FROM THE HEART

It takes courage for an author to read his or her work in public, especially a deeply personal story like Rhonda Lynn DiBiase's powerful new memoir, Fear Finds Faith. The beautiful little paperback was published this month by Sunrise Press and describes the crisis of faith Rhonda went through after losing her mother to a lengthy illness. 

I was on with Rhonda during radio and television interviews in recent days and had a front row seat as she sat in the legendary signing booth at Lemuria Books of Jackson and teared up while reading from the first chapter. An emotional moment to be sure, and I'm certain no one who was there will forget it. The book is powerful and intense but layered with flashbacks to happy times and funny stories. In the words of one reader, "it will have you wiping away tears on one page and laughing the next." Congratulations, Rhonda!

A command performance

A lovely book cover

Valerie Winn's A Glaring Error is off to a roaring start, too, thanks to a terrific launch late last month in Ocean Springs. Pink Rooster Art Gallery owner Linda Rosetti, whose cover painting graces the book's cover, and her team provided a wonderful launching pad for the kickoff, and it was wonderful to get several of the Dogwood Press authors together in the same place. Watch for Valerie at Bay Life Gifts at Century Hall in lovely Bay St. Louis on May 2 and on May 16 in Summit, Mississippi, at Buzy Beez Books.

Me, Scott Lenoir, Valerie, Linda, and Monica Walton

 

                                                             Candace Cox Wheeler on the right

It's always an honor to work with the Mississippi Writers Guild and present at their workshops around the state. I did so at The MAX in Meridian in late March and throughly enjoyed the experience. We cover everything from walking the attendee through the actual publishing process to components of good fiction like crisp dialogue, good pacing, good character development, and a strong sense of time and place. 

I'm just a few feet away, not half a mile away!

Signing my non-fiction work Jacktown USA for attendees

And a big shout-out to my long-time friend John M. Floyd, the mystery/suspense short fiction legend I am proud to have published eight times. As you certainly know, John regularly graces the pages of The Strand Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, and many other widely read magazines and e-zines with his work. He's much too humble to brag, so let me do so for him with by sharing some jaw-dropping praise from co-editor Lamia Gulli in Best of The Strand Magazine: 25 Years of Twists, Turns, and Tales from the Modern Masters of Mystery and Fiction. While describing the contributions of the different authors in this book (including James Lee Burke, Michael Connelly, and Jeffrey Deaver), she said this:

" ... and of course the humor and ingenuity of our very own modern-day Arthur Conan Doyle, John M. Floyd. What Conan Doyle and H. Greenhough Smith did for the old Strand, John is to (co-editor) Andrew and me and the new Strand. He has, for the last quarter century, consistently turned out inventive, tightly written tales--always with his signature wry twist at the end. He's a favorite among our editors and readers alike because he never fails to deliver a great story." Wow!!! Keep up the great work, John! And be sure to grab John's great new collection, River Road.

Well worth your time

Also well worth your time

Watch for Rhonda Lynn DiBiase at Torry Woods Memorial Library in Hollandale, Mississippi, this Saturday from 9-11 a.m., and at The Next Chapter, a new brick and mortar bookstore in Leland, Mississippi, on May 2. Fear Finds Faith makes a great gift, as it's a healing balm, and Rhonda will be glad to sign a copy for you. Remember that signed copies of all Dogwood and Sunrise titles can be ordered at dogwoodpress.com and are usually shipped the next business day!

Thanks for your time. Keep reading! 

NEW RELEASES IN THE NEW YEAR!

I still chuckle about my reaction to an email three years ago from author Valerie Winn. It was a busy day, and the subject line of her note was A GLARING ERROR. I thought, "Great. Now what?" It turned out to be the title of the manuscript she said she would be sending me, once she felt it was ready to go, and it's ready to go! A Glaring Error is a suspense novel with a plot that's driven in large part by art, and it's the final volume of Valerie's trilogy that began with Forsaking Mimosa and continued with The Dance Between. The lovely cover painting is by Linda Garbo Rosetti, who owns Pink Rooster Art Gallery in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. So, what's the glaring error? You'll have to read the book to find out! It's coming in March with a big launch party at Pink Rooster Art Gallery.

 

On the Sunrise side of the publishing house, we welcome first-time Mississippi author Rhonda Lynn DiBiase. A lifelong resident of the Mississippi Delta, Rhonda's debut, Fear Finds Faith, is a powerful, plainspoken memoir about losing her mother to illness and enduring the ultimate test of faith along the way. For all of us who've lost our moms, it's a book from someone who has been there that will provide comfort. It's coming in May, in time for Mother's Day.

Author Scott Lenoir has gotten an excellent response to his suspenseful debut, The Amendment, and he and I are both excited about The Reckoning, a sequel which brings back nearly the entire cast and again takes place in southwest Mississippi. Protagonist Blake Weaver, who was a banker with a law enforcement background in the first installment, is the Chief Deputy of the county sheriff's department in this volume and faces quite a challenge: can he trust a man who worked for the villain in The Amendment? You'll have to wait until later in 2026 to get your hands on this one, which gives you plenty of time to read The Amendment if you haven't done so.

I spent much of the fourth quarter of 2025 giving talks about Jacktown USA, which I co-authored with Kamel King. It was reviewed very positively in December in southlandblues.com and bluesnews.ch, not to mention that wonderful Bobby Rush review of the book in The Clarion Ledger at the time of release. Both the book and the companion audio CD have spurred a lot of interest, and it's fascinating to get international orders for copies through our website (I shipped a pair of copies to Switzerland last month). As I told my friend Walt Grayson on WJTV-12 in the Jackson, Mississippi, market, the book is a very important slice of Mississippi musical history that absolutely must be told.

Visit dogwoodpress.com for signed copies of everything in the Dogwood Press and Sunrise Press catalogs. Thanks for your time, and happy reading!