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!