TEN NINE EIGHT…

Almost ready for launch on Friday! It’s set up for a long run, 9 to 9 Eastern time, but we’ll love it if you pop in even for a few minutes to chat.

What am I talking about? Vicki Turner Goodwin (w.a. Sojourner McConnell, children’s author) offered to hold a live launch for DAY OF THE DARK on the Mystery Thriller Week facebook site. There are 24 authors included in the short story anthology. We won’t all be there, but many of us will.

The stories are all inspired by the August 21st total solar eclipse. Most of them deal with that specific eclipse, but some include partials, some lunar. The stories are as varied as they can be considering each contains a kernel of mystery. They trace the path of totality from Oregon to the South Carolina coast, with other locales, time periods, and even another continent inserted. Likewise, they vary in genre and tone—something for everyone.

Please check out the launch site and click if you’ll be able to attend.

https://www.facebook.com/events/199463997250907/

We’ve been getting some good publicity on blogs. Writers WhoKill carried part one of an interview with all the authors last week. 

One of our authors, Debra Goldstein, posted on The StilettoGang the 14th, and on the 17th on her own blog and another, KB Inglee, posted on her blog the 18th.

photo from morguefile

Charity and Fiction

Recently, I’ve been part of several projects that give the proceeds to charity. In some cases, the connections are obvious. That’s the case with MURDER ON WHEELS, written by the Austin Mystery Writers, giving half the proceeds to Meals on Wheels in the Austin area. (We’re proud that, two years after publication, we’re still able to buy a few meals for them.)

If/when I get it written, I’m contributing to an upcoming anthology that will give ALL the royalties away. (More about that later.) Honestly, with short story anthologies, we’re not talking about a huge sum—it’s money I won’t miss and that the organizations can use.

I’m proud to say that the donations that will come from DAY OF THE DARK: Stories of Eclipse will be all over the map—somewhat like the stories themselves. Here’s a smattering of where our dollars will go.

*Earth and Sky

*Petconnect Rescue in Maryland; this wonderful organization "enlightens" the public on the benefits of adoption through shelters and rescue organizations and provides renewal and a new life to animals.

*Natural Resources Defense Council

*Science Center in Finland

*DonorsChoose.org, shining light on inner city schools in the Bronx

*Friends of Goldendale Observatory

*Friends of the Earth

*Morehead Planetarium

*Texas Museum of Science and Technology

*DAPCEP.org for STEM education for future astronomers and scientists in Detroit

and personal friends in need.

I’m thrilled that the authors in DAY OF THE DARK are so filled with the spirit of light and life in their generosity. This project has been one of the most gratifying things I’ve done in my writing career. I hope those who read the book will enjoy it as much as I have so far.

What connections does your fiction have with charity?

PS. You can pre-order this at Wildside Press.  

Getting the Word out on the Eclipse

I notice lots of publicity, more and more, as the date of the total solar eclipse approaches. Not to be left out, here are some promotional/publicity activities we’re planning for our anthology, DAY OF THE DARK: Stories of Eclipse, coming this month from Wildside Press to celebrate the August 21st total solar eclipse in the US.

Some of our dates are indefinite, but I wanted to get these out there.

Look for our ad in Kings River Life with a preorder link!

http://kingsriverlife.com/

I was interviewed for Criminal Element by Katherine Tomlinson. The interview will appear soon.

https://www.criminalelement.com/

An interview of all 24 of us, short ones, will appear on Writers Who Kill. Questions from E. B. Davis.

http://writerswhokill.blogspot.com/

B. K. Stevens is featuring a few of the authors on her wonderful First Two Pages blog in July, so check in there a few times on Tuesdays.

http://www.bkstevensmysteries.com/category/the-first-two-pages/

A number of the authors are approaching local observatories to see if they’re interested in a partnership.

I need to mention my previous blog posts with tidbits about each story:

GUESS WHAT’S COMING

MORE ECLIPSE GLIMPSES

MORE ECLIPSE GLIMPSES (I didn’t notice I’d already used this one)

THIRD ELCIPSE GLIMPSE (really the 4th, that duplicate title confused me)

MORE ECLIPSE GLIMPSES (at least it’s a different title)

MY LAST ECLIPSE TEASERS (try typing the words “eclipse” and “glimpse” this many times!)

And last, but definitely not least, Vickie Turner Goodwin is giving us a live launch on Mystery Thriller Week.

https://www.facebook.com/mysterythrillerweek/

One of the story authors, Laura Oles, put together a press release that I’ll share here, too, soon.

(I’m so pumped that we’ll have totality in my own town! http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/communities/states/TN/Farragut_1728.htm)