As the new year draws near, I wanted to say thank you to all of you for making it another great year. I've penned two more books that will be released in the spring, penned two new cozy mysteries (I hope) will see the light of day soon, and had a great year meeting many of you at some fun book signings including a really fun day at the Seattle Museum of Flight. I'm looking forward to seeing what the new year brings and getting these new titles to you. Happy New Year!
Mobile Public Library Event
Yuri's Day at the Seattle Museum of Flight
Yuri's Day at the Seattle Museum of Flight with My Friend Amelia
Good morning, everyone! Well, winter has unofficially arrived here on the Gulf Coast last week. Just a note to my northern friends - yes, it does get chilly down here. No, we don't get snow, although we have been known to have a surprise dusting every now and then, and it's rare for temperatures to go below zero, but we can expect temps to regularly hit the upper 20s with lower windchills. That's what happened here last week. I guess the New Jersey in me is finally starting to fade away after 43 years here in L.A. (lower Alabama.) I used to be able to tinker around the yard in weather like that in short sleeves and shorts. Not anymore! Give me a blanket and a cup of green tea any day. Ah, age.
So, what's new in my little writing world? The big news is that this Saturday, I will be joining some amazing local and regional authors for a big holiday book sale and signing at the Mobile (Alabama) Public Library West Regional Branch from 10am to 1pm. If you're in the area, I hope you can make it out and find your next great read.
Every year I do a holiday giveaway and this year is no exception. If you visit my "Giveaway" page on my website, you will find several downloads I hope you will enjoy including short stories, a sample of the audio book version of "Space Oddities" read by the amazing vocal talents of Tim H. Dixon, a preview of my new book due out in April, "The Pig War and the Pelican Girls," and a preview of my cozy mystery, "Dead Air," which I have made available as a PDF or an eBook you can read on Kindle or Nook readers. If you have any issues downloading a file, drop me a line at joecuhajauthor@gmail.com and I'll get it to you.
And keeping with the holiday spirit, here is one of my favorite short stories from my "Joe Cuhaj's Shorts" collection. When I was in radio, sometimes I would tell these humorous stories about growing up in the 60s when I was doing an overnight show. Years later, I would write them down for the collection and then a few years later, I recorded them for a podcast reading them just like I did on the radio so many years ago. So enjoy this story, "A Wish Book Christmas."
That's all for now. I hope to see you Saturday in West Mobile for the book signing, and don't forget you can follow me on Facebook and now on Bluesky. Until next time, have a great week.
Hi, again everyone. Hope you survived Thanksgiving, the scuffle of Black Friday shopping, and are now enjoying gallons of turkey soup, turkey sandwiches, and turkey casserole.
This is always the busiest time of year for me when it comes to writing. I have a lot of irons in the fire Nothing unusual there. First and foremost, I had an email from one of my publishers saying that I needed to have more exposure on social media. I resisted Twitter and X for the longest time but now I've found a home on BlueSky. If you're on the platform, I hope you will follow me - @joecuhajauthor.bsky.social.
Oh, and I have a book signing coming up. Myself and authors from around the area will be selling and signing copies of our books at the Mobile Public Library's Holiday Market December 14th from 10am to 1pm at the library's West Regional Branch on Grelot Road in Mobile. Mark it on your calendar, come on out, and find your next favorite read.
The P.R. work for my new book, The Pig War and the Pelican Girls, has officially begun. Today, I begin writing the scripts for the 10-part companion podcast. It's one of my favorite parts of writing non-fiction history as it brings me back to my radio roots, although this is scripted and not off-the-cuff (and insane) like my old radio shows. We're shooting for a February 24th debut with the book set for release April 22nd.
No updates yet on my new cozy mystery, "Dead Air." It's circulating around several publishers and agents but it's a process that could take months before I get a response. One of the inspirations for the mystery is the film series, "The Thin Man." The book is set in a Gulf Coast port city (any resemblance to actually cities is purely coincidental :) ) but it is not a 40s noir mystery like a Raymond Chandler. It's a typical cozy - set in a quaint town with unique characters and a budding romance. What I was shooting for in the romance between our two sleuths is the unique humor we see between the characters of Nick and Nora Charles in the "Thin Man" movies. Good natured, snarky, a bit sarcastic at times, but always with love. I'll keep you posted on whether or not the book finds a home. Fingers crossed
And that's it from the old writing room this week. Have a great week, everybody! More soon.
