​Happy to announce that the rent has been paid, and jplinde.com will be around for another year. We’ve now been around since 2019 and are approaching our fifth year. What started as a site to promote a novel has become a bit more. Thank you to the 17 thousand that have dropped by for a look. We could not have done it without you.
 
Over the past four years, we’ve had a few guest blogs and a couple of interviews with writers, producers, and artists. We even had a guest video. Thank you to all of those people as well. You know who you are.
 
So, I guess this is just my way of saying, Happy New Year to all!

​Because of the themes and overall style of my last book, Son of Ravage, I chose for my first Author reading and signing Santa Rosa’s largest comic bookstore. The book came out in late winter of 2019, and the reading and signing was scheduled for early Summer. I met with the shop owner, booked a date for their additional room that worked for both of us, and alerted family, friends, co-workers, press, and everyone else of the time and date. It was my first ever type of event, and needless to say, I was excited. I went to work immediately, practicing my signature and patiently awaiting the eventful day.
 
I showed up an hour early to set up, only to find a loud, enthusiastic group of men playing a rousing game of Magic: The Gathering in the same room where I was to be doing my reading.  I patiently asked the clerk if they would be clearing out the room soon and was informed brusquely:
 
“They aren’t going anywhere,” he answered, a bit too annoyed to signal things were going to go smoothly.
 
Cancel? Too late for that; people would soon be on their way. I set up the area for about thirty seats and waited while the gamers got louder.
 
Family, friends and readers filed in, taking their seats, looking over the table with books and tee-shirts, and at the scheduled time, the battle for attention ensued.
 
I drew a breath and began, accompanied by the growing exclamations of those seated on the other side of the room.
 
“Wow, you passed that card? What the fuck are you doing?”
 
I remained calm. I was raising the volume of my voice to be heard over the game enthusiasts. But the louder I got, the louder they became.
 
“Just how many goddamn creatures do you have in your graveyard?”
 
My audience was getting restless. I could see them looking over at the gamers with agitated faces. I was losing them to Magic. I read the first chapter, pausing for questions. There was one. I read the second chapter and thanked everyone for coming.
 
I did sell a lot of books that day. I think the purchases were more out of pity than anything else. But a sale is a sale.
 
BTW, in case you are interested, the first stop of my Fool’s Gold Author Reading and Signing tour is at an Oakland Dave and Buster’s. That is all.

​Yeesh. Sorry about this. Been rather busy the last week with the paperback release of my novel, Fool’s Gold. Perhaps you’ve heard of it. My friends on social media certainly have. My favorite comment:
 
“Someone is learning Photoshop.” (See above)
 
Makes me laugh just thinking about it. But for the sake of full disclosure, I am using an application called Pixelmator (yet another application I have paid for but have no real idea of how it works).
 
For reviews on my latest, check out Amazon reviews or GoodReads. All I can say about that is, so far so good.
 
My Romantic Comedy continues to make the rounds, and my agent, manager, and I await word.  Most likely, it is going to be after the holiday, but who really knows what with an entire industry attempting to regain use of their limbs?
 
Happy Hanukkah.

​Okay, I have my picture. I have my YouTube video for the icing on the cake. But nothing to go in between. I guess now would be the perfect time to thank all of those who supported me over the past year as the story of Fool’s Gold finally took shape.
 
First and foremost, to Tom McComb. There would have been no story or book if Tom had not read a story treatment and urged me to finish it. To Blair Silver for introducing me to the concept of IP and suggesting that the screenplay would make a good novel. For my wife and her best friend Jone for spending their free afternoons editing. And to all the rest of you. You know who you are, thank you!
 
I set out to write a Treasure Island-style adventure story and hopefully accomplished it. One thing is certain: it would have never happened without the support of friends and family.
 
Hillary Duff was right, it does take a village to write a book.