Category Archives: Gulf Coast

New Year, New Stories

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Unless you live along the Gulf Coast, the holidays are over. If you’re in the Mardi Gras zone, you know the festivities have just begun. Besides being a year old this week, Perilous Confessions is fun to talk about during carnival season. A lot of my historical research centered around Mardi Gras in the Port City.

The Possession Chronicles passed its one year mark, but growth is still happening. Three full-length novels are out–four if you count Fortitude as an unofficial prequel–as well as three short stories (if you include “Courtship and Courage”, the Fortitude short in Hometown Heroes.) Here’s a photo I took of the Possession Chronicles related books, including the anthologies featuring short stories, in chronological order of how to read them.

You can find a list of the publications in this order–including what’s to come and projected release dates where possible–on my website’s page dedicated to the series. Next to be added to is Valentine’s Day Pieces, a Mobile Writers Guild anthology, which releases later this month. Look for ordering links in the following blog post (in about two weeks.)

February will hopefully see the unveiling of book four’s cover as Scarred Memories releases in April. Also forthcoming is a yet-to-be-announced short story project that I’m co-writing with a USA Today best-selling author which ties our story worlds together.  2020 will be a year to read and remember.  Don’t miss out–catch up with The Possession Chronicles now!

 

FORTITUDE Sale

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I hope everyone’s summer is going well. There’s been a few shakeups and adventures in my end of the world, but I’m doing good.

Today is a quick post to let you know the Kindle edition of Fortitude is on sale through the weekend for $0.99.

In the vein of Southern Gothic coming-of-age novels like To Kill a Mockingbird and The Secret Life of Bees, Fortitude gives the reader an experience rich in the climate and culture of 1898 Alabama and the Spanish-American War camps in Florida. It’s a great summer read for ages twelve through adults, so tell a friend.

What’s on your summer reading list?

A Lull in the Storm

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It’s been a whirl year of books so far, but now things are settling down. This month–besides the release of Fortitude–I worked a round of professional edits on my next release. Murmurs of Evil, book two of The Possession Chronicles, will be available June 11. After finishing that editorial pass, I slipped into book three for a tightening round and now I’m on book four for the sixteenth time. I’m pleased to report the series is still as enjoyable for me to work on as ever–and that feels great.

I’m excited to share more of The Possession Chronicles with readers, so much so that I started an insider’s readers group on Facebook for those looking for more facts and inspiration behind my stories. To join the fun and learn more about my writing process in regards to all my stories, check out Dalby’s Darklings.

If an online group isn’t your thing, be sure you’re registered for my monthly newsletter. I send it out the first week of the month (next week for April), highlighting upcoming news/events, what I’ve been reading, and more.

Sneak peek: next up, I’ll be at Gulf Coast Children’s Book Festival in support of Fortitude on April 4.

 

It’s Time for More Fortitude

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Fortitude is ready to be back in the wild.
The new edition (fresh cover and formatting) of my first published novel releases
March 5th by Bienvenue Press. While it did go through a round of line edits, no major changes were made. If you’re new to my books, now is a great time to order the digital copy as it’s on sale for $0.99. It will be on Kindle Unlimited and paperback ordering will be available soon.

Fortitude is a coming-of-age Southern Gothic tale set against the backdrop of the Spanish-American War. Main character Claire O’Farrell is a first generation Irish-American from Dauphin Island, Alabama, and her best friend, Loretta Davis, is a Creole who lives in Mobile. Together, they volunteer as nurses in the Buffalo Soldiers’ camp in the Tampa Bay area. In the days leading up to departure for Cuba, more soldiers lost their lives in the Florida camps from disease and race riots than would die in battle. Dark days are recounted in this historical novel that earned ranking on the “Best Books” list for kids (grades 5th-10th) from Grateful American Foundation in 2017.

Also out in the world this month is Mardi Gras Pieces: A Collection of Short Stories, an anthology compiled by Mobile Writers’ Guild. The Kindle version is released, paperback soon to follow. “Masked Flaws”, a prequel short story to The Possession Chronicles, is included.

Told through the point-of-view of Edmund Easton, “Masked Flaws” takes place the winter before Perilous Confessions (December 1903-January 1904.) Want the backstory of Edmund joining Mystics of Dardenne and their infamous masquerade of 1904 that is hinted about in the first book? Read it in this one-of-a-kind collection by local Mobile area writers. Proceeds go to Mobile Writers’ Guild to help sponsor programming and literary outreach–like the Mobile Literary Festival that is happening on March 16, 2019. I hope to see you there.

 

Hometown Heroes Release Day

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It’s release day for this collection of romantic shorts. Find Hometown Heroes: A Christmas Anthology by Bienvenue Press in ebook and print.


I’m happy to share “Courtship and Courage” with you as part of the transitioning of my historical works to Bienvenue Press. This all new short continues the story of Claire O’Farrell and Joe Walker from Fortitude. If you’re new to my writing, these two characters will make appearances in The Possession Chronicles, so you’ll want to catch up with them.

While Fortitude (and my other publications to date) have been primarily targeted for teens, “Courtship and Courage” is my bridge into writing for an adult audience.
Since it’s the first story in the book, the “Look inside” option on Amazon allows you to read the first several scenes, so enjoy!

As always, I’m open for questions and would love to hear from you after you read it.