...And a New One Just Begun

 

Welcome to the new year! I trust you all had a happy and safe holiday season. Winter has hit the Gulf Coast with temps at night dipping into the 20s, daytime 30s to low 40s. I know, all of my northern followers and friends are saying "boo-hoo" and laughing at me, but after living down here 40+ years, I think the tolerance I built up for the cold as a kid in New Jersey has finally worn off. 

I was busy over the holidays mainly with the second book of my Crystal Bay Mystery series, A Matrimonial Mystery. The book picks up where the first of the series, Dead Air, leaves off and I tell you, writing about these stories about the mystery solving sleuths Judy Campbell and Art Foley and the shenanigans at radio station WRCB is like visiting old friends. First of all, Judy and Art have my idealized romance and relationship with easy, fun loving dialog that makes that part easy to write. Then there are the shenanigans at the radio station, mostly culled from my real-life experiences in the business.

I'm looking for a publisher for the first book (if any publishers out there are looking for an excellent cozy mystery series, you know where to find me, hint, hint.) It may go the self-publishing route by mid-year. We'll see.

Also over the holidays, I started filling in my calendar for book signings and presentations. The Daphne Public Library in Daphne, Alabama, has asked me to do a presentation. Date and time to be announced. And I was honored to be asked to do a presentation and signing at the annual Orange Beach Festival of Arts March 8th and 9th. For the first in the event's 51 years, they have added a literary component section and I can't thank the organizers enough for the invitation.

So, that's all for right now. Have a wonderful - and warm week, everybody.

Another Year Over...

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

A New Week Begins

 

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.

The Busiest Time of the Year

 

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.

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Thankful

 

Before everyone goes over the river and through the woods tomorrow, I wanted to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving and say thank you for supporting my writing and books over the past 20 years.

And while we're on the subject of Thanksgiving, and since I'm preparing for the release of my new Prometheus book, "The Pig War and the Pelican Girls: 21 Extraordinary Tales of American History," there is one story that didn't make it into the book - the story of Franksgiving.

Ever hear of "Franksgiving"? In 1939 and 1940, President Roosevelt believed that moving Thanksgiving from the traditional fourth Saturday of November to the third would boost the economy, giving Christmas shoppers an extra week to buy their gifts. The move caused much confusion and protest, especially with college football teams that had to reschedule their normal end-of-season games. The name "Franksgiving" was coined by Atlantic City, NJ mayor Charles D. White, a riff on "Frankenstein." In 1941, Congress passed a resolution that was signed by Roosevelt officially making the fourth Thursday of November Thanksgiving. The move by FDR was immortalized with a short cartoon in the Bing Crosby holiday movie, "Holiday Inn."

You can read more about "Franksgiving" HERE. And here's the clip from Holiday Inn. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Book Signing Alert

 

This just in - I'll be signing books during the Chapter Crafters Holiday Market at the Mobile Public Library West Regional Branch from 10am to 1pm along with a passel of other great local and regional authors. It will be a great time to pick up that last minute Christmas gift for the reader in your life, or yourself.

Going to Press

 

I just received the final cover design for my new book, "The Pig War and Pelican Girls" and I couldn't be more pleased with it. I think the bright colors and graphics will make it stand out on book shelves. And with that, that's a wrap. The book heads to printing. Pre-sale orders ship in February, the book hits bookstores in April.