A Heatwave of Challenges!

Last month was rough.  Between the heat waves, the hospitalized, and the transition of family members, my head is spinning and my body is exhausted.  If you and I could have a moment to share a cup of tea, you would be in awe by the never-ending drama that unfolds like the petals of a thorny rose.

The drama didn’t stop among my family. It bled into my writing life as well. Just when I thought things were finally settling down, and I was able to see the light at the end of the tunnel, I received a text notifying me that my guest list for the book launch event had grown so large that I outgrew my preferred venue of choice.

Poe had always been kin to my heart, and the Raven Café had felt like home the moment I stepped inside its cozy atmosphere over 14 years ago. Naturally, it would be where I wanted to celebrate an accomplishment as grand as a literary achievement. Logistically, it was not feasible to house all of my guests at the establishment. I encourage everyone to visit the Raven Cafe at some point and partake in its delicious food and spirited drinks. It truly is a restaurant of inspirational delights.

Thankfully, I had not sent out my press releases, and the library was a very accommodating host regarding the venue change. I would like to give a huge shoutout to my man, Joe Turbok, for all of his hard work and saving the day with our new venue location.  After a few minor tweaks to my marketing materials, the press releases began to trickle into the newsroom inboxes last week, and the location for my book launch event has been moved to the Donald E. Dodge Auditorium in the county building.

In the last few months, I received valuable feedback from my ARC readers and implemented their suggestions before the release date. There were not a whole lot of changes, just a few minor adjustments, and the storyline remains the same. It really does take a different eye to catch the things that we don’t often see with our own eyes. I even added a resource page at the end of the book which I feel was a very important decision based on its content.

Now that Grandfather’s Whispers is ready for its release, and we are counting down the final days, I placed an order of 100 copies for my book launch party and anxiously await their arrival.  In a way, I am nervous and excited all at the same time.  I’m at the cusp and ready to plunge forward, and I can’t wait to start seeing the efforts of my labor come to fruition.

In the meantime, I booked another event in November located in Milford, Michigan.  My plan is to visit local independent bookstores in the coming weeks in hopes that they will be receptive to scheduling more book signings for the remainder of the year and into next year.  Check out the Events section of this website for more details.