murder.booklocker.com

If you’re a mystery lover, you probably already have Poe’s Deadly Daughters blog bookmarked. If you don’t, you should!

Today’s treat is an interview of Kathy Wall by Sarah Parshall. Wall self-published her first book only to have it picked up by a small press. That led to a contract with St. Martin’s. As you might imagine she has a lot to say about all three experiences.

What seniors might not realize is that Kathy Wall is one of their own. Here’s the reason she chose to self-publish:

My decision to choose iUniverse for the first Bay Tanner, In For A Penny, was made partly as a result of my age when I began the process (just shy of 50) and partly out of ignorance. I sent out 30 queries, all at one time, and didn’t receive the final rejection letter for almost 2 years. At that rate, I figured I’d either be dead or in the ‘home’ before I ran through all my options.

I can identify - can you? 

Wall retired at 50 and began churning out the pages. These days she and her husband spend a lot of time on the road traveling to book signings and conventions. Parshall asked how publication had changed her life. Wall answered:

I think my husband says it best. Every once in a while, as we’re driving up I-95 to another event or strapping into an airplane seat headed for a conference, he’ll look over and say, “Didn’t we retire? I distinctly remember retiring. I’m sure that was us.”

Parshall also asked, “Quite a few women — and some men too — are publishing mysteries for the first time in middle age. What do you think an older writer brings to fiction that a younger person may not?”

That’s my question to you …

[Virtual Book Tour continues! See Lonnie's interview with me on Cruse'n with Lonnie.]

Lonnie owns her own publishing company, NaDaC Publishing, and agreed to talk with me about it.

Cheryl: Tell me what prompted the decision to form the company. It seems like a pretty savvy move to me.

Lonnie: Savvy? I hope so. Mostly it was desperation. I was with a small publishing company that found itself sinking in early 2006. The third book in my Metropolis Mystery Series, MARRIED IN METROPOLIS had been edited by them and the cover was done, in other words it was ready to go to press, but it was obvious they weren’t going to be able to do it. They released all my rights and so there I was, book due out, readers asking when it would be out, and no publisher in sight. I had to make a decision: shop it around and know that it would be 1-2 years before it saw the light of day, or publish it myself. I decided to form NaDaC Publishing and publish it myself.

I got the book into print in about a month with the help of a wonderful cover artist, Erica Well, and my rep at Lightning Source. LS has been terrific to work with as the printers of my books. They produce quality books. I’d never done anything like this and had NO clue, but they guided me through the process and still help me out when I get into a mess, which is fairly often. I’ve brought my first two books back into print with new covers, and just recently released book #4, MALICE IN METROPOLIS through them. It’s been hard work, but well worth it.

Cheryl: Is there any advice you would give to someone considering doing the same thing?

Lonnie: Yes, do your homework. Get someone who knows how to edit the book for you, because authors have a hard time finding their mistakes. We know what it’s supposed to say! Find a good cover artist. Study HOW to self-publish. Then, if you’ve exhausted all other venues to get your book published, go for it.

And you don’t always have to form your own company. Lightning Source has a list of publishers who will do the “grunt work” for you. Books will cost you a bit more, but it will save tearing out your hair. I would have done that, but I’d already purchased the ISBN’s and they can’t be transfered, so I had no choice but to more forward. Turned out to be a good move, and I’ve learned a lot. But self-publishing that way, forming your own company, is NOT for the faint of heart.

Cheryl: Is it easier now that you have four books under the imprint?

Lonnie: No, it’s harder. Harder because I no longer have the publisher’s editor that I trusted with my life (not to mention my books) or other perks like that. BUT I have total control over when a book comes out, how fast I get copies, etc. So that part is better.

And it’s hard to keep a series alive since I’m now writing two. My other series, the Fifty-Seven series (about a baby boomer couple with a trophy winning ‘57 Chevy) is coming out in December and I’m hard at work on the second in that series. Keeping two series going, (one self-published, the other, Five Star Mystery line is releasing the first book in the new series in December,) keeps me really busy, PLUS promoting the current series every chance I get. And then there’s real life.

Cheryl: Had you ever considered publishing someone else’s work? It seems that lots of small companies start out that way.

Lonnie: No. Wish I could. I have been asked but I really can’t. I’m short of time now to work on both series. Then I’d have the bookkeeping headaches as well. As it is, I keep up with everything for tax purposes, including paying sales tax on all the books I sell during the year. If I published any other authors, I’d have to make sure their books were ready to publish, upload them, order copies for the authors, and ship them, keep up with royalties, and pay them.

It would be a huge job. I admire publishers who do have multiple authors.

Cheryl: What’s the best part of having your own company?

Lonnie: Total control.

Cheryl: What are the nightmares?

Lonnie: Total control, snicker. Meaning the responsibility of a good product is pretty much all on me. Sink or swim time. A bit scary. But I do like having final say on what the cover looks like, when the book is released, content, etc. And the books sell well, because while authors, editors, agents, and publishers often have a problem with self-published books, readers don’t, unless the content is poor. That’s why having a good editor is key.

Cheryl: Thanks for all that, Lonnie!

Lonnie: Thanks Cheryl, I enjoyed our chat!

*********

Visit Lonnie Cruse’s website and her blog, Cruse’n with Lonnie.

Richard Brawer has 4 books in print with 3 publishers! When I discovered that I just knew I had to ask him for his story. This is it. My comments are in brackets.

I finished my first mystery novel, The Nurse Wore Black in 1993. Being a complete novice, I did the usual things most new writers do, I sent out query letters to agents and received a stack of rejection letters. Lamenting my woes to a friend, he told me about a publisher, Vista Publishing, right here in Long Branch, New Jersey, the town next to mine who specializes in publishing books about nurses.

Excited, I dropped in cold to their office. They extolled their virtues and told me about the most successful book which sold 50,000 copies. I was impressed. They took the manuscript I brought with me. Two weeks later they said they wanted to publish it. Wow!

I had given them the book in the spring of 1994 and asked them if they could get it out before the summer ended. If they could, I said I would host a book signing party at my beach club where I would invite all 250 members.

They said no problem and published the book, printing a thousand copies. They did not ask me for a nickle. The first time I saw the finished product was when the publisher brought the books to the beach club for the signing. They had gotten it back from their printer only a couple of days earlier. It was then that “Wow factor” fell into the depression factor. The cover was not well done and leafing through the book I saw a number of typos. But the party was on and I had no choice but to smile and sign the books. Read the rest of this entry »

Over the weekend I tied into the story of TwentyMajor’s two book deal with Hodder Headline. The multiple Blog Award winner, had this to say:

“What is the first book about? Well, plot details are vague at this moment in time but it will contain many words put together in sequence to form sentences and paragraphs which will combine to tell a story in chronological order (although I’m not ruling out flashbacks). The press release says:

His two-book deal will see a major expansion in the escapades of Twenty and his pals Jimmy the Bollix, Stinking Pete, Ron the Barman, Splodge, Lucky Luciano and Dirty Dave, as they wind their way around Dublin’s backstreets as they try to find out who killed their friend Jim of Vinyl Records. Music, films, television and books will all be parodied and nothing is sacred in this irreverent look at modern Dublin.”

This morning (May 14) winners of The 2007 Lulu Blooker Prize, the first literary prize for blooks were announced. Not bad prize money, folks — $10,000 First Prize, $15,000 Total Prize Fund, $2,500 Category Prizes.

• Overall Winner and Non-Fiction Winner
  My War: Killing Time In Iraq by Colby Buzzell
• Non-Fiction Runner-Up
  My Secret: A PostSecret Book by Frank Warren
• Fiction Winner
  The Doorbells of Florence by Andrew Losowsky
• Fiction Runner-Up
  Monster Island: A Zombie Novel by David Wellington
• Comics Winner
  Mom’s Cancer by Brian Fies

The Chicago Writers Association can lay claim to a blooker of their own: Dorien Grey. His “A World Ago” blog attracted the attention of Zumaya Publications and is scheduled for publication in September, 2008.

For more information on blooks, Lulu has a collection of links and comments.

Business Week also has an article, “Blooks” Are In Bloom (April 2006). They said, “Just about any blog writer — there are 36 million blogs out there, with 75,000 new online diaries added daily, according to search engine Technorati — is a candidate.” Just stop and think for a moment that 395 or so days have passed since the article! (How much is 395 * 75,000? and that’s if the rate of new blogs has stayed the same!)

BW also reported that “Blurb.com has raised $2 million so far and is expected to announce another round of venture funding shortly. It’s working on software it calls Slurper, designed to make converting blogs into books a snap. Due out this summer, Slurper will help writers strip blog entries of hyperlinks, comments, or pingbacks, saving hours in manual editing. Blurb.com will then invite bloggers to place their blooks into one of a half-dozen professionally designed templates, such as for a cookbook or a book of poetry. More than 500 people have already signed up for a test version of Slurper, says Gittins, a serial Web entrepreneur.” I think that’s worth an OMG.

One last thing there’s a blook online (sounds like an oxymoron) - it’s a murder mystery called Hackoff.com by Tom Evslin.

Tags: Blook, Blooker,

Quite a while ago, early February in fact, I had an email from Lew Weinstein. He wrote: “I am an author, both published and seeking publication, and I am thinking of starting a blog. I’m quite impressed with your site. Could you tell me who the host is, and how you got started, including any problems you had to overcome?” We had some exchanges, you know how it goes. And then just recently it occurred to me to return to his website. When you take your first peek, remember that it’s a work in progress! Lew’s blog, I’m happy to say, looks great.

This visit I took some time reading what his website had to say. Down near the bottom I saw this:

“You can read a serialized version of A Good Conviction for no charge. Receive Segment 1 by clicking the link below and requesting it.

“Subsequent Segments (there are 9 in all) will be emailed to you upon request.”

I decided to ask him if he would submit to an interview on the subject. Happily, he agreed.

Cheryl: I find the whole idea of giving anything away absolutely fascinating. Thanks for agreeing to the interview which I’m thinking of calling, “Giving your novel away in bite size pieces.”

What made you decide to offer A Good Conviction in a serialized version?

Lew: I wanted to get reader reaction to my book prior to publication. I selected a list of friends and acquaintances, and offered them the opportunity to read the book in serial form.

Cheryl: What kind of feedback have you gotten? Anything helpful?

Lew: These are the kinds of comments I got back from readers …

… I am really into this story! I feel so bad for Josh. I love to read books that I feel close to the characters and that’s how I feel with this one!

… I love crime novels and this one doesn’t disappoint. The stark contrast in the opening chapters between Joshua Blake’s, until then, seemingly charmed life and the brutal reality of Sing Sing prison is chilling. You can’t help but think ‘What if that were me?’

… The story is gripping. It keeps you turning the pages with twists and turns to the plot. [Ed., there are a zillion more of these at the end of the article.]

Cheryl: Have you received/read books that way yourself? Or someone you admired had done that?

Lew: No to both.

Cheryl: Were you aware of Cory Doctorow’s venture? Or Joe Konrath’s? They’re giving their ebooks away free. [So is Randy Richardson]

Lew: No, I wasn’t.

Cheryl: I assume that you are harvesting email addresses and creating a mailing list. True? Lew: Not for the moment. My plans now are to seek a traditional publisher. I am also planning to produce a POD edition, and make this available via traditional distribution channels. Cheryl: Can you do that? I mean, have it published by someone else AND self-publish via POD? The only way I could understand this is if the traditional publisher does a hardcover and you reserve the rights to the paperback. If that’s not it, please explain. Lew: When a traditional publisher takes up A Good Conviction, I will stop sales on a POD basis.

Cheryl: Anything special about how a reader “opts in” other than sending you an email?

Lew: All readers were either selected by me, or by those I had selected. I did not seek general population readers.

Cheryl: I’m very surprised that you are restricting readers — the website is in the public domain. Has no one else come by to visit except those that you selected?

Lew: There are no restrictions. I simply haven’t marketed it. There have been unexpected visits by people who found the site, and I have sent them the serialized segments when requested.

Actually, most of my time now is dedicated to research and writing a novel set in Renaissance Florence, with Lorenzo de Medici, one of history’s most fascinating and little-known characters, at the center of the story.

Cheryl: Why nine installments? How many chapters in your book? How did you decide where to break them?

Lew: I tried to develop roughly equal segments which could be read easily in a single sitting, each approximately 40 pages and each ending at a point in the story that achieved high tension. There are 42 chapters.

Cheryl: How soon after the first installment do you mail the next?

Lew: There was no automatic mailing. Each reader, on finishing a segment, sent an email requesting the next. Many readers also sent comments, which I encouraged. I’m using those comments, which were terrific, as well as blurbs I have received, in my efforts to find a traditional publisher.

Cheryl: So these really were hand-picked readers. Why not just email the whole thing at once?

Lew: The files were too large, and it was more fun for me to get the feedback after each segment. You read the comments above [Ed., and more below]. That was tremendously gratifying for me as an author.

Cheryl: What format are the files in?

Lew: The files are Word documents.

Cheryl: A Good Conviction is your second novel. May I ask why the first was not serialized and made available, or is that in your plans for the future? Lew: The Heretic was self-published in hardcover format. We sold over 3500 copies and then sold paperback rights to The University of Wisconsin Press. Cheryl: I’m impressed. Lew: Thank you. It took a lot of hard work, but it was also fun to do. I made over 60 appearances nationwide. Serialization was never considered and there are no current plans to serialize The Heretic.

[Lew and I had several rounds of back-and-forth emails; I asked the following in ignorance as part of the first set of questions I sent him]
Cheryl: Why can’t I find A Good Conviction at Amazon?

Lew: It’s not published yet. The POD edition should be available within the next 2-3 months, after which it will be available on amazon, bn.com, and elsewhere.

Cheryl: Does this mean you’ve given up on a traditional publisher? Or are you hoping to follow the same plan as you did with The Heretic: hardcover POD, paperback traditional. I realize as I write this that earlier I had assumed YOU were doing the paperback. It seems like a curious thing to do, assume the bigger expense of producing the hardcover.

Lew: I am pursuing a traditional publisher; actually I’m pursuing an agent, the first step in reaching a traditional publisher. The process is gruesome, as I guess you know. The POD will be in trade paper format. A traditional publisher will decide on format.

I will not be self-publishing a hardcover edition. With The Heretic, I took a huge financial risk and it paid off. By the way, I have re-purchased the paperback and all other rights, including foreign and film, while giving The University of Wisconsin Press the right to continue to sell what they have in stock. If I subsequently sell rights to The Heretic, I (or the new publisher) will probably purchase the then-existing stock.

Cheryl: My thanks to Lew Weinstein for giving us so much to consider.

Lew: I forgot to add that I would be pleased, for the moment at least, to send segments to anybody who reads about it on your site and requests a copy by emailing me at lmwkwhome@comcast.net.

Cheryl: Thanks again.

… The characters engage you. Watch them develop – not just Josh as he is forced to face unimaginable challenges just to survive in jail, but those who take up the challenge of trying to prove his innocence. What motivates them? Why does NYPD Lieutenant Kerrigan put himself on the line? What drives Darleen to stand by Josh? And look out for Josh’s defence lawyer – he may not inspire confidence to begin with but develops as a quiet force.

… You’ve got me hooked me now! I started reading the 2nd segment last night, and couldn’t put it down until I was done. Are you going to let that poor guy out of jail, or what? (please, don’t answer that) Please send me the next segment !

… More, more, send me more, please. What a teaser this first segment was.

… Well, you’ve got me hook, line and sinker after Segment 1. So…..would you please send me Segment 2 so I can continue this adventure. Thanks for the opportunity!

… I like the style, the way you change back and forth from Joshua being at Sing Sing to his free days and then to his time at Rikers Island. Makes for interesting reading that way.

… I absolutely love this book. I read a lot of mysteries by Michael Connelly (all he has written so far) and James Patterson and Len Deighton and just finished last week a book by Nicholas Evans called The Divide. This book of yours is right up there. I am intrigued by it and once I begin reading, I remain until I have read the final word of the segments you have sent. This should definitely be on the NY Times best reads. I anxiously await more. Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.

… I finished the book a few days ago. I very much enjoyed A Good Conviction. You made Josh and Darlene very sympathetic yet real characters. I liked them. You also did a good job of manipulating the tension level in the book so that I was extremely worried that Darlene would get hurt and was quite pleased when she was rescued by Detective Watson. That alone should indicate how well you reached this reader. I abhor ADA Claiborne. You made him into a villain but did it in a way that did not make him a caricature. I cannot think of a character in your book who was not drawn well. The best thing I can say about any book is that I am sorry to see it end. I was sorry to reach the end of your book.

… I am ready for Segment 3! I read Segment 2 the same day I got it.

… Having anxiously awaited this novel after reading The Heretic with our book club in South Jersey, I have been gripped by the story’s reality and intensity. We’d like to think such injustices don’t happen, but recent advances in forensics have proven that many innocents are incarcerated. The old saw about everybody in jail professing innocence is not so humorous today. What’s scary about Josh Blake’s situation is that as it unfolds it strikes you as being entirely plausible. Loved the attention to detail about the story’s New York locations - provided a reality foundation which made the story more startling. I am thoroughly enjoying this serialized email format - keeps the reader on the edge of his/her seat - or should I say, at the edge of his/her keyboard.

… Every page forces me to confront the very real issue in our society of someone who lives the horror of a wrongful conviction and life in the realities of prison.

… Your attention to detail is great — I feel I am in New York with Josh! Next segment please !

… I liked the court room scene and thought it moved quickly in a compelling manner.

… I am ready for the next segment of A Good Conviction. I read it all in one swoop - I could not stop. I found it thoroughly readable with all the “parts” in the right places. Thank you so much; I look forward to my next read.

… I am really enjoying this book. Please send the next part ASAP.

… I just finished Segment 2 and I’m really looking forward to receiving the next segment. Nothing like being kept in suspense. Poor Joshua Blake, he can’t get a break I just know there has to be a point where this poor guy’s luck, or lack of it, has to change! Please send along the next segment as soon as you can. Thank you very much!

… Just want you to know that my eyes were riveted to each sentence in your book. I can’t get to each segment fast enough; my other emails can wait, the book I was reading can wait, I just want to read your story. It just grabs your attention and compels you to read on and on. Thank you so much - I look forward to reading more.

… Wow! That’s some story. I am ready for segment 3.

… Can you send me #3. It’s really good and so scary that this could actually happen!

… I’m back again in search of Segment 5 this time. I really am enjoying the story and all the suspense that it holds.

… It’s scary to think how many like Josh are trapped in our legal system. I’m ready for Segment 5.

… Quick, send me Segment 2, I’m on the edge of my seat.

… Finished segment 2. I am loving it. The poor kid. I feel like I am watching Law & Order where you recognize so many of the places. Can you forward the next installment??

… Time for segment 6. You do tell a good story.

… The tension is increasing. Send me Segment 8.

… My heart is breaking for this kid, but I’m ready for more.

I’ve been wanting to follow up on the poor relationship that POD authors seem to have with Barnes and Noble. So now that I’ve just finished working my way through the first three pages of results from Google for “Barnes and Noble”, POD, author,” I think I’m ready to share with you.

First, I recommend reading what Dianne Anderson had to say in her Guest Post about Murder in the Grove’s association with B&N. Next, I suggest you read “Book Signing Experiences of an Unknown Author” by Dennis Griffin.

He wrote:

“When I had difficulty getting the Community Relations Manager (CRM) at my local Barnes & Noble to return my calls, it should have been apparent that she didn’t consider the presence of my book or me to be critical to the success of her store.”

“When I did finally get a meeting with her, she was pleasant enough, but rather negative. First there was the issue of my book being print on demand (POD). She said POD books were not returnable and the store was not allowed to purchase them. If I wanted to do a signing, I’d have to provide the books and there would be a consignment arrangement with a 70/30 split of the sale price. And my share would be sent from corporate headquarters in six weeks or so.”

In her article, “The Keys to a Barnes & Noble Book Signing,” Sallie Goetsch writes, “The authors who run into real trouble in the distribution department are those with POD books.” Jim Kohl puts it more strongly in his Ripping the Guts out of Print-On-Demand Publishing“:

How about bookstores? Borders will not carr POD titles period. Their distribution woman said, “We have to make a rule because there are so many POD titles, and so the rule is we don’t carry them.” I ran into a similar response from Barnes and Noble, but they referred me to their corporate office, which wants you to send the book and any press it might have gotten, including professional reviews.

In 2003 iUniverse Press issued the following release:
iUniverse Star Titles Now Available in Barnes & Noble Stores
Publisher’s Star Program Delivers Results for Quality Books, Authors

Lincoln, Neb. - Aug. 19, 2003 - Publisher iUniverse today announced that several of the books in its innovative “Star Program” have been selected by Barnes & Noble Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the nation’s largest bookseller, for retail sale in Barnes & Nobles stores. The titles are now available in Barnes & Noble outlets nationwide.

iUniverse developed the Star Program to invest in and promote books published by iUniverse that demonstrate strong initial sales. In April 2003, Barnes & Nobles endorsed the Star Program as a means for discovering - and bringing to market - promising authors. Barnes & Noble now reviews books that have achieved success within the Star Program for placement on Barnes & Noble shelves.

In “Print-on-Demand, One Year Later” by Adam Barr, author of Proudly Serving My Corporate Masters, he responds:

“The Seattle Times article mentioned that Barnes & Noble owned 49 percent of iUniverse, “opening a huge brick-and-mortar outlet for iUniverse.” The implication was that Barnes & Noble was eager to stock the books.

“The reality is a bit different. Barnes & Noble may at one time have stocked a few iUniverse books, and may even do so now. But in general, it doesn’t, for the same reasons most bookstores won’t.”

In WBJB’s “Truth Behind POD Publishing” Series, if you check under the Highlights of Chapter 4, one of the subtopics is “Publishing with IUniverse vs. Other POD Publishers” by Susan Driscoll, she says:

“Only 14 titles made it into national distribution at Barnes & Noble. … If you want to be in Barnes & Noble at a national level, you have to be traditionally published.”

If you want to know more about how B&N works, catch Tee Morris’s Show #021 - Inside Barnes & Noble (Running Time - 49:57). At 6:45 there’s an interview with Community Relations Manager Annie Hololob. The topics she covers are:

• What exactly is a Community Relations Manager and why are they important to authors?
• Looking into the Barnes & Noble CRM Network
• What CRM’s consider “good signings”
• Bringing something unique to a retailer (i.e. Barnes & Noble)
• Stimulating sales throughout the store
• The importance of doing your own footwork as an author
• Outstanding book signings (and shameless self-plugging…)
• Setting up guidelines for out-of-the-ordinary book signings
• What a CRM looks for from new authors interested in scheduling book signings

A few final thoughts

For those of you who just have to have the satisfaction of seeing your book on the shelves of B&N, consider the following: Morris Rosenthal writes in “Barnes & Noble Had My POD Book On The Shelf!”:

“The title of this post is self explanatory. I stopped in my local Barnes & Noble yesterday to check the stocking of some big trade titles, and was shocked to see my POD printed book of diagnostic flowcharts on the shelf! My guess is that somebody must have special ordered it and then never returned to pick it up… .”

Joel Eisenberg shares his secrets in “How to Get Your Self-Published Print-on-Demand Book into Barnes & Noble.”

A friend called today to tell me about some folks she had dinner with the other night. The daughter is a freshman in college, majoring in English. When my friend asked what her plans for the future were, she replied that she wanted to be “a successful author.” Using that comment as an opening, My friend went on to brag about her friend, the author (me).

Somehow in our conversation, we wandered off to whether or not I would find a publisher for the second book (the first was self-published). Along the way she mentioned that if someone else did publish it, then it would show up on amazon.com. I quickly assured her that my first novel would be appearing there any day now. It would just take a while.

“But you self-published it!”

“Doesn’t matter,” I replied. “It’s a real book, you know.” Unconvinced (I think), she plugged my name into amazon. Voila! There was PARK RIDGE in all its glory.

As we talked, she kept trying other booksellers. “Oh, look! Barnes and Noble has the picture.” While she kept searching, I squeezed the phone between cheek and shoulder and typed in amazon.com to see for myself.

I’m pleased, of course. But a little bit concerned that it takes someone else or a website (whether booklocker.com or amazon or barnes and noble) or whatever to give my writing a semblance of respectability. I’m reminded of the old saw about whether a tree falling in the woods makes a sound if there’s no one to hear it.

I anxiously tucked an announcement of my first novel into email to all my friends, colleagues and family.  While I haven’t heard back from everyone yet, I’ve got quite a collection of comments from “Bully for you!” to “Congratulations” — even one “hope you sell a million copies!”  There were some who said they would buy the book Actually, I ought not to make fun - there were seventeen who indicated they would be buying; and I have a commitment for ten more.

The first copy has been sent for review. I’ve got my fingers crossed. Although keeping them crossed for the 12-16 weeks they say it could take may prove difficult.

I’ve registered myself as an Illinois Author with LitLine. I have to try to remember to send a copy to the State Illinois Library which has a special collection of works by Illinoisans.

I popped an email off to Fred Suevel, class of 1972, secretary of the Maine West High School Alumni Association. He has added PARK RIDGE: A Senior Center Murder to the Alumni Author’s page. Thanks, Fred.

Dr. Craig Sirles, DePaul University, responded to my announcement with congratulations as well as a request for a “squib” about the book and myself for Ex Libris, the Masters in Writing (MAW) and the Masters in English (MAE) online magazine.

Other than that, yesterday was a rather quiet day.