Snapshots of recent walks….
So my first-ever book signing is in the rear-view mirror!

How did it go? Well…in truth it was a mixed bag. Sales weren’t great, but that is due to a very slow day for foot traffic at that bookstore, which the owner said was highly unusual. He speculated that a local music festival was drawing people away, and he apologized for how slow it was every time he came out onto the porch to see us sitting there.
We had a few sales, but nothing major. That, however, really wasn’t the point. The point was to get our feet wet with this sort of thing, to get some experience that can be applied to the next event, just as soon as that happens. We also did a lot of discussion of the Geekiverse website, which I will be joining next week as a writer (huzzah!). Lots of exciting things are happening…including the release of The Chilling Killing Wind, of which I’ll have more to say next week! (Hint: I may post the book’s prologue.)
Onward! Upward! Zap! Pow!!

(Lower photo courtesy Pete Herr of The Geekiverse. In my defense I wasn’t entirely sure if I was supposed to be smiling there. And also note the photographic evidence that I can, in fact, not wear overalls at times.)
Farewell, Aretha Franklin. Such an amazing voice.
We did a piece by Vasily Kalinnikov last week, so this week…let’s do another one!
Just as last week I was unable to dig up much actual information about the Bylina Overture, so too am I unable to find a lot out about The Cedar and the Palm, which is a “symphonic picture” written in 1898 (which happens to be the year my maternal grandmother was born). Here it is:
Crossposting from ForgottenStars.net: it’s the back cover blurb for my next novel, and my first released book not in the Forgotten Stars sequence! It’s a supernatural thriller titled The Chilling Killing Wind, and I can’t wait for it to be out there in the world. I will have a date nailed down soon, but for now, I’m planning for mid to late September.
So what’s the story about? Well:
Tonight, former detective John Lazarus will finally put his old life behind him. He has a new job as a teacher, a new home, and a new love. All he has to do is get through tonight’s execution of Roy Edgar Chalmers, the last of the three men who killed John’s wife in a botched robbery. Once Chalmers is dead, John Lazarus will be done with his old life at last.
But tomorrow the murders will start: strange, violent crimes whose only connection is the pair of voices exhorting the perpetrators to kill. As an occasional police consultant, John Lazarus will increasingly suspect that something abnormal is at the heart of these killings. And when Roy Edgar Chalmers, not nearly so dead as he should be, approaches him for help, John Lazarus will realize that maybe his old life isn’t quite done with him….
Stay tuned for more!
James Horner, scoring Field of Dreams: “The Place Where Dreams Come True” and “End Credits”. One of the most magical endings to a movie I have ever seen, and Horner’s music is a major part of that.
Greetings, Programs!
So it’s not “All Forgotten Stars all the time!” over here. What else is there? Well, how about my next novel, set for release in late September? It’s time to start the buzz on The Chilling Killing Wind, which is a supernatural thriller/horror book.
Obviously I’ll have more to come on that project, but right now I’m in the formatting and book design phase. Then I’ll have to order a proof and go over it. Once that’s done, I’ll assign the actual release date.
But you might be wondering what The Chilling Killing Wind is about, so…here’s the back cover blurb!
Tonight, former detective John Lazarus will finally put his old life behind him. He has a new job as a teacher, a new home, and a new love. All he has to do is get through tonight’s execution of Roy Edgar Chalmers, the last of the three men who killed John’s wife in a botched robbery. Once Chalmers is dead, John Lazarus will be done with his old life at last.
But tomorrow the murders will start: strange, violent crimes whose only connection is the pair of voices exhorting the perpetrators to kill. As an occasional police consultant, John Lazarus will increasingly suspect that something abnormal is at the heart of these killings. And when Roy Edgar Chalmers, not nearly so dead as he should be, approaches him for help, John Lazarus will realize that maybe his old life isn’t quite done with him….
So there we are! Great things are happening! Books are on the way, and don’t forget about my book signing this weekend!
Excelsior, and I’ll see you ’round the Galaxy!