My third novel, The Devils Came in from the Country, is now available on Amazon! Not part of the Riley series, this book was inspired by human rights work that I did for several years with the Truth & Reconciliation Commission of Liberia and the Advocates for Human Rights. A young Liberian suffers tremendous abuse during his country’s years of conflict. He is educated in the United States, then returns to Liberia to work for a development NGO. The magic and violence of the Liberian bush bring back all his tortured memories as he becomes involved in a corrupt gold mining scheme and the horrors of the 2014 Ebola outbreak.
Reading at Magers & Quinn
I am delighted to announce I’ll be reading from Riley and the Roaring Twenties on Sunday, January 6 at 5 pm at Magers & Quinn, 3038 Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis.
Come hear about New York City in the 1920s: how American organized crime got truly organized, how bankers at J.P. Morgan ruled the world, how the Algonquin Round Table got its start. Hope to see you!
CELEBRATE NEW RILEY BOOK WITH SEVEN DEADLY GINS
In honor of the Prohibition era and the launch of Riley and the Roaring Twenties, come to a fun Bootleggers Club event called the Seven Deadly Gins at the Commodore Bar on October 23 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm! Tickets may be purchased through the Commodore website, www.thecommodorebar.com. Enjoy drinks from local distilleries in this iconic Art Deco setting, a frequent haunt of Scott and Zelda, and get your first look at the new Riley book. Hope to see you there!
Second Riley Novel Coming to Twin Cities Book Festival!
Please join me at the Twin Cities Book Festival, any day from October 11 to October 14, to talk writing and all things Riley! My publisher, Three Ocean Press of Vancouver, will have a table featuring its entire catalogue. I am excited to announce that the second Riley novel, Riley and the Roaring Twenties, will make its debut at the Festival!
Come to the Festival on the Minnesota State Fairgrounds and get your first look at this tale of gangsters, bootleg booze and hair-raising adventure!
Next Riley Coming Soon!
October of 2018 will see the publication of Riley and the Roaring Twenties, the adventurous sequel to Riley and the Great War! Cornelius abandons his son in Missouri to hustle his way into a job as a crime reporter in the New York of the 1920s. He quickly finds himself at the heart of one of Broadway’s most fabled eras: he has an affair with Dorothy Parker, comes under the wing of Damon Runyon and covers the nefarious deeds of such mobsters as Arnold Rothstein, Lucky Luciano and Albert Anastasia. When the mob turns on Cornelius and gets him in its power, can Riley save him?
Riley on the road
I had a nice time at Bookie’s, a fine independent book store in Chicago, and they’ve already agreed to host an event later this year for my second Riley novel, Riley and the Roaring Twenties. That one involves Dorothy Parker, Arnold Rothstein and all kinds of mob-related adventures.
Beginning August 1, I’ll be making a book store swing through Des Moines, Omaha, Lincoln and St. Louis. Please patronize your local independent book stores: they’re terrific cultural resources!
Magers & Quinn reading
I will be doing a reading/signing at Magers & Quinn Booksellers, 3038 Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis, on Tuesday, June 19 at 7 pm. Hope to see you there.
More Events!
I will be doing readings from Riley and the Great War at the following terrific independent bookstores:
Subtext Books in St. Paul: Thursday, May 24 at 7 pm
Lake Country Booksellers in White Bear Lake: Saturday, May 26 at 10 am
Fair Trade Books in Red Wing: Saturday, June 2 at 2 pm.
The events are centered around the 100th anniversary of critical battles in World War I, which are described in my book.
Hope you can attend!
Events!
Thanks to all who came to the launch party for Riley and the Great War. It was in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s old neighborhood in St. Paul, and it was well-attended and a lot of fun. Scott and Zelda couldn’t make it, but maybe they’ll be at the launch for Riley and the Roaring Twenties next fall.
On Saturday, June 2 at 2 p.m., I’ll be in Red Wing, Minnesota for a reading at Fair Trade Books, 320 Bush Street. It’s a beautiful drive and I’m sure it will be a fun event. Then, on June 20, I’m appearing at a book club that chose Riley and the Great War for its monthly selection. If you belong to a book club that would like to have authors attend, then as I used to say on Saturday nights in high school, I’M AVAILABLE!