MAN'S BEST FRIEND

Raise your hand if you're a dog lover. Even if you aren't, I know you have friends whose canines are full-fledged family members. It's SO hard to say goodbye to them, and that's what Hal Kitchings--a long-time dog lover himself--had in mind when he wrote Dog-Gone, It Hurts, a 30-day devotional published by the Sunrise Press division of Dogwood Press. It's a beautiful little book comprised of gentle encouragement and support, relevant scripture, and meaningful quotes from people ranging from C.S. Lewis and Billy Graham to Tim Tebow and Rudyard Kipling. The release is about a month away, so be watching for it and grab a copy . . . or several. Your friends that love dogs will thank you!

The cute cover portrait was painted by the author's late sister, Kathy

Also coming in November is another Sunrise Press title, Lean Into Lent by author Monica Walton, whose first book, Advent Reflections For This Day, found a sizable audience ahead of last year's Christmas season. Lean Into Lent, like its predecessor, is a weekly devotional with the busyness of the season in mind . . . all the spiritual nourishment you're looking for in an easy-to-read format that will make an already special season even more memorable. 

It, too, will make a wonderful Christmas gift!

The decision to move the Mississippi Book Festival from August to September turned out to be a very good one, as attendance at the literary panels and the numbers of browsers on the grounds broke all previous records. Authors Candace Cox Wheeler and Scott Lenoir and I enjoyed a beautiful, breezy day and the company of quite a few shoppers that stopped by the Dogwood Press tent, and I was honored to be included on the Mississippi Culture panel--it was fun to discuss my new work of non-fiction, Raphael's Men, in front of a packed room, and share the stage with fellow authors Diane Williams, Lawrence Wells, Josh Foreman, and moderator Germaine Flood.

Scott Lenoir extolling the virtues of his terrific first novel, The Amendment

Great to see Candace Wheeler fans eager to buy the final volume of her trilogy.

The panels were filmed by C-Span and are being archived on the MBF website.

Public library participation is a huge component for so many authors, and the pandemic absolutely devastated Friends of the Library groups. Some haven't come back at all, but many have, and visiting those loyal readers in different towns across Mississippi remains a thoroughly enjoyable experience. When Candace Wheeler was invited to speak on back to back days at the public libraries in Starkville and Louisville recently, she and husband David (both avid travelers) booked a room at a quaint Main Street hotel in Starkville and enjoyed meals at a couple of landmark eateries while in the area. 

My visit to the public library in Aberdeen on October 16 will mark the first author talk the Aberdeen Friends have had since the pandemic. I'm honored to go, and Dogwood Press will make a nice donation of books to the library in an attempt to catch them up on the books they've missed since anyone from our team was there last.

At my hometown library in Starkville. I just flew in from Pittsburgh, and boy, my arms are tired!

Be sure to visit dogwoodpress.com to find out when and where you can meet our authors, and certainly plan on getting copies of Dog-Gone, It Hurts and Lean Into Lent next month. Signed copies of all Dogwood Press and Sunrise Press titles can be ordered through the website, too. There isn't a thing wrong with ordering those Christmas gifts and having them shipped to you a little early!

 

MISSISSIPPI CULTURE

Taking place on September 14 this year in hopes of avoiding the blast furnace August heat, the 2024 Mississippi Book Festival will again feature an incredibly diverse group of authors on its many book panels. I'm honored to be included on the Mississippi Culture panel, moderated by Mississippi Public Broadcasting host Germaine Flood and featuring fellow authors Larry Wells, Diane Williams, and Josh Foreman. My contribution is my second work of non-fiction, Raphael's Men. Published by the Mississippi Sports Council of Jackson, Raphael's Men is the true story of the late Bill Raphael, the legendary football coach and math instructor at St. Joseph Catholic School of Jackson. 

In addition to winning well over 200 games while coaching a whopping 41 seasons at St. Joe (1950-1990), Coach Raphael's biggest wins can be found in the vast numbers of students he taught, athletes and non-athletes, who learned kindness, integrity, leadership, and self-confidence from him before developing into stalwarts in the business world, academia, medicine, law, and more. Signed copies will be available September 1 at Lemuria Books of Jackson, and at the MBF.

A natural born leader!

You'll enjoy the Mississippi Culture panel in air conditioned comfort, of course. Find us in Room 103 of the Mississippi state capitol building at 2:45 p.m., and be sure to catch the Mississippi Memoirs panel just before ours; it will be in Room 202 of the capitol building and feature X.M. Frascogna Jr., my friend and co-author of the recently released The Saints of St. Mary's. If you don't have this one yet, grab a signed copy when you purchase Raphael's Men!

An education you can't get in a textbook!

Brand new Dogwood Press suspense author Scott Lenoir hit the ground running with his tour for The Amendment, his fast-paced debut, and feedback has been very strong. Scott received texts and emails from several old friends the morning after his stop at Lemuria who said they'd planned to start the book, read a chapter or two . . . and absolutely couldn't put it down until they read every page. Gotta like that!

Catch Scott this Friday evening, August 23, at 6 p.m. for the annual Pie and Prose event at St. John's Episcopal Church in Ocean Springs, where he'll read from The Amendment and answer questions. He'll visit the Bonfire Book Club of McComb next Monday, August 26 (absolutely one of our FAVORITE book clubs in the state) before stopping at nearby Summit, Mississippi, the next morning at 11:00 for the first ever signing at brand new Buzy Beez Books! 

A happy author surrounded by avid readers!

Candace Cox Wheeler puts as much into her author presentations as any author I know, and certainly any I've published. She's a walking encyclopedia when it comes to her beloved hometown of Biloxi, Mississippi, and that knowledge was on full display at Ground Zero Blues Club of Biloxi and the following week when she visited public libraries in Starkville and Louisville, Mississippi. If you haven't taken the plunge, grab a signed copy of Sunset in the Sound. It will look great on your shelves next to her excellent Cradle in the Oak and Squall in the Gulf, and you may agree it's the best of the trilogy!

Immersing a rapt audience in the Sound of Wheeler!

And a big tip of the cap to old friend and short story writer par excellence John Floyd. It's been an honor to publish John EIGHT times over the years, and I admire so much his ability to write one fascinating story after another about almost any topic, representing almost any genre, and in remarkably short periods of time. He's much too humble to brag on himself, so let me do so: the man is a legend.

Check this out: John's story "Molly's Plan", which we included in his story collection Dreamland, published by Dogwood Press in 2016, just showed up in Black Cat Weekly. Okay, it's not unusual to see a story written by an author reappear in another publication at some point in the future. But look at the exposure "Molly's Plan" has gotten between its publication before Dreamland and today:

- first appeared in Strand Magazine

- selected for Best American Mystery Stories (praised by James Patterson in his intro to that edition)

- included in Dreamland

- reprinted in Russian in Moscow’s leading literary magazine, Inostranada Literatura

- it has been taught in several high schools and colleges

- considered for film, via a call from someone at LA’s biggest literary agency

- selected for inclusion in the permanent digital archive of the New York Public Library

- most recently selected for Black Cat Weekly

Grab that black cat and enjoy Molly's Plan!

Thanks for your time. I hope I've given you lots of leads on outstanding reads! Visit dogwoodpress.com for signed copies of all our titles, and make plans to visit the Dogwood Press tent on Saturday, September 14, at the Mississippi Book Festival as well as enjoying the author panels. Happy reading!

HAPPY AUTHOR

I love seeing the authors I publish get a first look at their new books, especially when it's their first one. Exhibit A is Scott Lenoir, whose great new thriller, The Amendment, is just days from release!  

Scott, say hello to your first novel!

An electrifying tale of revenge, redemption, and a complicated but good man (protagonist Blake Weaver) trying to right a series of wrongs, The Amendment introduces a memorable supporting cast that includes Blake’s quirky love interest at the bank, a youthful Episcopal priest put into an almost impossible position, and a colorful New Orleans crime family that’s eager to provide a little muscle.

Doesn't that sound like fun? Join us at Lemuria Books of Jackson, Mississippi, on Thursday, August 8 at 5 p.m. for Scott's very first book signing and reading.

Draws you in on page one!

And now for your very first look at my new book, which arrives September 1: Raphael's Men, published by the Mississippi Sports Council of Jackson. 

Following on the heels of The Saints of St. Mary's, which I co-authored with X.M. Frascogna Jr., Raphael's Men is a biography of the late Bill Raphael and the towering legacy he left at St. Joseph Catholic School in Jackson as both football coach (for a whopping 41 seasons!) and math instructor par excellence. Here's an excerpt from the foreword of the book, written by St. Joe graduate Gerard Gibert, the host of "Midday" on Super Talk Mississippi radio:

“His math students wanted to ace his rigorous but fair tests, and his football players would absolutely run through a brick wall to deliver wins on the field. As a student or player, you wanted to please him as if he were your own dad.” 

I interviewed several dozen former Raphael players, students, assistant coaches, and fellow teachers for Raphael's Men, and all talked of what they picked up from him: always do the right thing even when no one is watching, give your best effort, rely on your teammates, and always believe you can accomplish more than you ever dreamed possible. It's a faith based leadership book with a high school football backdrop!

 

Can't wait for you to read it!

I'll have copies of Raphael's Men and The Saints of St. Mary's at the 2024 Mississippi Book Festival, which moves to September this year to (possibly) avoid some of the Mississippi summer heat. Scott Lenoir, Candy Wheeler, Randy Pierce, and John Floyd will all join me in the Dogwood Press tent. 

                                                                 That date, so you don't forget, is Saturday, September 14. 

Speaking of Candace Wheeler, the same day Scott Lenoir launches The Amendment in Jackson, Candy will visit the Ground Zero Blues Club in Biloxi for a presentation and book signing. If you haven't caught her in person, she's a walking encyclopedia of all things Biloxi, which comes in handy with her three great historical fiction novels set there. GZBC is an especially cool place for a book event, so put it on your calendar if you live along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

                                                                            Plan to attend, and bring a friend!

Be sure to visit dogwoodpress.com to order signed copies of our titles, and to catch up with where Scott Lenoir will be signing The Amendment in August and September. Thanks so much for your time. Have a great day, and keep reading!

 

BEACH BOOKS

Got everything ready for that long-awaited beach trip, now that the kids are out of school? Up to you to remember the sunscreen, but we can certainly take care of you with what to read. We'll start Candace Cox Wheeler's Sunset on the Sound, set on the beautiful Mississippi Gulf Coast. Many of Candace's readers loved Cradle in the Oak and Squall in the Gulf, her first two volumes of her Biloxi-based trilogy, but if you are new to the party, Sunset is a fine place to start. It's fast-paced and suspenseful with plenty of conflict, as the wide open gambling environment that Biloxi residents of the 1950s view as a tourism boost lands squarely on the radar of a U.S. Senate Subcommittee chairman.

Don't let the serene cover fool you. A most suspenseful read.

 

Candace signing Sunset for an old friend at the Author Shoppe of Hattiesburg, MS

Ground Zero Blues Club in Biloxi is an especially cool place for an author event. Great food and drink, a thoroughly unique atmosphere, and a one-of-a-kind reading given the author's knowledge of not only the book's subject matter, but the city itself.

Put this on your calendar if you haven't taken the plunge.

The wait is almost over for Scott Lenoir's suspenseful debut, The Amendment. He'll launch exactly one month from today at Lemuria Books of Jackson with an in-person event at 5 p.m. Scott introduces you to protagonist Blake Weaver, a complicated protagonist if there ever was one, but Blake is a good man. A banker with a law enforcement background, he puts that skill set to good use as he attempts to right a whole series of wrongs in a fast-paced read set in south Mississippi and New Orleans. The cast includes a young Episcopal priest put in an almost impossible spot and some authentic New Orleans muscle.

Cool cover. An outstanding debut.

 

Co-author Mike Frascogna Jr. and I signed more than 100 books at Lemuria while launching The Saints of St. Mary's last month. If you haven't picked up a copy, know that it's far more than just a book about football, or about coaching football. Saints is a powerful story that will make you laugh, cry a bit, and want to cheer. It's faith based and packed with life lessons for our youth: always do the right thing, rely on your teammates, and never forget you're capable of accomplishing more than you ever imagined. It's recommended for any parent, coach, or teacher working with boys or girls. 

Pick up a signed copy at Lemuria as well as The Book Mart & Cafe in Starkville, Friendly City Books in Columbus, Impression Books of Flowood, and Cotton Row Books in Cleveland.

It will inspire you.

And it's a great beach read.

We'll have the Dogwood Press tent at the annual Mississippi Book Festival again this year and look forward to seeing you. Hard to say how much cooler, if at all, it will be on September 14 (yes, the festival is in September this year), but by then we'll be a lot closer to a pair of Sunrise Press releases I'm very excited about. Hal Kitchings, pastor of Easthaven Baptist Church in Brookhaven, Mississippi, has written Dog-Gone, it's Hard, a devotional designed to help grieve one's lost dog with daily entries that mix scripture with gentle encouragement and quotes from famous people. Hal and I can't wait for you to read it!

Watch for it November 1.

And if you enjoyed Monica Walton's Advent Reflections For This Day, you'll really appreciate Lean Into Lent. Instead of planning ahead to give something up, make it a Lenten goal to read this book. It's a multi-denominational work with relevant modern day parables which really bring the scriptures to life.

A beautiful cover. A wonderful book.

Thanks so much for your time. Visit dogwoodpress.com for an updated list of book signings for all of our authors. We hope to see you soon!

THE SAINTS AMONG US

There are large, colorful banners inside Jackson's beautiful Banner Hall right now that display the striking cover art of The Saints of St. Mary's, my first work of non-fiction and a book I co-authored with Mike Frascogna Jr. Those banners, adorned with a SAVE THE DATE reminder for our June 6 book launch, point the shopper upstairs to the city's landmark bookstore, Lemuria, where Mike and I will sign copies from 4:30-7:00 p.m. while guests enjoy gourmet hors d'oeuvres, cocktails, and the chance to catch up with old friends. 

Mike voluntarily coached elementary school football at St. Mary's of Jackson from 1969-1972, and not only did he turn a bunch of ragtag, inexperienced kids into a juggernaut, he taught them life lessons that proved especially valuable as they grew up, got married, pursued careers, and had kids. Always giving your best effort, relying on your teammates, believing you can accomplish more than you thought possible, and respecting your school on and off the field were mentioned by so many of the former players I interviewed for the book, and some got emotional describing how much those years meant to them. The takeaways from Mike's coaching years are just as relevant today as they were two generations ago and can be put to good use by today's parents and coaches of both boys and girls.

Get a copy for yourself, and one for your kids.

Reaction to Candace Cox Wheeler's Sunset in the Sound has been uniformly excellent. It's always a party when Candy, her husband, David, and their many friends prepare a Gulf Coast book launch, and many of the host group were dressed in fifties-era garb to celebrate. Sunset is the final volume of Candy's Biloxi-based trilogy, and this one, with illegal gambling at the center of the suspenseful plot, might be the best of the three. If you have Cradle in the Oak and Squall in the Gulf, you'll definitely want to read Sunset in the Sound. If you don't, Sunset is a great place to start as well as an obvious beach book!

So much fun with dear friends!

Enjoying a full house at the Biloxi Visitors Center.

The Scott Lenoir book tour for his suspenseful debut, The Amendment begins in Jackson at Lemuria on August 8 at 5 p.m. and includes a visit to the wonderful folks at the Bonfire Book Club in McComb the evening of August 26 and the first-ever signing at the all-new Buzy Beez Bookstore in nearby Summit the following day. We're excited for Scott to have that honor, and old friends from his stomping grounds are eager to support him.

You'll enjoy the noir feel of the cover. You'll enjoy the story even more!

 

Sunrise Press, as I've discussed in this space previously, is the year-old faith-based imprint of the publishing house. Two new Sunrise Press titles are coming in late 2024. The first is an eagerly-awaited devotional by Hal Kitchings, pastor at Easthaven Baptist Church of Brookhaven, Mississippi, designed to help you grieve the loss of your beloved dog. Dog-Gone, It Hurts has 30 brief, easy-to-read entries that mix scripture references with support, gentle advice, and related quotes from luminaries ranging from Dr. Billy Graham to C.S. Lewis and Tim Tebow. Hal is a lifelong dog lover, and as he told me, he's met untold church members over his quarter century of pastoring who were having a most difficult time after losing a pet but were embarrassed to say so to anyone. This one arrives in November.

Be thinking of friends who'll want a copy.

Also arriving before 2025 is Monica Walton's Lean Into Lent. Just like her well-received Advent Reflections For This Day, Lean Into Lent will be a pocket-sized little book packed with meaningful modern-day parables and scripture that brings the material to life. When it comes time to consider what you'll be giving up for Lent, make it a point to pick up this wonderful volume that will add a lot to your Lenten season.

What a beautiful cover!

Be sure to visit dogwoodpress.com for signed copies of all Dogwood Press titles, and know that although The Saints of St. Mary's is published by The Mississippi Sports Council, you can order signed copies (with both my signature and Mike's) from the Dogwood Press website. If you're in the Jackson area, I hope you can stop by Lemuria on June 6. It'll be a party, and you'll sure eat well!

Thanks for your time. Happy summer, and keep reading!

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!