Good news and great personal reviews are coming in every week from readers who’ve read The Gospel of Matthias Kent.

Today, Author Mike received a request to meet with the Mystery Readers of the Camp Hill Barnes & Noble for a discussion of the book to be held in August. Yes, that means they’re selecting Gospel a full month before it officially debuts!

The recommendation came from a member of the group who who read an advance copy of Gospel and was thrilled to propose it as the group’s next book — a rare occurrence considering that this discerning reading club focuses primarily on mysteries!!!

The Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop still has some advance editions if you’d like to obtain a copy of Gospel of your very own. And the author will be signing them at the New Cumberland Public Library’s Author Event along with Thriller Author Don Helin on July 29th at 7:00 PM.

Readers who took the plunge into the advance copies of The Gospel of Matthias Kent are reporting how much they’ve enjoyed the book. One of them, sci fi fan and author of the Perry County Mystery Series Dennis Royer, went so far as to post a wonderful review of the Gospel on the SusquehannaWriters website on July 9th, 2010. Click here to link out to their site. Those of you looking to avoid any kind of spoilers may want to hold off.

Those of you looking to obtain a signed copy of The Gospel of Matthias Kent ahead of the September 1st release date should come out to either the New Cumberland Library on Thursday, July 29th, 2010 at 7:00 PM, or the Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop Ice Cream Social on Sunday, August 8th, 2010 at 2:00 PM.

Unsigned copies are available through Draumr Publishing as well.

The Midtown Scholar hosts the first annual book fair in Harrisburg’s historic Midtown on Saturday and Sunday, June 26th & 27th. Author Mike will be on hand from 1-4 on Saturday during the Fiction portion of the event that brings in more than 50 regional authors to meet, greet and speak with Harrisburg’s amazing reading community. Click here for full details.

Stop on by to pick up a copy of It Came From Beyond the Sun, Bark of the Tree, or to get a sneek peek of The Gospel of Matthias Kent. Yes, some advance copies are in and a few will be available during the Book Festival!!!

The postman dropped off a box last week. You know how they all look - ubiquitous dirt brown bound in shiny plastic tape. Ordinary. Mundane. God knows I’ve received enough of them in the mail.

Yet this one’s arrival filled me with equal parts suspense and glee. Why? The return address belonged to my publisher, Draumr. I instantly knew what sat inside the package. The first two production copies of The Gospel of Matthias Kent.

I stopped breathing for a moment as I held this all-too-ordinary carton in my hands. Every cell in my body tingled. I couldn’t stand the anticipation any longer and ran a knife carefully along the tape. The books lay inside, cradled in a protective film of plastic.

There’s always a bit of trepidation when you see your book in print. It’s tangible. It’s real. It exists. And the cover has your name stamped on it. All praise and/or blame is now squarely yours.

I plunged into it, fanning the pages, and seeing all the nouns and verbs fly by. My eyes came to rest on a bit of dialog between my protagonist and a supporting character. They walked in a bleak forest. I listened in on them like the eavesdropper I felt I was when I wrote those words. And, then closed the book.

Questions overcame me. Would readers take the journey with Matthias? Would they hear him the same way I did, and still do? That’s where the suspense, the fear, comes in - that stepping away from the creation of a story to letting it find its mark with the true judges of the written word – readers. I guess that’s the blessing and the curse of being a writer.

For now, I’ll bask in the blessing of opening a simple cardboard box and delighting with what I found inside.

Draumr Publishing has announced the print release of The Gospel of Matthias Kent on September 1st, 2010!!!

After a long winter of edits and prep work, my very cool editor Robert gave Gospelhis blessing. Cover design is complete and pre-release work-ups are on the way for review. You can check out the Novels page for the cover image. What’s even cooler is our video preview!!! So, crank up the speakers, sit back, and take it all in!!!  Enjoy!!!

Author Mike and Susquehanna Writers members, Tina Crone, Don Helin, and John Sprunk, had a great time discussing Fahrenheit 451 as a part of Jumpstreet’s Big Read this past Saturday. It was great to talk about so many aspects of the book versus the film as well as getting the audience’s take on what Ray Bradbury’s work means today.

Kudos to Debbie Beamer of the Mechanicsburg Mystery Book Shop and Cindy Dlugolecki of Jumpstreet for bringing everyone together for such a wonderful event.

Cate Masters dropped the big, big Gnus that her urban fantasy novel, Surfacing, has been picked up for print publication by Whiskey Creek Press sometime next year. Surfacing is a book about a man, a mermaid, and Rock & Roll amidst the touristy kitsch of a sleepy, seaside Florida town. Way to go, Cate!!!

I hope the holidays have been good to each and every one of you out there. I know they were good to me. It’s been a happily hectic time full of family and friends and NOT posting things to my web page.

To catch everybody up, Author Mike spent a great evening attending the play Appetite. Playwright Arden Kass wove a compelling plot about survivor’s guilt and the freedom that comes from reconciling with the past. The cast was top notch and brought home this poignant tale to each and every one in the audience. Bravo to Arden, the actors, and to Cindy Dlugolecki for bringing this troupe all the way from Philly!!!

Now that we’re into the bleak midwinter, Author Mike is returning to the keyboard to resume work on a World War II novel, and a Lazy Dog mystery. But all that will have to be put aside when editor Rida Allen sends me the edits to The Gospel of Matthias Kent. It’s going to be a busy winter!!!

A good crowd turned out at the Midtown Scholar Bookshop for Author Mike’s riff on Ray Bradbury’s impact on our present day world. Among the attendees were various and sundry members of the Pennwriters and Susquehanna Writers. Judging by the lack of boos and hurled vegetables, everyone enjoyed the speech. Thanks to Cindy Dlugolecki and everyone at Jumpstreet for setting up such a fine event!!!

On the day after the keynote, Author Mike had a book signing for It Came From Beyond the Sun at the Mechanicsburg Mystery Book Shop where Debbie Beamer hosted a discussion of the book’s creation and a chat about writing styles before a rapt and congenial audience of ardent readers. What a great gang of folks!!!

And last, but not least, Author Mike signed copies of Sun for those brave and hearty souls that ventured out into the snow this past Saturday at the Bookworm Bookstore in the West Shore Farmers Market. Sam and Rae were wonderful hosts and author Mike got to meet a lot of new faces. If only I could have landed one of those cheese Danishs I could see from my 2nd floor perch!!!

Rae and Sam have invited me out to the Bookworm Bookstore in the Lemoyne Farmers Market on Saturday, December 5th, from 9:00 AM until noon to sign copies of It Came From Beyond the Sun, my anthology of tabloid sci fi.

The Bookworm is one of those great bookstores  of collectible, used, and new books that’s a pleasure to browse and buy. Plus, the author’s signing table is right above one of the Farmer’s Market bakers whose sweet treats waft up and make your mouth water for cinnamon buns.  Hopefully, I won’t get any icing on any books I sign!!!