2013 release. 



Would you buy a book from this man? You should...

It was great fun to hang out with my cousin Jeanie Ables of Vidalia, Louisiana when I traveled to Natchez, Mississippi last weekend to sign in the Turning Pages booth at the Natchez Convention Center. Owner Mary Emrick and her staff were among many vendors at a Christmas Open House event, so I had plenty of chances to meet and greet and walk-up traffic. Not only does Jeanie very generously buy my books, she's also just as enthusiastic as me about visiting with people and waved over a bunch of her friends. The backdrop of the little booth was decorated so well it looked just as charming as Turning Pages Books itself on Franklin Street in Natchez.



The perfect stocking stuffers!

The next trip was to Pontotoc, Mississippi this past Thursday for a book talk at the Pontotoc County Library. Talk about a loyal Friends of the library group--there's almost always a roomful of folks present, and I was very grateful considering how chilly it was. Former Mississippi Supreme Court justice Jim Roberts and his wife, Rose, very kindly bought all three copies of the Oakdale series, and it was great to visit with him after the program and hear a couple of funny stories. Judy McNeece, who heads up the system of library branches in the Pontotoc area, did her usual outstanding job of getting the word out about my talk--there were cute flyers on display inside and outside the library (and the street sign in front of the library).



I was very grateful that folks in Pontotoc didn't throw fruits and vegetables at the sign until after the program.

 


COMPETING WITH SPONGE BOB

No, Sponge Bob isn't an author (not as far as I know), but he remains a rock star with most every red-blooded kid out there. So while there were scads of folks at Edgewater Mall yesterday, many were parents who'd brought their kids to see Sponge Bob and other cartoon characters. Actual book buyers at the Biloxi, Mississippi Books A Million were in somewhat short supply, but it was great to see Laura Golovin-Greer of Ocean Springs and her adorable daughter, Sasi. Maybe I should have gotten Sponge Bob to hang around my signing table and act as if he's a big fan of my Oakdale suspense series.



Laura, Joe, and Sasi. Not pictured: Sponge Bob

 It was great to visit Bay Books again, which was my next stop. Bookends was a wonderful little independently-owned bookstore in Bay St. Louis until it was wiped out by Hurricane Katrina, and owner Susan Daigre chose not to rebuild. But Kay Gough and her husband, Edward, opened Bay Books several years ago in a charming location just blocks from the water and once again gave Hancock County readers a wonderful outlet to find local and regional literary treasures as well as the national best-selling books.

New owner Jeremy Burke is continuing author signings that tie in to the Bay's Second Saturday each month, and I was delighted to sign alongside Poplarville, Mississippi native Whitney Miller, who was crowned the very first MasterChef winner after Season One of the popular FOX television show. Whitney's cookbook, Modern Hospitality, is a hot item after the national television exposure, and folks poured in to pick up copies. Many buyers were kind enough to plunge into my Oakdale series, too. My in-laws, Charlie and Vicky Staehle, have lived in Bay St. Louis for years and did their usual great job in spreading the word to their friends about their son-in-law's new book. 



Charlie, Joe, and Vicky



CHRISTMAS SHOPPING

I grew up in Starkville, Mississippi and have many old friends there. Long ago, when I was a slacker college student at Mississippi State and dreamed of being the next Casey Kasem, I worked at WSSO radio (on equipment that came over on the Mayflower) and produced ads each November for the annual Christmas Open House event in the downtown area. It's a concept you'll find in many small towns and communities across the fruited plain, with a whole cluster of businesses along the town square (or Main Street) opening their doors--usually on Sunday afternoon--and letting it be known that with Christmas just ahead, your best bet is to shop early and often and put some money back into the local economy.

So it was an honor to be invited to sign books at my hometown bookstore, The Book Mart, as part of Christmas Open House 2011. I was joined by Stuart Vance, who has a brand-new book about the history of aviation in the Golden Triangle, Nancy Dorman-Hickson, who co-authored a book called Diplomacy and Diamonds: My Wars from the Ballroom to the Battlefield with Joanne King Herring, and Starkville pastor Bert Montgomery, a delightful man who's written two books, including the recently-released Psychic Pancakes and Communion Pizza: More Musings and Mutterings of a Church Misfit. It was a bright, beautiful day, and all we needed was a bunch of folks strolling up and down the sidewalks ready to spend money--specifically on books. That request was answered and then some, as folks poured through the doors of The Book Mart all afternoon. In addition to selling over two dozen books, it was great to meet new folks and see some old friends...including my 12th grade English teacher. And that's a story in itself:

Way back in the fall of 1982, I was a senior at Starkville High School and didn't bother to read the Charles Dickens classic, Great Expectations, even though it was a class assignment. And when it came time to take the test, well, there was no point in trying to bluff my way through an exam that was 100% discussion. So I strolled to the desk of the teacher, Mrs. Billie Hood, trying not to disturb anyone in the otherwise quiet classroom, and leaned over and whispered words to the effect that I, in fact, hadn't read the Dickens book and there was probably no point in me trying to continue. As I'd told my thirteen-year-old not a month ago while telling this story, I suppose I expected Mrs. Hood to say, "Well, now, Joe, why don't you read the book this week, maybe finish by Thursday night, and be ready to take the next next Friday." But Mrs. Hood simply thanked me for letting her know, and that was that. Except I got a 0 for the test...and made an F for that six-week term...and just barely made the lowest C possible for the whole year.

As I told Mrs. Hood when she very kindly walked up, reintroduced herself, and bought my new book, the Great Expectations saga was a teachable moment for my son, who better read his assigned reading. Mrs. Hood assured me that I was a better student than I was giving myself credit for. Well, I'll take her word for it. As I tell people, neither Mississippi State University nor Starkville High School have named an academic scholarship in my honor. But maybe they will one day. (And maybe I'll find oil under my house.)

Me and Carolyn Abadie, a really nice lady and the manager of The Book Mart, one of my very favorite bookstores.

Author Bert Montgomery and me. What a nice guy.

Always good to see my friend Bethany Waldrop Keiper.

That's my old friend Margaret Ann Chandler, who was kind enough to buy from both Bert and me.

I haven't seen my friend Sandy Bennett Simpson in at least 25 years. It was great to visit.

DEAR SIR OR MADAM, WILL YOU READ MY BOOK?

As you've probably picked up, I'm an old radio guy and enjoy throwing in song lyrics now and then. The title of this entry is from the great Beatles song, Paperback Writer, and the next line says, "It took me years to write--will you take a look?"

As a publisher, I receive several queries a week from prospective authors, and all assure me they will absolutely bust their backsides to make my investment in them profitable (were I to publish them). I certainly don't doubt their sincerity, but it takes a great deal of hard work from everyone involved in the publication of any book for it to be successful. John Evans, the owner of Lemuria Books in Jackson, Mississippi has said this to me often: "One book at a time." He's talking about selling them, not so much me writing them. And he's exactly right. My authors and I have spoken to gatherings as large as several hundred on occasion; we've also spoken (often) to groups of 5-10 people. It's my opinion that those events, if you do enough of them, are where the author really begins to build a fan base because of the personal connection you make with folks in a small group.

I'll be in Hattiesburg, Mississippi this Saturday, November 5 from 12pm-4pm at Books A Million, and I'll return to my hometown of Starkville, Mississippi the following day to be part of a multi-author Christmas Open House event at The Book Mart from 1-4pm. Have to make sure to get the oil changed in the Bookmobile.

Oh, and remember the log truck that made me late for my visit to the library in Raleigh, Mississippi recently?

Enjoy your visit to Oakdale!

The Bookshelf in Ridgeland, Mississippi is a locally-owned store owned by my friends Danny and Lisa Perry and managed during the week by Danny's delightful mom, Lana. Below is a picture of me with my buddy Jim Griffin, who very kindly gets copies of my books as soon as they're available.

Nothing better than loyal friends wanting to read my books.

SEE SOME OLD FRIENDS - GOOD FOR THE SOUL

One of the most rewarding aspects of my book trips is seeing friends I haven't been around in ages. It was great to visit with Karen Powell, a radio colleague from my long-haired beatnik Casey Kasem-wannabe days of 1982-1983, when I visited the Bryan Public Library in West Point last week. Karen, who lost her eyesight in recent years, spends a lot of time these days advocating on behalf of the blind through several charitable organizations to raise funds and awareness. She showed great patience while trying to teach me the finer points of running a radio control board when I was in my teens--I was no more of a techno-geek in those days than I am now. All the equipment at that radio station was woefully outdated, by the way, and might as well have come to the New World on the Mayflower.

Karen, Libby, and me.

After a very early trip to Meridian to promote my new book on WTOK television, I drove to Philadelphia, Mississippi to sign at Dancing Rabbit Books and hopped from there to Books A Million in Meridian. In addition to seeing my brother, Stuart, and his son, Garrett at the store in Philadelphia, it was great to see proprietor Steve Stubbs, who's also an author (and wrote a must-have history of the Neshoba County Fair). Dancing Rabbit is not only a bookstore; there's fantastic artwork along with a multitude of Civil War books and artificats throughout the store. Dancing Rabbit is located on Beacon Street in downtown Philadelphia, and you'll thoroughly enjoy a tour of the store and a few minutes with Steve.





Signing THE LONG ROAD HOME at Dancing Rabbit Books.

BEHIND THE LOG TRUCK

I spoke Thursday evening at 5 p.m. at the Robinson Memorial Library in Raleigh, Mississippi and called librarian Sherri Harris a few minutes before start time to give her an update: I was one of about a gazillion vehicles puttering along behind a log truck a few minutes outside town. The driver wasn't actually headed to the library, although he got within one block of my destination before turning onto another highway and slowing down a few other folks. I've gotten stuck behind plenty of log trucks in my lifetime, but that's the first time one has ever been responsible for me being late for a book event. No worries, though. Sherri and the members of her book club are very nice (as well as avid readers), and we had a good laugh over it.

I cranked up the BookMobile and headed for the Gulf Coast first thing Friday morning, watching the sun rise as I headed to the McIlwain Public Library in Gautier. I was the featured author at the annual used book sale and met some very nice people.



I'm so hungry I could eat a sandwich this big!





This nice lady from Germany will plunge into the Oakdale series with a signed copy of JUDGMENT DAY.





With author Daisy Karam-Read (FROM MANHATTAN TO MISSISSIPPI, and THE LOVE AFFAIR CONTINUES) and Gautier librarian Randy Smith

I'm asked about digital downloads at every talk these days and the impact they've had on what I do as an author and publisher. In terms of availability, my novel, THE MAGNOLIA TRIANGLE, is available for download if you have a Kindle. The same is true of the most recent John M. Floyd collection of short stories, CLOCKWORK. My new novel, THE LONG ROAD HOME, will be available for download on Kindle very soon. Plans are to go back and offer the other great Floyd collections (RAINBOW'S END and MIDNIGHT) and my first Oakdale book, JUDGMENT DAY, on Kindle, as well as all future Dogwood Press titles. Have a great day!

 

WE HAVE LIFTOFF!

Polly Hammett, Joe Lee, Sheri Krause, Donna Biggert, Johnny Biggert at Lemuria - Jackson MS (10/4/11)

Funny how the months leading up to the publication of a book seem to take years, but Opening Night, as I think of it, zips past in the blink of an eye. It is a joyous occasion, though, and friends stopped by Lemuria in Jackson, Mississippi (which they did on Tuesday, October 4) and The Book Mart in Starkville, Mississippi (Thursday, October 6) to pick up copies of The Long Road Home, Part III of my Oakdale suspense series.

After talks this week at Mississippi public libraries in Florence, Raleigh, and Brandon, I'll drive to the Mississippi Gulf Coast for a 10am-2pm event at the Gautier Public Library. There's an annual used book sale at the Gautier library each year, and I'm honored to be this year's featured author. I'll speak, sign books, and meet a lot of nice people. One person I'll definitely see is Valerie Winn of Gautier, who's the next Dogwood Press author. I'll publish Valerie's excellent literary novel, Forsaking Mimosa, in April 2012. Much more about that book will be ahead on both this blog and on my web site, http://www.dogwoodpress.com/.