I could use a little relief!

Brandi and Me! We console each other about what’s going on around us.

I’ve been struggling with a few health problems over the last six months. Combating such issues is never easy, but it seems the fates and the outside world is conspiring against me! A badly injured knee, type two diabetes flareups, a wound that refused to heal, and mix up with my prescriptions have made things difficult. However, I battled those to the point of gaining control.

A few more things have left me feeling down! First my agent and I have been fighting with one of my publishers…no, better stated, we are trying to contact it to argue with them. Second, as I previously stated in my blogs, Ian devastated our area. Though the storm was easier on us than many of our neighbors, it still did considerable damage to our home. Enter the insurance vampires. We carry every type insurance possible, home-owners, flood, wind. Guess what? Everybody tells us the other guy is responsible. It is so bad we have had to get a professional adjuster and a lawyer. Of course, the media support disappears and leaves us with what you see below.

After 9 months, most of the damage remains!

While those are weighty problems, the prospect of facing the national news coverage of the 2024 election makes me cringe! I don’t know if I can survive another horror movie like the last few.

I’m sure they’re good folks, but I wish someone would put a rag in their mouths for 30 days!

Listening to and seeing the press idiot’s vomit into microphones and cameras forces one to consider burning the national media to the ground. Choosing between the probable candidates, Biden and Trump? ……Yuk, that’s like a restaurant menu with only two selections: Cow Crap and Horse Shit! Oh, well. I wonder if Rip Van Winkle knew how lucky he was!

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Back to work!

Brandi, my 80 pound lap-dog.

It has been a long time between posts. There are reasons we all have for ‘not getting to it.’ Some of mine are reasonable…some just fluff. I hoping to get back into the posting routine by easing into it. My human has been busy with all sorts of things. Some are good, like books he’s written and is promoting. Some are items revolving around his health and Ian the hurricane that visited last September. I have some pictures to tell those stories.

DL with a lady buying his new historical mystery, “The Grave with Greener Grass.”

DL at Seven Lakes Country Club doing a historical presentation

 

The Geezer and Mrs. G are still struggling with the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. It certainly has caused sleepless nights, headaches, heartaches, and problem after problem to solve. However, when we see the terrible destruction caused by the storm to our friends and neighbors, we feel so blessed.

Damage to the house; it removed all the railing.

What our friends and neighbors experienced!

We do have a new addition. Tucker! Mrs. G rescued him from being a meal for an osprey. He was tiny when she scooped him up, but the rascal is growing like a weed. He is about to drive me and the Geezer crazy.

Tucker, our new addition.

Good Luck until next post! Hope to be back soon.

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Catching up! The Grave with Greener Grass goes into high gear!

It’s been over a month since my previous post. I’ve been that busy. With excellent reviews and lots of promotional events, I’ve been derelict in my blog postings. I’ll let pictures catch you up on my travels in the past 45 days! 

 

It’s Christmas in August at the Venice FL Community Center.

 

The Venice event was well attended.

 

Getting ready for the Mt Mitchell festival in Burnsville, NC.

 

Festival goers at the Mt. Mitchell.

 

“Tell me about The Grave with Greener Grass”….we heard that a lot.

 

Reuniting with old friends!

 

On to the Sourwood Festival in Black Mountain NC (near Asheville)

 

Buying books at the Sourwood Festival…

 

Buying more books in Black Mountain…that’s a good thing!

 

Doing an open-air book signing for The Grave with Greener Grass in Hilton Head,, SC … At the great bookstore…By hand Ink…

I’m in the process of planning a 24 bookstore tour through the state of Florida. As soon as its firm I’ll post it here. I’m looking forward to seeing you then.

 

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Bmmm…Bmmm…Bmmm…Sharkcon approaches!

People learning and having fun at Sharkcon. I’ll be there!

Who hasn’t seen “Jaws?” The ominous music that marks the appearance of the super predator can’t be forgotten. Sharks are in the news currently. Unfortunately, when humans venture into the shark’s domain the results aren’t always so nice. These tigers of the sea fascinate us and create the ultimate fear; that of being eaten! Though a few unfortunate individual humans are attacked each year, most cases are mistaken identity. Sharks don’t have us listed on their menus as a New York Strip. Humans create far more carnage among the shark population than vice versa.

If you have the desire to learn more about these survivors from eons of time in the past (far before humans stood upright) a great opportunity exists for Florida residents. Sharkcon will be held this Saturday and Sunday at the State Fair Grounds in Tampa. Everything you want to know about these finned eating machines will be on display. One of the features will be a special showing of Jaws II and a Q & A session with some of the cast members. The fair grounds are located near I-4 on the eastern extremity of Tampa. Visit the Sharkcon webpage for complete details. Come out…it’s great fun!

One of the exhibits at Sharkcon is the Megalodon, the ancient ancestor of the present-day shark

I’ll be there! Along with over 600 other exhibitors, I’ll have a booth (#624) displaying my books that feature history and mystery. Among the books on display will be Blue Water, Red Blood and The Grave with Greener Grass. Blue Water, Red Blood retells the story of the development of the landing craft used by our US Marines in the Pacific during WWII. It’s a Florida story few know about. The Grave with Greener Grass is my brand-new historical novel published by TouchPoint Press. It captures the mystique of Florida’s cattle days, a Holmesian set of cryptic clues, and the knowledge of a pioneer farming trick to find The Grave with Greener Grass.

My newest mystery! The Grave with Greener Grass ….The 1st of a 3book series by TouchPoint Press

The fascinating story of Florida’s accidental contribution to winning WWII is told in Blue Water, Red Blood

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See you at Sharkcon!

 

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Christmas in July…sweat instead of snow

It is good to see some of the older established events come back after Covid

Christmas in July…what a concept. That’s not snowflakes dampening the ground, it’s droplets of perspiration. Loading our vehicle in 95-degree temperatures creates that. But as the love of my life says, “If it heralds the return to normalcy, so be it.” She and I are smiling. The specter of canceled events fades, and the return of shows and festivals has arrived. One example: The Venice, Florida, Christmas in July Arts & Craft event is back. Held at the Venice Community Center (326 S Nokomis Ave.) it has been a traditional summer event for years. The two of us will be there from 10 until 3 tomorrow, Saturday, the 9th.

Venice Community Center

I’ll be introducing The Grave with Greener Grass my new TouchPoint Press novel and featuring the Oak Ridge Boys mystery anthology Christmas Cookies Mysteries in which my short story, Aunt Elvira’s Jewels is featured. I hope to see you all there!

The Nuwray Inn – Burnsville, NC. My booth 60 will be right around the corner the first weekend in August. Ah! The cool mountains!

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The ads that appear below at times are not approved by me and any political ads particularly in this time of division should be considered what they are ……. TRASH!

Tradition & Loyalty…both very important…

At the Matlacha Menagerie, in the warm Florida outdoors. Happy to be with my “fan base” in the early 2000s

Tradition and loyalty, I believe in both.

The official release date of my newest novel, The Grass with Greener Grass, is drawing close. TouchPoint Press set the date as August 2nd. The historically based mystery features the star of my new “Finder” series. His name is Slydell “Sly” Harrell. Sly is a rednecked-light Sherlock Holmes with a background in industrial espionage and as an investigative agent for the DOJ. The first three books in the series are written and in TouchPoint’s hands. I have eleven followup episodes in the series. Anyone who enjoys history, particularly Florida history, will love this book. It revolves around Florida’s cattle era when fortunes were amassed by participants. Visit  http://www.dlhavlin.com  to learn more about this book. The feedback from ‘first readers’ is great!

Now, about that tradition and loyalty thing. Everybody starts somewhere and I see one of my crucial starting points as having my book introduction at a unique gift store. Its name is Matlacha Menagerie. The owners Linda Kay and Larry Solinger have become great friends as well as the first to say, “I want to keep all your books here all the time.” That was fifteen plus years ago. I told them I would always premier my newest book at their store. It’s become a tradition and a loyalty that extends both ways.

The Grave with Greener Grass will get its official ‘birth’ this Saturday, July 2nd at the Menagerie. I’ll be chatting and signing from 10 AM until 3 PM. The address is 4604 SW Pine Island Road, Matlacha, FL.

Matlacha Menagerie today — 2022. I’ll be out front under a tent Saturday — come see me.

Something else that will be brand new! Look for my announcement this weekend. Starting the first week in July I’ll doing a podcast that highlights history!

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Back to normal…What will it take?

People huddling at “History Corner.” People – People are longing for a return to “normal”  

It seems like an eternity since we could keep a “regular schedule.” One that wasn’t interrupted by Covid. One that wasn’t interrupted by the fear or threat of violence. As I talk to folks that stop at my booths or attend book signings, it is one of the two most discussed topics. (Inflation is #1) This weariness is universal. Even people that are at the opposite ends of the political spectrum agree, though grudgingly, they are sick of the worrying about where it’s safe to go. They are close to being as frustrated by cancellations of events.

One event coordinator expressed her frustration. I’ll quote her…”I’m sorry to call you at the last minute, but we’ve called the event off. Honestly, we didn’t know what to do. Everything was fine until three days ago. Then we got an alert (city name) manager’s office. It read, due to a new rise in Covid cases cancel all functions and events through (blank). I called the department that should take responsibility and they didn’t know anything about it. The event was back on. Then I got a call telling me it was off. Then a call it was on. Then a call they’d call me back. They haven’t. I have to cancel.” Oh well!

What will it take? My formula would be to face the reality that Covid is a fact of life, like polio or the flu that isn’t going away. Each of us have to be responsible to make our own decisions. YOU make the decision of what precautions to take, where to go, etc. EVENT organizers need to make a decision and not look back. Let’s face another fact we have a government that has no compass or moral judgement. We can’t count on it.

You can check on what my schedule is by going to my webpage  http://www.dlhavlin.com  and click on my calendar on the tool bar. Be sure you check before you come to an event to be sure its going to happen. For private (not available to the public) book clubs and other organizations, you’ll have to check with your event coordinator. These aren’t posted for obvious reasons. For those of you looking for a schedule for book signings at Florida book stores for The Grave with Greener Grass, I’ll relay it as soon as I finish coordinating it with my publisher. Please be patient, I’m sure it will be soon.

A great “Christmas in July” put away!

My newest mystery! The Grave with Greener Grass ….The 1st of a 3 book series by TouchPoint Press

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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It’s been a while!

Just doing my thing

 

It has been a while! Wanting to post hasn’t been my problem. Getting the time has. Actually, my lack of time has been a good thing as far as my writing is concerned. That’s what has taken the bulk of my days. The first of a three book series will be released August 2nd. I’ve been busy with gallies, edits, and writing additional books. There currently are six of my books winding their way toward publication. Two are in one of my publisher’s hands. Four are with my literary agent.

The resumption of speaking events, something I enjoy doing, has made my schedule banjo string tight. With my writing “caught up” I’ll be trying to post on a more regular basis. Next week I’ll return to sharing interesting places I visit and what’s new in my literary life.

See you next week!

 

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It’s off to eat seafood

The Everglades Seafood Festival is one of those “bucket list” events staged annually in Florida

 

This will be a busy week for me culminating in a trip to the Everglades Seafood Festival. The event will be held in downtown Everglades City on Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday. I’ll be there meeting, greeting, signing books, and discussing my “history corner” display. This is my first trip to the event as a vendor. I’ve been dreaming of shrimp, scallops, and fish fillets the last three nights.

 

An appropriate one-word caption…YUM!

I’ll also be visiting one of my favorite places on Wednesday from 9 to 2. I’ll be doing a signing at Annette’s Bookstore in the Santini Plaza on Ft Myers Beach. That’s on Estero Blvd. Come visit me and chat a while.

 

Annette’s bookstore Ft Myers Beach

 

We had a great outing this weekend at the Nautical Expo 2022. It was held in the Lee County Civic Center, in the North Ft Myers Area. We got to chat with many, many people. Sold lots of books! I also was in Boca Raton to speak to the library group there and spoke at the Venice Golf and Country Club and a most enthusiastic audience. More to tell next week.

 

 

At Boca Raton Library – The LVT – Florida & Don Roebling’s contribution to WWII

 

This group loved “Florida, the Forgotten Years”

 

Hope to see you all soon!

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The season has started!

DL speaks to a ‘full house’ at the Venice Golf and Country Club…His subject “Florida the Forgotten Years”

Despite Covid and the fears that come with it, people are turning out to my presentations in large numbers! By this weekend, I’ll have made five appearances this month. (Four public and one private book club) I’m including a couple pictures of these programs. 

People viewing DL’s historical display and checking out his books at Seven Lakes Golf and Tennis Community. DL stay’s after his talks to answer questions.

 

Things will get more hectic the rest of this month and in February. I’ll be at the Englewood Winter Arts & Crafts Show this Saturday. It is located at Englewood Sports Complex, 1300 S. River Road, Englewood. I’ll be there from 9 to 2. I’ll be at Annette’s Booknook, in the Santini Shopping Center on Estero Blvd., Ft Myers Beach, Wednesday, January 19th from 9 to 2. On the 20th I’ll be in Ocala, presenting three classes. They’ll be, “Florida’s Historic Places and Museums,” “Edison in Florida,” and “The Legacy of Jake Summerlin: Cattle in Florida.” Visit Master the Possibilities web page           ( https//:mastertheposibilities.org ) for information on signing up for the classes. They are available for those who want to attend in person at the Top of the World, Ocala facility on 80th St. or you can take the classes in the comfort of your home by attending a virtual class. I’ll speaking to The Friends of the Boca Raton Library, Sunday, January 23rd, at 3. The talk will be “Blue Water, Red Blood: Florida’s part in the development of the Marine’s WWII landing craft.”

I’m excited. The edit for the first book of my three-book Sly Harrell mystery series is back from FlashPoint Publishing. My agent tells me we’ll see the cover soon. I’ll share as soon as I can. Look for the release of “The Grave with Greeneer Grass” sometime this summer?!

 

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