Spring 2025 is shaping up to be a busy author event season for me. But first, a quick recap of my recent winter season:

After several delays, including an updated cover from Cover Kitchen, an excellent international book cover company, work on my audiobook version, and other last-minute editing, my newest novel Letter 26 was finally published on December 17, 2024. I learned a valuable lesson with this publication: make sure to order an author copy prior to full publication and closely review the book for production, formatting, and editing errors. This last part hit home especially hard, since with just days to go before the book’s full release, I discovered that it contained over a dozen typos. Somehow, in the scrabbled editing and proofreading process, I’d missed them. Like with my other two novels, I’d hired professional editors and a proofreader. But I learned another valuable lesson: even pros miss things. It didn’t help that I’d made some last-minute changes to the manuscript after the final line editing process. In the end, I’d failed to do the one thing that I should have done as the author and final authority of my own book–read the printed book cover to cover before publishing it.

I had a choice: let the errors remain and hope readers wouldn’t catch them all and not think of me as an amateurish writer (and probably ding me on reviews), or contact my formatter and have the typos corrected. I wouldn’t have enough time to make the changes and re-publish the book prior to my hard December 17th publication date. Also, I had a Goodreads giveaway that was ending in a matter of days, at which point I had to mail a paperback copy of the book to the randomly selected 20 winners. I felt stuck. In the end, I decided that I couldn’t live with publishing a book that had so many errors–most were minor, but were errors nonetheless–and had them corrected. It was a pain, and no doubt cost me lost sales since the book had to be removed from circulation on Amazon for about a week. But I felt it well worth it since those lost sales could possibly be recovered later, and I deemed it preferable to have a lost sale or twenty versus someone reading a flawed copy of the book.

To my relief, the corrected copy was published just before Christmas. Soon after, the audiobook version was released on Audible, Spotify, and a host of other outlets. The narrator, Mark Garkusha, did a fantastic job. I’m biased, of course, but he truly did a great job conveying the different characters’ voices, emotions, and foibles. I especially liked his portrayal of the book’s serial killer antagonist.

In December 2024, I attended the Jack Kerouac pop-up book fair held at the famous Americana author’s former home in St. Petersburg, FL. I had an author table where I sold my first two novels, Furlough and Dead Reckoning, and provided marketing material for my then soon-to-be-released novel Letter 26. It was a treat to tour the home, which is now a part-time museum/vacation rental, and retains its 1960’s visage. It reminded me of Graceland, although Kerouac’s home is much less grand. Another treat at the fair: I met Paul Holden, ex-Tampa Bay Rays radio announcer and current New York Yankees stadium PA announcer. He plopped down beside my table and struck up a conversation with me. I didn’t know who he was until 30 minutes into our conversation. I love those organic experiences.

In January 2025, I attended Safety Harbor’s 3rd Friday block party as a vendor. Sold a bunch of books and spoke with dozens of folks strolling Main Street. If you’re local or plan on visiting the area during the 3rd Friday of any month, consider checking out the festival. With dozens of vendors selling food, artwork, and a host of other goods, it’s fantastic for the whole family, a couple, or friends. My favorite aspect of it is you get to open carry alcohol along a half-mile of the street, and of course, the many live musical acts they have outdoors and in establishments.

My upcoming Spring 2025 events:

• Wednesday March 12, 6:30pm-8pm: Shut Up and Write! at Central Cava Speakeasy, St. Petersburg, FL. Local authors meet and write whatever they please for an hour or so, then share about their author journey with each other.
• Saturday, March 15, 12pm-3pm: The Venice, (FL) book fair. I’ll be selling/signing my three novels and giving away FREE audiobooks to buyers.
• Friday, March 21, 6pm-10 pm: The Safety Harbor (FL) 3rd Friday Festival. Once again, I’ll be selling/signing my three novels and giving away FREE audiobooks to buyers.
• Thursday, March 27-Sunday, March 30: The Tennessee Williams Literary Festival, New Orleans, LA. Held at the Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter, the festival discusses works by the famous playwright, and a host of other literary subjects. It ends with a bar/restaurant crawl with groups of writers penning various entries together. I attended last year and it was fantastic.
• Saturday, April 26, 9am-3pm: The Tarpon Springs (FL) Book Fair. I’ll be selling/signing my three novels and giving away FREE audiobooks to buyers.
• Thursday, May 1, 6-m-9pm: The Oxford Exchange Book Fair, Tampa, FL. I’ll be selling/signing my three novels and giving away FREE audiobooks to buyers.
• Wednesday, May 14-Sunday, May 18: Sleuthfest, St. Petersburg, FL. This mystery/thriller author conference was rescheduled from September 2024 due to Hurricane Helene.

Come on out to any of these book events and see me, other authors, or just see the sights of a city familiar to you or not!