Tag Archive for 'J. R. Lindermuth'

Summer Almost Over, Most Writing Goals Accomplished

Published on August 27, 2010 in Amazon Bookstore and General News. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

It has been a productive summer and I’m proud that I accomplished most of my writing and publishing goals.

I made my trade paperback novel Twenty-Five Years Ago Today available in ebook format, uploading it to Kindle and arranging for Smashwords to distribute it to multiple ebook retailers including Barnes&Noble, Sony, Apple’s iPad Store, Diesel and Kobo.

My children’s picture book The Flag Keeper went into production and now has a web site and Facebook page. I also collected wonderful back cover blurbs from Steve Van Buskirk, Director of Programs, VFW National Headquarters, and Mike Buss, Deputy Director, Americanism, American Legion National Headquarters.

I’m in the process of working on a large review mailing related to my reality TV show-themed mystery suspense novel Sink or Swim, which will be officially released New Year’s Day, 2011. Also this summer, I collected endorsements about the book from Stephenie LaGrossa, owner of GiGI Restaurant & Lounge, Philadelphia PA, Television personality and fan favorite Survivor: Palau, Guatemala, Heroes vs. Villains; Shawne Morgan, contestant CBS’s The Amazing Race 16 and entrepreneur; and Michelle Costa, contestant Big Brother 10.

I’ve also signed on as one of the moderators at a fabulous new message board forum called Bestseller Bound which connects readers and indie authors. Stop by and join the discussion.

In August, some terrific writers have visited the blog so far. We heard from: Matthew Dicks, Mary Deal, J.R. Lindermuth, Gerry Charbonneau, Suzanne Young and Patricia Gulley.

Coming up, we’ll hear from authors: Loni Emmert, Timothy Hallinan, Norma Huss, Avery Aames, Caitlyn Hunter, Barbara Ross, Kenneth Weene and Monica Brinkman. During the week of Sept. 12, I’ll host my first theme week “Fun With Food Week,” in which every post will tie into characters who enjoy cooking. Late September also marks the release of The Flag Keeper and a special giveaway. Stay tuned!

25 Years Ago Today: Mystery Author and Retired Journalist J. R. Lindermuth

Published on August 16, 2010 in 25 Years Ago Today. 31 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

I’d like to welcome J. R. Lindermuth as my guest. J.R. is a retired newspaper editor/writer who lives and writes in central Pennsylvania. He is librarian of his county historical society where he assists visitors with historical research and genealogy. J.R. is the author of eight novels and has published in a variety of magazines. His novels include Watch The Hour, Corruption’s Child and The Accidental Spy.


How nice to meet another author with a journalism background. Tell us, what were you doing 25 years ago?

J.R.: In 1984, I was a single parent, struggling with a mountain of debt and a way-too-big mortgage. I earned our daily bread as wire/business editor of a small-town daily newspaper and spent my evenings churning out articles and short stories while attempting to come up with a novel which would sell.

Raising children is tough enough when there are two parents. Need I say it becomes much more challenging when you’re alone and have the burden of a demanding, stressful occupation and more financial obligations than you can handle? I found my solace in reading, writing and drawing. I must have done something right. My son and daughter grew up to be responsible, hard-working adults and good parents.

During this trying period, I sold a lot of articles to a variety of small magazines, but my efforts at fiction went nowhere. I experimented with novels in different genre – mysteries, horror, historical, mainstream. It was a learning process, but one in which I was often tempted to give up.

At one particularly low period, I had my biggest breakthrough magazine sale. Ovation, the classical music magazine, purchased my article on Sibelius in America. That success sent me back to the typewriter. Gradually I learned perseverance is the key to achieving any worthwhile goal.

Little did I realize then a character created for a short story would become the protagonist for a series of mystery novels. Sticks Hetrick and his team have figured in three published novels, a fourth is under contract and I’m currently at work on the fifth.

Find out more about J.R.’s books on his web site and blog. Check out his books on Amazon.

Rollercoaster Month: Blog Woes, Book News & Hot Authors

Published on July 30, 2010 in Amazon Bookstore and General News. 5 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

It has been a rollercoaster month blog-wise. Some of my regular readers may have noticed that for the past few weeks, my blog has had some pretty weird stuff going on. In fact, it went totally haywire. Luckily, I’m on a new server now and the days of error messages are over. Whew! On a brighter note, I just finished taking the Blog Book Tours class and found it very educational. Thanks to the class, I made a few subtle tweaks to help make my blog more user-friendly.

Among the changes, you can find links to my 2009-2010 Virtual Book Tour for Twenty-Five Years Ago Today in the right margin under My 25 Years Ago Blog Tour Stops. Browse through the posts to discover my interviews, columns and excerpts on the host blogs.

Book-wise, things have been quite busy. The Smashwords summer sale runs through July 31st, and until then, you can purchase the ebook version of Twenty-Five Years Ago Today in multiple formats for just $2.24. Don’t forget to use the code SWS25 at checkout.

Production on my picture book The Flag Keeper will start in the next week or two. More on that in the coming weeks.

Here on the blog, in July, we celebrated a 25th wedding anniversary with mystery author Steve Liskow and his wife; mystery, children’s and fantasy author Camille LaGuire recalled writing her swashbuckler novel; zoo mystery author Ann Littlewood reflected on a time of career transitions; and Jenny Milchman told us about her start as a teenage writer.

In August, Unexpectedly, Milo author Matthew Dicks will admit to getting in trouble in high school; Mary Deal will give us an Aloha from Hawaii and share a fictional moment about her Down to the Needle characters; and J. R. Lindermuth will talk about his days of balancing parenthood, a newspaper career and his own personal writing. Also, my Mainly Murder Press pals Suzanne Young and Loni Emmert will drop by in August. Suzanne will let her character Edna Davies share a moment from the past, and Loni will dish about the music biz.

Check out all their books in my Amazon bookstore. Let’s hope for smoother sailing in August!

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