A SPECTACULAR SUNSET

We're just days away from the grand opening of Candace Cox Wheeler's Sunset in the Sound, which caps her Biloxi-based trilogy with a riveting novel set in the early 1950s and driven by the practice of illegal gambling. If you thought Cradle in the Oak and Squall in the Gulf were keepers, you're in for a real treat. And if this will be your first visit to Wheeler World, there's no reason you can't start with Sunset and work your way backward! Here's where you can join the fun:

HILLYER HOUSE / Ocean Springs, MS / Saturday, April 20 @ 10:00 a.m.

THE MARTIME & SEAFOOD INDUSTRY MUSEUM / Biloxi, MS / Saturday, April 20 @ 2 p.m.

LEMURIA BOOKS / Jackson, MS / Thursday, April 25 @ 5 p.m.

A happy publisher and author!

Let the good times roll!

I'm honored to share a co-author credit with my friend Mike Frascogna Jr. on The Saints of St. Mary's, the true story of Mike's volunteer coaching efforts with the elementary school football team at a small parochial school in west Jackson, Mississippi, more than five decades ago. In addition to turning a bunch of ragtag kids (think Bad News Bears) into a juggernaut, Mike taught his charges the importance of giving your best, relying on your teammates, and taking pride in a job well done. It's a powerful story that will make you laugh out loud, shed a tear or two, and want to cheer. As to the takeaways, they're just as relevant today as they were in 1970 and apply to coaching, teaching, and parenting all kids.

We'll launch The Saints of St. Mary's at Lemuria on Thursday, June 6 at 4:30 p.m. Mike and I hope to see you there and sign a copy for you!

A cool cover. A timeless story.

There's someone you'll want to meet: Blake Weaver is the goodhearted but conflicted protagonist of The Amendment, the first novel by Scott Lenoir. Scott is the most recent addition to the Dogwood Press team and another writer that calls the Mississippi Gulf Coast home. You'll want to meet Scott, too, of course, and you'll thoroughly enjoy the fast-paced, suspenseful ride of Blake Weaver, a banker who taps into his law enforcement background to administer justice when a threatening situation calls for it.

Also a cool cover. Coming in August!

The first Sunrise Press title, Monica Walton's Advent Reflections For This Day, was so well-received that she'll return with Lean Into Lent in time for the 2025 Lenten season! Like her first book, Lean Into Lent is multi-denominational and a pocket size book you'll find especially rewarding. 

Isn't that beautiful? Coming in early 2025.

Also coming in 2025 is the new Valerie Winn novel, A Glaring Error. I still have the email from at least a year ago when Valerie wrote to tell me about her next novel and its progress. The words A GLARING ERROR were in the subject line and because I had no idea what she was thinking about calling her next book, I was thinking, "Great. What have I done now?" If you enjoyed Forsaking Mimosa and The Dance Between, you'll be glad to know that Valerie brings forward several cast members for those fine books to take part in a plot that is, shall we say, a work of art. 

I'm asked periodically by parents of prospective young readers for an honest answer about how young their kiddos should try our Dogwood Press titles. Just about everything in the catalog is appropriate for readers as young as 13-14, and I'd say as young as 11-12 for Valerie's novels, Candace Wheeler's trilogy, and the short stories of John Floyd.

Meeting Valerie may inspire this youngster to write her own novel one day!

Speaking of John, he continues to write suspenseful short fiction at a dizzying rate. Being published in The Strand Magazine is a high honor, and John is almost every issue, seems like. Below is the cover of the spring 2023 edition that included "Last Day at the Jackrabbit," a finalist for the coveted Derringer Award. As I've said in this space before, winning a Derringer is the rough equivalent of a musician winning a Grammy or an actor winning an Oscar. Go John!

John and the late, great James M. Cain in the same mag!

I'm very grateful to the Mississippi Writers Guild for including both John and me as workshop leaders at events which have taken place all of Mississippi in recent weeks. I visited Oxford to give a presentation on everything from how to pitch one's work to a prospective literary agent or editor, to all the steps involved from a manuscript in Word form to a printed book. John was in Natchez and Ridgeland recently to discuss the many different markets available for short fiction writers. 

Hanging on every word . . . and every word counts!

I think that's everything. Thanks for the wonderful support of Dogwood Press and Sunrise Press. Hope to see you soon at one of the in-person events. Put them on your calendar!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

There's lots to be excited about in 2024, beginning with a pair of outstanding novels coming soon from a pair of Mississippi Gulf Coast writers. Author Scott Lenoir's electrifying debut, The Amendment, introduces Blake Weaver, a most complicated protagonist with a big heart and a fervent desire to protect the people he cares about. When there’s a score to settle (and there's a big one in The Amendment), Blake will tap right into his law enforcement background to take care of business. 

Coming in August 2024

Candace Cox Wheeler's Sunset in the Sound might be the best volume of her trilogy, and that's saying something after the bar was set so high with Cradle in the Oak and Squall in the Gulf. Like the first two, Sunset takes place in the author's beloved hometown of Biloxi, and this time it's illegal gambling that drives a fast-paced plot that takes place in the early 1950s. Once again Candace does a masterful job of bringing forward cast members from her first two books, adding another level of interest to a truly fine work of Mississippi-based historical fiction. 

Coming in March 2024

I've had the honor of publishing short story ace John Floyd eight times in book form since 2006, and it's great to see him continue to receive national recognition for his stellar work. Case in point: the 25th anniversary of The Strand Magazine has been released, and it not only includes one of John's stories (along with a new story from bestseller Jeffrey Deaver and a recently discovered poem by the legendary Raymond Chandler), Andrew Gulli, editor-in-chief of The Strand Magazine, had this to say about John:

        "Every once in a while you'll find a writer whose style, stories, prose, and plots fit perfectly

        with your editorial vision. For the past quarter century, John M. Floyd has been just that

        writer--our 25th anniversary issue features the 26th story by the author who we consider 

        our Arthur Conan Doyle. His stories over the years were nominated for several awards

        and graced many anthologies. And on this Christmas Day, we're thankful to have such a

        star contributor."

Available NOW wherever magazines are sold!

As I've said before in this space, a good book is timeless, and Valerie Winn's 2010 debut, Forsaking Mimosa, continues to reach new readers every day. Or, in this case, two readers! These ladies from Alabama (yes, they're twins) appear to have similar tastes in books as well as attire.

By the way, the colorful bottles are also Valerie's creations!

Speaking of a good book being timeless, the delightfully-named Overbooked Book Club of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, made a road trip to Biloxi's Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum to discuss Cradle in the Oak with the author. What's better than discovering the first book of a trilogy or series and learning that there are other books by that author?

You ladies are all invited back in April when Candace signs Sunset in the Sound!

In case you haven't heard our Mississippi Book Festival has been moved from August to September for 2024. It won't exactly be winter in these parts by then, but we'll hope it's at least a little cooler than the inferno-like conditions we endured during last year's event. Put September 14, 2024 on your calendar and plan on joining us! 

It'll be here before you know it!

Thanks so much for helping make 2023 a very good year for Dogwood Press and the all-new Sunrise Press. Visit dogwoodpress.com to order signed copies of just about every title in our catalog. Have a great day, and stay warm!