I've got a brand-new fan, and I'm still hot and bothered!

Recently I had experienced one of the greatest pleasures in my writing life: a fan not just telling me how much s/he likes my work but explaining why s/he has enjoyed my work.

Bryan Borland, a young hearing poet in Arkansas whose debut book MY LIFE AS ADAM blew me away, blogged about me in terms that still embarrasses me (in a good way). This literally made my day because writing is such a solitary profession. Sometimes you wonder if it's worth the struggle to craft a better sentence, a better paragraph, and a better book. Then I get something like this. I think I'm more speechless than he is!

He went on to explain why he loved my book MUTE on Amazon in his five-star review: "... in the months since I've read it (several times now, in fact), that crush has blossomed into a full-on love affair, and I can say that Mute ranks as one of my all-time favorite contemporary books of poetry." Wow. How does one say "thank you" to something like that?!?

Yes, you could buy the book directly from Amazon, but my publisher, A Midsummer Night's Press, would be very happy to give you free prompt shipping within the US! Please order directly from A Midsummer Night's Press here.

One other note before I resume researching and rewriting my new novel's second draft (yes, I've been working on a brand-new novel that's very different from my previous works of fiction, which is yet another reason why I'm so excited about it): The CHAUTAUQUA literary journal has brought out a new poem of mine ("Recital") in their "Words & Music" issue (#7).

And there's a brand-new poem ("In Edinburgh Castle") in the latest issue of KISS-FIST! Check it out here.

Stay cool, all!