Busy Summer

My first week back from Louisville has been a busy one. I've written two articles for Clutch, started writing the rough draft of my newest book, led a writing workshop, and been all over the  MOV setting up readings and signings. Here's a rundown of all the events I have coming up in the next few months. This schedule is subject to change and I hope to add more, so go to my website and click on the News & Events tab to see the newest information.

June 25 (That's today!): I'll be at J&M's Used Bookstore from 11am to 2pm signing books. They're in the old Blockbuster store near the Southside Kroger. Note--buy the book from the bookstore and then I'll sign it. That's not how it works at the library.

July 5: Vienna Public Library from 6pm to 8pm. That will include a reading and q&a time at 6:30.

July 16: Parkersburg and Wood County Public Library on Emerson Avenue from 11am to 1pm. PLEASE NOTE: That's a change from the original announced time. I changed it so I could attend a personal event of great importance.

July 23: South Parkersburg Library from 10am to 2pm. This too will include a time for readingsfrom Dawn of Grace and q&a. The reading will take place at 11am.

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July 30 (this is tentative): Point Park Marketplace. Times TBA, but I plan to be there sometime early in the day. This coincides with Market Vendor Fair, so come down even if you don't want to buy a book! BY THE WAY: You can now purchase all my books at the Marketplace. Same great price.

September 30-October 1: Pullman Square in Huntington. I'll have a sale booth at the Ohio River Festival of Books. Exact times are TBD.

October 28-29: West Virginia Book Festival at the Charleston Civic Center. This is a huge event with dozens of booths, along with big name authors doing readings. There are also always activities for kids, lots of giveaways, and a gargantuan used book sale.

Hope To See You June 25!

I'm glad to be back in Parkersburg, though I really enjoyed my week in Louisville. I met some new friends and had a lot of fun. I hope Kansas City is just as fun next year. But now that I'm back, I can start promoting my new book in earnest.

Toward that end, my first big event is a signing next Saturday, June 25 at the new location of J&M's Used Bookstore on Division Street. It's just a few doors down from Kroger, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding it at all. I'll be there from 11am to 2pm, and I hope to see you there.

I'm also planning to do signings at all the local libraries and anywhere else that would be interested. I'll let you know when I get those set in stone.

I also plan to have an online launch party in the next couple weeks. That's where you come by and visit me cyber-style. It'll be on Facebook and you just drop by my author page during the designated time and check in. There will be trivia games and giveaways. Unfortunately, the only refreshments will be holographic meatloaf, but you can show up in your underwear and no one will care.

Finally, I want to share that I've figured out the general outline of my next book. The big news on that is that it will not be a Shalan Adventure. It won't be a detective book at all. It's all about a 16-year-old girl name Elizabeth Janeway, known as EJ to her friends, who loses her mother in a freak accident, only to discover that, despite what her mother had told her all her life, her dad is not only alive, but he is a powerful businessman and the mayor of a nearby city. I worked out the plot last week and I have to say I'm excited. I think it has potential to be a book of note--if I can just write it. I will definitely be shopping it to agents and publishers rather than publishing it independently, as I do with Harry and Dee. For Shalan fans, have no fear--I plan to continue their story. I'm just taking a break to work on something a little more literary in nature.

So what can you expect from Harry and Dee? Well, the plan is to release a new e-book-only novella. I believe this will be a second prequel that tells the story of their wedding and his hanging up his shingle in Parkersburg. It will pick up where "Harry and the Redheaded Angel" left off and tie into the beginning of Harsh Prey. After that, I have a vague idea for a spinoff series for Jenn.

So that's all the news that fits from here in the land of Joe. I hope to see you on June 25 or some other venue soon. I'd love to sign your copy of Dawn of Grace.