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We are already more than halfway between the vernal equinox and the summer solstice, and spring has finally sprung after long, cold, and wet season in Wisconsin. It reminds me of a passage from Spider Lake that I really like:
"The days of spring in the north country are a reward after what is often a winter of knee-deep snow and bone-chilling cold…
"The warming temperatures do what they can to force the lake ice to break up. The ice moans and groans, trying to keep its hold. When it finally can hold its grip no longer, the water rolls downstream flooding the wetlands that await—soon-to-be resting spots or nesting areas for migratory birds coming back from the sunny south. The nights come alive with the calls of chorus frogs, spring peepers, and the occasional bullfrog belch. Where days before only the stems of dead, brown plants covered northern meadows, now green shoots and splashes of color begin to take over as wildflowers welcome the sunshine. Black bears crawl out of their dens, and the females with cubs in tow focus on making up for a long winter fast. Spring, like the cry of a newborn baby, is God’s way of telling us that life will go on, and that hope springs eternal."
The spring rebirth brings with it the joy that we made it through another winter. It is also the start of another season of book tours and celebrations.
Awards
I am thrilled to share that Bough Cutter won GOLD for Great Lakes Best Regional Fiction from the Independent Publishers Book Awards, also known as the IPPYs. One thing I love about Bough Cutter is how some folks I’ve heard from are pleased to tell me they think they know whodunnit before the end of the book, then they read on and things end up being not so clear cut. I really enjoyed writing that book.
Audio
We are also celebrating the release of the Figure Eight audiobook. We aren’t celebrating so much because of the final product, but that I made it through and will never have to set foot in a recording studio again! I may be able to write stories, but spending hours on end changing my voice to read them just right? Well, Spider Lake and Bough Cutter will have to be read by someone else. Several people have asked me if I listened to the audio. The answer is no, listening to a recording of myself reading would be more than I could bear. However, I hope you like it.
We’ve discounted the audiobook price to encourage you to support your local indie bookstore and purchase through Libro.FM before the end of the month when Figure Eight is released on Apple and Audible.
Adventure
You can tune into today to Madison Book Beat at 1:00 (CT) and listen online to an interview with me and George Dreckmann. We’ll be discussing writing, the environment, and more.
I recently talked with a group of students in Dr. Joel Pace's writing class at the University of Wisconsin—Eau Claire and then with fine folks at the library in Manitowish Waters. Next month I’ll start traversing the state again and hope to see some of you on the road.
I am so happy that many of you have expressed your interest in a book four. I spent a bunch of porch time by the fire and worked on it diligently, but I still have some writing to do.
To quote Roy Rogers, “If it wasn’t for you there wouldn’t be no me.” Thanks for all the support!
Happy Trails,
Jeff
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