From the Author: 2016–Present
It’s been a while since I posted news from my writing world. We’ve all endured a pandemic in the meantime. Head bowed.
Listen for the Mourning Dove has enjoyed a nice following and a couple of national book awards since its publication and garnered attention from a very fine literary agency in New York, thanks to David Fisher, great guy and 22+- time NYTimes best-selling author who generously offered his time and support to a newbie novelist like me. When the companion piece to LFTMD, Remember the Mourning Dove, is complete, news of it will be announced here on this website and on other social media platforms as it progresses along. Thank you for your continued interest and your support of my work.
THE AUDIOBOOK OF LISTEN FOR THE MOURNING DOVE HAS LAUNCHED! With his extensive acting background, Sean Pratt’s terrific narration offers a whole other experience with the characters and the story! Read a bit about Sean below:
SEAN PRATT, a working actor for more than 30 years, is a veteran audiobook narrator who has recorded over 1,000 titles in almost every genre—and now Listen for the Mourning Dove has its place in Sean’s repertoire of literary fiction! He has received 8 AudioFile Earphones Awards and 5 Audie nominations from the Audio Publishers Association. Sean also conducts workshops across America offering his wide-range of experience to others who want to learn the ropes in the narrating world or to sharpen their own narrating skills.
Events of the Last 5 Years
Along the Oregon Coast
Hotel Nacional veranda, Havana, Cuba
I returned to the wild Oregon Coast after many years, and took a long-hoped-for trip to Cuba. For this New Mexico desert/mountain dweller, the waters of both brought relief! If you read Listen for the Mourning Dove, you’ll discover that one of the novel’s characters, Renata, had spent time in Pre-Revolution Havana at the Hotel Nacional—so it was a thrill for me to visit the hotel my first night in Havana to bring my novel to life for that moment in time. Sitting on the wide, back veranda looking down the long lawn atop the Malecon to the sea was perfect. I promised myself to always remember the way the Caribbean’s breeze felt across my face that night… and to also remember the sound of the mighty Pacific waves crashing onto the rocks at Yachats, Oregon. I sigh with pleasure remembering both.
Santa Fe Book Club
Earlier on, one of a number of great book clubs discussing LFTMD: A steady flow of interest in my work continues including, pictured here, this great book club in Santa Fe that invited me to attend their discussion of the print version of Listen for the Mourning Dove. Special thanks to Jayne Cotten who chose my book for the club when it came her turn. The book club members shared their astute observations of the book in a lively, interesting discussion. I loved meeting this smart bunch of women… and learning from them.