September 13, 2023
My first retreat coming up with the Central Region Oklahoma Writers (CROW). Looking forward to learning with a great group of people.
August 22, 2033
I really enjoyed the Killer Nashville conference, my first one. It was great to talk to a group of people with a background of mysteries, suspense, thrillers, etc. Great learning experience.
July 31, 2023
Preorders begin August 13 for the next Friday the 13th short stories. A Wicked Fate continues the story of mortal enemies Karanosz Tasev, Miomir ìl Kurić, and Stepan Hrubý.
July 1, 2023
Looking forward to Killer Nashville Conference, August 16-20.
June 3, 2023
Coming October 13, 2023.
April 17, 2023
Looking forward to the Killer Nashville conference. First time attending this coming August.
March 31, 2023
A Gentleman from the Darkness won third place in the mystery-suspense category of the 2023 BookFest Awards — its second award.
March 1, 2023
A compilation of seven of the Friday the 13th stories, part 3. Available on Amazon.
February 22, 2023
It’s here! Tom Haire again is the master narrator. $6 on Audible or free with an Audible membership.
February 11, 2023
The audiobook of Hell is Empty is coming very soon. Go here under News for a sample.
February 1, 2023
This is a nice article from CanvasRebel.com. They are great to work with.
January 28, 2023
A nice bookstore in Edmond, Oklahoma–nice people and nice authors.
January 21, 2023
Very busy yesterday at Full Circle Bookstore in Oklahoma City. Many guests and sales 😁
January 10, 2023
A wonderful, fun evening with the Book Buzz Club of Blanchard. Nice company and great cake!
January 7, 2023
Two signing events coming up: January 21st and January 28th.
December 28, 2022
Cool QR cubes from Athens, Greece and MenuShopWorkShop. Dimitris is great to work with.
December 20, 2022
Downtime for the holidays. Enjoy!
December 16, 2022
December newsletter with guest Dr. J Hall and Okie Bookcast.
December 5, 2022
Great reviews! Click on a picture to enlarge it.
December 4, 2022
New Amazon Author Page here.
December 2, 2022
Excellent review from Susie Black for A Gentleman from the Darkness.
A 1968 pro-Democracy movement in communist-controlled Czechoslovakia called the “Prague Spring” was led by intellectuals and University professors known as the “Group of Thirty.” The revolt was brutally put down by the Russian military. A Gentleman from the Darkness is the story behind the story of this doomed uprising.
Focusing on the fate of three families, the plot of Mark Edward Jones’ heart-pounding, riveting thriller is cleverly told from the point of view of the prey as well as the Russian hitmen tasked to systematically eliminate them.
Author Jones’ tightly written story grabs readers by the throat on page one and never lets them go. The plot threads are woven together by love, loss, courage, weakness and strength, the devastation of betrayal and trust, and finding redemption by facing one’s challenges head-on rather than looking away.
Jones has created a cast of flawed but believable characters who put everything on the line when it counts the most. The characters evoke strong emotions in readers right from the beginning in this parable of good versus evil in a capsulized sliver of society that defines the best and worst in human beings.
A gritty, gut-wrenching story, A Gentleman from the Darkness is a take-no-prisoners, mind-boggling, nail-biting tale that keeps you on the edge of your seat and up way past your bedtime turning the pages because you’ll never fall asleep until you find out what happens next. Given the timeliness of what is going on in the world today, Jones’ stinging indictment of the evil perpetrated by sheer power has more than earned the five-star rating this reader has awarded it.
November 29, 2022
Good to see old friends at Sooner Rotary. Fun discussion about changing careers from a higher education finance guy to being a writer.
November 25, 2022
Great product if anyone needs to consolidate all social media sites. LinkTree provides that ability.
November 21, 2022
If anyone would instead support local stores instead of Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc., paperback copies of Peculiar Activities and Shadowed Souls are available at Deer Clan Books in Bethany, Full Circle Bookstore in Oklahoma City, Best of Books in Edmond, and Commonplace Books in Edmond.
November 20, 2022
November 19, 2022
Oklahoma City Writers, Inc. They are a great group.
November 14, 2022
November newsletter author feature with Betsey Kulakowski.
November 13, 2022
Shadowed Souls featured on Mystery Reads today.
November 12, 2022
Shadowed Souls e-book is available in the Pioneer Library System servicing Norman, Noble, Purcell, and Shawnee, Oklahoma. Peculiar Activities is available in paperback and e-book at Metropolitan Library branches in Oklahoma City.
October 30, 2022
Hell is Empty is now up for preorder.
October 29, 2022
Great early review for Shadowed Souls.
October 25, 2022
Thankful to be featured in Maxine Douglas’s Treasure Tuesday Newsletter.
October 18, 2022
October Newsletter. Shadowed Souls goes live, Friday the 13th series continues in January, and guest author, Paula Benge.
October 17, 2022
Shepherd.com allows writers to showcase one of their books while offering recommendations for other books based on a theme proposed by the writer. I had the chance to do this, and the result went live today.
https://shepherd.com/best…/we-dont-know-what-we-dont-know
October 11, 2022
From the incredible voice of Tom Haire. A Gentleman from the Darkness excerpt.
October 5, 2022
Shadowed Souls news. Thanks to T.P. Warren for the great pictures and marketing campaign.
September 12, 2022
September Newsletter. Wheels within Wheels, All Sorrows are Less, and WriterCon 2022.
September 10, 2022
September 2-4, 2022
Great time at WriterCon 2022. William Bernhardt and company do a fantastic job each year.
August 26, 2022
Shadowed Souls is now available for preorders. Go to the Shadowed Souls main page for more information.
August 16, 2022
August Newsletter and this month, a visit with author Brenda Clark Thomas.
August 15, 2022
Shadowed Souls has been released for preorder on Kindle, Apple Books, and Nook.
July 25, 2022
A great day for book signings at the Whipped Bakery in Oklahoma City.
July 19, 2022
July 15, 2022
July Newsletter sees Shadows, How to Trap a Soul, and Amazon Sales.
July 13, 2022
Halloween! The release date for Shadowed Souls is October 31, 2022. More here.
July 5, 2022
A fun way to meet more authors. The Central Region of Oklahoma Writers is hosting a book signing by its authors on July 23rd from 11:00 – 1:30 at the Whipped Bakery in Oklahoma City (3820 N. MacArthur). Come by and see us.
June 17, 2022
A great bunch of people to work with at VoyageDallas magazine.
June 13, 2022
June Newsletter highlights magazines, collections, and audiobooks.
June 6, 2022
A collection of Friday the 13th stories is now on Amazon.
June 5, 2022
May 31, 2022
An Audiobook version of A Gentleman from the Darkness is available on Audible or Apple Books.
May 23, 2022
May news is about poets, a gentleman, and shadows.
May 22, 2022
My YouTube channel is up and running. Subscribers welcome!
May 6, 2022
Great time at the 2022 Oklahoma Writer’s Federation annual conference. Good to see everyone in person again.
May 2, 2022
May 13 release for A Gentleman from the Darkness coming!
April 20, 2022
Check out the April newsletter and the author feature for Dee Britt.
April 17, 2022
Twelve other authors and I joined together for a Friday the 13th collection of short stories. The release date is May 13, 2022.
April 17, 2002
I appreciate Tom Haire and his efforts in narrating Peculiar Activities. There is much more to come.
April 12, 2022
I’ve received the PDF edit version of Shadowed Souls. I’m hoping for a later summer release.
March 27, 2022
Peculiar Activities is a featured book on Mystery Reads.
March 25, 2022
The cover was just released for Shadowed Souls. Another Tina Lynn Stout design.
March 17, 2022
Pre-order A Gentleman from the Darkness. I hope you enjoy it. #Fridaythe13thStories.
A Friday the 13th Short Story. Pre-lease at 99 cents until May 13–$1.99 after that.
The secretive Group of Thirty resists the new Czech regime installed after the Prague Spring. Professor Valentýn Hrubý leads this campus group, fighting for the reforms crushed by Russian tanks. Hrubý keeps lists to help his forgetfulness, and the authorities find one of these lists, one that shows the names of his associates. The new government hires an assassin to track and dispose of the group’s members. The efficient killer stalks his prey, dressed in a three-piece suit and topped by a fedora.
It is Friday, twelve days before Christmas, and the wolf has arrived.
March 10, 2022
Happy March and another month closer to spring (mailchi.mp)
February 14, 2022
Thanks to Callie Hutton for a spot on her blog. Please visit CallieHutton.com for the latest, including her new book To Deceive a Highlander.
February 7, 2022
Many thanks to Alicia Dean and letting me be a part of her weekly blog. Her latest release is February 9, called Death Notice.
February 6, 2022
Fighting Covid for several days. Trying to keep going on projects.
January 14, 2022
After a great vacation and holidays, it’s good to get back to it. Take a look below at A Gentleman from the Darkness cover and tagline.
December 17, 2021
The audiobook format for Peculiar Activities has been released. Voice actor Tom Haire did a great job narrating with many different voices and accents.
November 30, 2021
An excerpt from my Friday the 13th story, Gentleman from the Darkness, won second place in the Flash Fiction category of the 2021 Oklahoma City Writers, Inc.
November 20, 2021
A good day for a book signing at a multi-author event at Full Circle Books in Oklahoma City.
November 18, 2021
I have signed a contract for the second of the Detective Henry Ike Pierce series called Shadowed Souls. The release date is October 2022.
November 15, 2021
Old friends and a good barbecue today in Norman. I appreciate everyone coming.
November 12, 2021
Lisa Dawn from the Wild Rose Press designed the cover for the audiobook. Looks good!
November 11, 2021
Next, two bookstore book signings.
November 10, 2021
I am meeting with long-time OU and other friends this Monday, November 15th. Billy Sims Barbecue in Norman at 11:30. Bring an appetite. 24th & Main in the Normandy Creek Shopping Center.
November 7, 2021
I’ve hired a narrator to produce an audio version of Peculiar Activities. Tom Haire is a Kentuckian, and his audition was exactly how I had hoped for the story to sound. He offers excellent characterizations and a variety of voices to bring it to life. I should have the first fifteen-minute review by November 18th, with a completion date before Christmas. I can’t wait.
November 6, 2021
Fun day in Duncan, Oklahoma. Thanks to everyone for the support.
November 1, 2021
Thanks to Rebecca Grace for the interview on her blog!
October 30, 2021
Upcoming event in my hometown of Duncan, Oklahoma, at the Merchant restaurant.
October 28, 2021
Thanks to Books2Read for the Universal Link: MEJBOOKS
October 21, 2021
Another great night with many friends at Commonplace books in Edmond.
October 17, 2021
The next book signing is 6:30-8:30 p.m. on October 21 at Commonplace books in Edmond. 21 S. Broadway.
October 6, 2021
Great opening night for a book release. I appreciate all who came.
September 24, 2021
Book signing dates so far:
October 21, 2021, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Commonplace Books 21 S. Broadway St., Edmond, OK
November 6, 2021, 11:30-1:30. Merchant restaurant next to the Palace Theater on Main Street, Duncan, OK
November 20, 2021, 3-5 p.m. Full Circle Books New Ink Event, 1900 NW Expressway St., Oklahoma City, OK
November 27, 2021, 12-2 p.m. Best of Books 1313 E. Danforth Road, Edmond, OK
September 16, 2021
Paperback is now available to preorder on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, and many other sites. E-books are available on the same, plus Apple Books. See the main page for a list of vendors.
September 3-5, 2021
Great writers’ conference Labor Day weekend in Oklahoma City called WriterCon. My second time attending. Easy to become intimidated by all the other writing talent at these conferences. Unfortunately, a minor surgery turned out to be not so minor. I’m watching another virtual conference. William Bernhardt and colleagues do a great job, but I would have much-preferred meeting real people. Maybe next year.
September 1, 2021
E-versions are ready for preorder on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It is coming soon to Apple Books.
August 28, 2021
Many thanks to Karen Guzman and her offer to be on her blog, Write Despite.
August 25, 2021
Received the release date for Peculiar Activities: October 6, 2021!
August 4, 2021
The proofread copy has been reviewed and forwarded back to the publisher. Next comes the final gallery review and approval, then a hard release date.
July 16, 2021
The proofreading process continues. Waiting for final approval and moving on to the release date. MEJ July 16 Newsletter (mejbooksllc.com)
June 16, 2021
Off to the proofreaders! Waiting and have fingers crossed so we can move forward with a release date. My original goal was September. Maybe that will happen. Microsoft Word – MEJ June 16 Newsletter (mejbooksllc.com)
May 16, 2021
The initial galley phase of editing has been completed and returned. This presents the format that will be shown in the actual book and is the last chance to make corrections in the Microsoft Word environment. The next phase is the PDF galley. Microsoft Word – MEJ May 16 Newsletter (mejbooksllc.com)
April 15, 2021
I received the first round of edits for Peculiar Activities earlier this week. Progress! But much more to be done. Please see the MEJ Newsletter page for the April edition. Microsoft Word – MEJ April 15 Newsletter (mejbooksllc.com)
March 16, 2021
The process moves forward. I am in the early editing phase of my manuscript. I’m looking forward to seeing comments and moving on to the next step, then hoping for a release in late summer or early fall. Please see the MEJ Newsletter page for the March edition. Microsoft Word – MEJ March 21 Newsletter (mejbooksllc.com)
February 17, 2021
I signed a contract with Wild Rose Press for my manuscript titled Peculiar Activities. Very excited. Please see the MEJ Newsletter page for the February edition. Microsoft Word – MEJ February 21 Newsletter (mejbooksllc.com)
January 28, 2021
I’m looking forward to submitting two entries to the 2021 Oklahoma Writers’ Foundation annual writing contest and conference in May 2021. A great bunch of people, and we are crossing our fingers that the conference may once again be an in-person affair. (Update: All virtual this year.)
January 25, 2021
It’s hard to say I’m keeping pace with communications if it’s been four months since providing an update. Holidays, weather, and COVID, COVID, COVID.
I’ve made significant improvements to the Peculiar Activities manuscript and submitted it to a local publisher. More to come later … I hope.
The follow-up novel, Shadowed Souls, is coming along–at least the first draft. Henry Ike Pierce’s adventures continue in Hawaii after Eddie Stone’s destination wedding on Maui.
I’m developing a very rough outline for a prequel to these stories, with an early title of The Macedonian. It looks at two of the characters’ lives many years before Henry Ike Pierce and his friends involve themselves in Prague.
September 30
I finished an edit with Ms. Robyn Conley. She was great to work with, and she found many overlooked errors. Thank you, Robyn. robynconley.com
August 31, 2020
August 23, 2020
An announcement is coming at the end of the month.
February 23, 2020
Two-week class coming up at Francis Tuttle Career Center. Paint the Scene with Words. Each class there has been great.
October 30, 2019
I begin a six-week class tonight at Francis Tuttle Career Center: Revisions Make Your Fiction Compelling. The instructor is Richard Crum who worked for many years for National Geographic. He has a fantastic CV, and I am very excited by the opportunity to learn.
October 4, 2019
I attended the Kansas Writers’ Group conference in Wichita. They are a friendly bunch of people. The seminars offered by author Paul Bishop were very instructive.
September 3, 2019
WriterCon 2019 was fantastic. Bill Bernhardt, the Red Sneakers Center, and Write Well Sell Well organized a fantastic conference. Draft2Digital‘s sponsorship was outstanding.
August 15, 2019
Very much looking forward to WriterCon 2019 over the Labor Day weekend. A significant number of speakers. The conference, site, and app are top-notch. More later.
August 6, 2019
My flash fiction piece, Alone in Warsaw, was selected for publication by Amanda Steel in the UK for the autumn issue of Printed Words.
July 8, 2019
The Oklahoma Writers’ Federation, Inc. selected a flash fiction story I submitted several weeks ago for publication. The Report is published three times a year, and each issue offers two pictures for authors to write a five-hundred-word flash fiction story. I am honored to have my short fiction selected for the Summer 2019 issue.
June 3, 2019
My manuscript for the preliminarily titled Peculiar Activities has been handed off for editing to Ally Robertson (AliciaDean.com), a professional editor and author located in the Oklahoma City area. It is scary and exciting to have your work reviewed and critiqued. Still, receiving professional advice is much easier than drawing unfavorable reviews on Amazon and other sites.
May 6, 2019
The shock has not worn off. I was chosen as the first-place winner in the mystery/suspense category (26) in the annual writing contest sponsored by the Oklahoma Writers’ Federation, Inc. It was exciting to see several friends also win awards. The annual conference in Oklahoma City was May 3-4. The sessions were informative, the conference well organized, and the attendees friendly. It was quite the first-time experience for a wannabe author.
April 2, 2019
Thanks to Nicki Rycroft for her time and effort in reading and offering many great comments/edits for my manuscript. She is multi-talented, and I recommend perusing her website to see her remarkable paintings.
March 4, 2019
I enjoyed reviewing and offering edits to Carolyn Leonard for her latest, soon-to-be-published Every Ten Years. Fascinating information based on the decennial census from 1790-1950. A great read and this would be an excellent addition to any upper-grade classroom.
February 4, 2019
I’m participating in a class called ‘Joy of Writing’ at Francis Tuttle Technology Center offered by Maria Polson Veres. Great class.
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