Cheryl A. Head's Blog, page 2

Time's Undoing Recognition

I'm very, very pleased that my story of a young, journalist's investigation into a black man's death in Jim Crow Alabama is resonating with readers. Based, in part, on a true incident in my family, this imagining of the last days of the journalist's great-grandfather, and her ultimate discovery of the truth, is just a tiny example of the myriad stories of America's social justice history. If one can be proud and humble at the same time, I am. I'm also grateful.

A finalist for the Agatha Award for Best Historical Mystery An Indie Next Pick A Left Coast Crime 2024 Lefty Award Nominee for the Best Historical Mystery A finalist for the LA Times Book Prize, Mystery/Thriller Category

Preorder for the paperback (publishing on February 27, 2024 is available now.

Coming Home

I grew up in Detroit. The east side. It's a thing. But I spent a lot of my young adulthood in an area called the Cultural Center. My alma mater, Wayne State University is in the area, as is the Detroit Institute of Arts with the lovely Diego Rivera mural room, the Charles Wright Museum of African American History, the Detroit Historical Museum, and the main branch of the Detroit Public Library. I spent many mornings preparing news copy as a young reporter in the Maccabees Building--the former home of WDET-FM, public radio. The Cultural Center of Detroit is one of my soul places. That's why I'm so excited to be participating in a book event a the Public Library in early March.

Check here to RSVP for this event on March 2, 2024 @ 2p.m.

https://detroitpubliclibrary.org/events/event/795657231197

There's nothing like Coming Home.

2024 Lefty Award Nominations

I'm proud to announce that Time's Undoing is a nominee for the Lefty Award in the Best Historical Mystery category.

The Lefty is conferred by Left Coast Crime, an annual gathering, on the country's west coast, by fans and authors of crime and mystery fiction. Attendees from the previous and current year are eligible to vote for winners. Held this year in Seattle, WA, the Lefty Award Ceremony will be held on April 3, 2024

Boston Globe

Before 2023 ended, Time's Undoing got another very nice mention in the Boston Globe.

"This small-town Southern crime novel is a penetrating page turner."

Time's Undoing a Novel: A Year in Review

2023. For me, a year to remember with wonder and gratitude.

The year my very personal novel-a fictionalized homage to the life of my grandfather-was released by a Big 5 publisher.

I'd begun writing the story in 2020 fueled by anger over the murder of George Floyd. I completed the manuscript in 2021 and by the end of the year I had a deal with Dutton Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. A shout out to my wonderful agent, Lori Galvin of Aevitas Creative, is very appropriate here. The book would not be published until more than a year after I signed the contract. That's how scheduling is in the mainstream publishing world. The wait was grueling, but there was still work to be done.

For several months my brilliant editor, Lindsey Rose, and I toiled over several rounds of edits. The book cover design began, copyediting was completed, and a publicity and marketing campaign was planned. The publisher sent out ARCs (advance reader copies) to booksellers, librarians, authors and we got blurbs from an amazing array of award-winning, and best-selling writers.

In retrospect, I am so grateful to have had that pre-pub time to process the journey, hone the writing, and prepare for the whirlwind year that was to come.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY

In the weeks before publication, I did a slew of interviews with book reviewers, radio hosts, librarians, bloggers and podcasters, and organized myself for a 5-city book tour. When my publishing day arrived (2.28.23), I was giddy with excitement, and already practiced at talking about Time's Undoing. The New. Now. Next. zeitgeist of book promotion was underway.

My first event was in St. Petersburg, Florida where I have family and friends. Writer, teacher, and publisher extraordinaire, Sheree Greer, displayed her considerable interviewing talents as we chatted and then engaged with a full room of readers (and a number of writers) at Tombolo Books. A couple of family members were in the audience (shout out to Robert and Janet) as well as long-time friends of my 96-year old mother who is a character in Time's Undoing (the story is about the murder of her father in 1929 and the first chapter of the book is set in St. Pete). It was a wonderful day, and place, to launch the book on its official pub date.

MARCH

Then it was back to my hometown, Washington, DC for an event at the venerable indie bookstore, Politics and Prose.

My friend, Karen Tramontano, one of DC's movers and shakers, kindly agreed to interview me. I read a bit from Time's Undoing and followed Karen's lead in the discussion. We had splendid questions from the SRO crowd, and I experienced another awesome book-signing line.

The next day I headed to Brooklyn, NYC where the staff at Books are Magic staged a conversation with Barnard College Professor, author, and friend, Janet Jakobsen who delved deeply into the themes and impact of Time's Undoing. An attentive audience (again with a few family members) asked questions and bought books during that lovely event on a rainy night in Brooklyn. The full interview is available on Youtube, here.

The following week, I was in Houston, Texas for the hospitality of indie bookstore, Kindred Stories. Celebrated writer, and poet, Jennifer Maritza McCauley (left) connected with me and the audience in a marvelous pastiche of questions (poets know how to do that). Experiences Curator, Chanecka Williams (right), was gracious and knowledgeable.

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I also visited with a former colleague of my public broadcasting days who owns a gorgeous art gallery. If you're ever in Houston, I highly recommend the Gite Gallery.

Next stop, two weeks later, was a return to the awesome, Saints and Sinners Literary Festival held in conjunction with the Tennessee Williams Festival in, where else, New Orleans! It was a short visit, but so nice to reconnect with author friends and colleagues, and converse with other writers, including superstar crime-fiction author, S. A. Cosby ( second from right) who provided a stunning blurb for Time's Undoing.

APRIL

I took the train to NYC for a writing/research trip in early April, had a bit of rest and relaxation which included two Broadway shows, and had lunch with my editor and publicist.

I returned to DC just in time for an in-person appearance with the Good Book Book Club, and a comprehensive interview about Time's Undoing with the Detroit Free Press.

There were more podcast interviews the following week. Mid-month I returned to NYC to attend the Edgar Awards (I'd been a judge) and to cheer on the founders of Crime Writers of Color (I'm a proud member) who received the coveted Raven Award conferred by Mystery Writers of America (MWA).

MAY

May included a mix of interviews, podcasts, and a book conference. The Washington Writers Conference is held annually in Bethesda, MD. I introduced Time's Undoing on a panel about historical fiction, and participated in a discussion about why book banning is anathema to a democratic society. The keynote speaker was marvelous historical fiction author, Dolen Perkins (middle) shown here with me, and fellow DC writer, Melanie Hatter.

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I had these bookmarks made especially for this conference, and I now distribute them at every book appearance.

JUNE

It was a treat to be invited to the Maine Crime Wave held in Portland, ME in June. My friend, and talented author, Brenda Buchanan was a gracious host (shout out to Diane), and I got to hang with some very cool writers and readers.

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I was pleased to be invited by my local public radio station, WAMU, and host Michael King, to discuss Time's Undoing for the station's Weekend Edition audience (shout out to Kojo Nnamdi).

I headed back to St. Pete to be the guest of the Florida chapter of Mystery Writers of America. It was a unique, and fun setting: the Shuffleboard Clubhouse. I'd seen the building dozens of times but had never been inside. My conversation partner, JD Allen, and local author, Cheryl Hollon, were terrific hosts.

I closed out June with a reading at Noir @the Bar in the Petworth area of DC, hosted by local writer, and friend, Ed Aymar. These events with a mix of other writers and readers are always a lot of fun.

JULY

In mid July, it was back to Maine for R&R, and a book event at the very beautiful Friend Memorial Library in Brooklin where an enthusiastic room of Mainers listened to me and pal, Brenda Buchanan, talk about our books.

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I signed a lot of copies of Time's Undoing for readers (Thank you Leaf & Ann), we took great photos, and I had the honor and opportunity to chat with some of my favorite people--librarians. God bless them.

AUGUST

I returned from Maine ready for a busy month. First a flight to Birmingham, Alabama for a presentation at the public library. The Birmingham Central Library is featured prominently in the novel. With thanks to Librarian, Weston Flippo (lower right).

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Thank You Books indie bookstore handled book sales. And I had informative conversations with readers who had suggestions about where I might locate the gravesite of my grandfather (sadly we don't know where, or if, he was buried).

I returned to DC in time to be the interlocutor for friend, Naomi Hirahara, at East City Books on Capitol Hill. Naomi was touring with her riveting novel, Evergreen. The bookstore also featured Time's Undoing.

I was back on a plane to Jackson, MS the following week for the humongous Mississippi Book Festival on the grounds of the state capitol.

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Six thousand visitors attend this annual event where the temperatures and enthusiasm is high. I participated in a well-attended panel discussion about historical fiction. I also met up with Oxford, MS friends for a wonderful dinner conversation about the new south (Thank you Charles and Marie). At the end of the month I was off to San Diego for the world's largest gathering of mystery/crime fiction authors and fans.

SEPTEMBER

The event is called Bouchercon, and this year's annual convention at the Marriott Marquis took place over the Labor Day weekend. I participated in two programs to chat about Time's Undoing with mystery fans. Two weeks later, at the Literary Hill Book Festival in DC's Capitol Hill neighborhood, I met readers, sold and signed books, and chatted about the identity themes in Time's Undoing.

With another virtual book club appearance in between (thank you African American Community of Heritage Harbor), I traveled to Lewes, Delaware for the outstanding History Book Festival (HBF). In an SRO gathering in the Lewes History Museum, I chatted with Professor, Adenike Davidson, about Time's Undoing and fielded questions from a rapt audience. The signing line at HBF blew my mind (hats off to bookseller, Browseabout Books). Award-winning author, and friend, Sujata Massey (center), purchased a copy (do yourself a favor and check out Sujata's Perveen Mistry historical fiction series). Special shout outs to my volunteer wrangler, Jackie Lawson, who kept me on track, and on time, and to my pals from Virginia, DC and Wilmington (right) who traveled to Lewes to support me.

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OCTOBER

I was grateful to have a couple of weeks to write in October. In mid month, I traveled to Nashville, Tennessee for the Southern Festival of Books. This was another outdoor book event in the city's beautiful Bicentennial Capitol Mall Park. I joined with best-selling authors, Sadeqa Johnson and Etaf Rum, for a very special conversation about women protagonists in an auditorium filled with nearly two-hundred readers.

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The day before the festival I had dinner with a joyous group of Nashville-area women, members of the Clean Plate Book Club who had all read Time's Undoing, and cheered for it every time it appeared on the screen at the gorgeous Country Music Hall of Fame building.

I ended October with a conversation about Time's Undoing with gifted interviewer, and author, Sara DiVello for a Murder by the Book event. Murder By the Book is an indie bookstore in Houston specializing in murder/crime fiction titles. They do so many events for our community, and I do admire them.

NOVEMBER

Are you tired yet? I am. November is the month for giving thanks. And I was thankful to be invited to the Midwest Mystery Conference in Chicago to join a panel chat about historical fiction novels. I also had the honor of being a lunch speaker for the Chicago chapter of Sisters in Crime. I was very ably interviewed by the chapter president, Jen Collins Moore, in this sold out event.

Then, back to DC for another book club appearance--a virtual gathering. The African American Literary Guild has been reading and discussing books for 25 years. So I was excited to meet with such a devoted group of readers. They grilled me about Time's Undoing for forty minutes. It was an exhilarating conversation. They read the novel deeply. And gave both praise, and constructive criticism. I took it all in. A few days later organizer, Regina Romero, delivered a rum cake as a thank you. Needless to say, that book club immediately became my favorite.

DECEMBER

2023 is winding down and I'm refreshed, grateful, and working on the next book. The paperback of Time's Undoing will be released in late February 2024 and I'll be heading to Detroit in early March to discuss it at Detroit's Main Public Library. It will be a homecoming.

The library is located in my old stomping grounds. A 2-mile square area known as the Cultural Center where I was an undergraduate on the campus of Wayne State University; where I had my first public broadcasting job as a radio news reader; and where I held my first TV job at the public television station.

In those days I was a young writer, but I always dreamed of being an author-someone who wrote stories that might not otherwise be told. So, I'll celebrate the Time's Undoing paperback release in Detroit. Back to my past, and on to the future.

Special Thanks:

Lori Galvin, Lindsey Rose, Sarah Thegeby, Nicole Jarvis, Amanda Walker, Dutton Books, the Penguin Random House copyediting, design, and audiobooks team. Kellye Garrett, Yasmin Angoe, S. A. Cosby, Tracy Clark, Alex Segura, Abby Collette, Wanda Morris, Kristin Harmel, Kate Quinn, Jo Piazza and Christine Pride, Fiona Davis, Naomi Hirahara, and Eleanor Shearer for the generous book blurbs. Donna Seaman, BookList, Molly Odintz, CrimeReads, Oline Cogdill, Florida Sun Sentinel, Bolo Books, Kristopher Zgorski, Colette Bancroft, Dru Ann Love, Library Journal, Pam Stack, Carole Bell, Carol Ann Tack, Robert Justice, Michael King, Susan Larsen, Maine Public Radio, WAMU, Bethanne Patrick, Jenny Yacovisi, Paul Willis, Weston Flippo, Lori Radar-Day, Brenda Buchanan, Diane Kenty, Catherine Maiorisi, the Atlantic, Oprah Daily, Detroit Free Press, Tampa Bay Times, NPR, Alabama Public Radio, Criminal Element, Deep South Magazine, Writers Writing, Paul Willis, Julie Hinds, Shiloh Eaton, Crime Writers of Color, Sisters in Crime, Bouchercon 2023, and Mystery Writers of America. Saints and Sinners Literary Festival/Tennessee Williams Festival, Washington Writers Conference, History Book Festival, Southern Festival of Books, Mississippi Book Festival, and Literary Hill Book Fest. Tombolo Books, Politics and Prose, East City Books, Kindred Reads, Thank You Books, Browseabout Books, Murder by the Book, Books are Magic, and Leaf & Anna. Sheree Greer, Karen Tramontano, Janet Jakobsen, Jennifer Maritza McCauley, and Adenike Davidson. Robert Rankin, Janet Rankin, Denise Alston, Doris Garner, Regina Romero, Sadeqa Johnson, Sherry Harris, Delia Pitts, Jan Gilbert, Kevin McCaffrey, Charles Warren, Marie Antoon, Sally Painter, Debra McDowell, Pearline Waldrop, AJ Head, Arli Christian, Kaare Christian, Robin Raskin, and last, but most importantly, Teresa Rankin.

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving is absolutely my favorite holiday. I love the cooking, the gathering of family and friends, the Macy's Thanksgiving parade. I'll even watch a bit of football. Thanksgiving is the beginning of a season that focuses on the things that should matter most. Gratitude. Family-both born and found. Friendship and goodwill. Peace on earth.

I recall the traditions and memories of my family: the gift buying, planning of events, the sharing of food, the excitement of purchasing a Christmas tree, Holiday music. Lots of music. Even today, the songs of the season transport me back to my childhood in Detroit. One new tradition I'm adopting is to pay homage to those we have lost.

During the Holidays is when I would most often hear my grandmother and mother speak of my grandfather. He was 28-years-old when he died, in 1929, at the hands of one or more Birmingham, Alabama police officers. The news report about his death says he was resisting arrest. Think about what resisting arrest might entail for a young, Black man with a light-skinned, pregnant wife, and two-year-old daughter living in one of the south's most racist Jim Crow cities. Simply daring to talk back to a member of the Klan-infiltrated police department of 1929 Birmingham could get a Black person beaten, or killed.

I thought dozens of times about writing the story of my grandfather's death. But in 2020, following the murder of George Floyd, I found the purpose to write about Robert Harrington's life, and death, in a novel published this year called Time's Undoing.

Long before the civil rights movement brought wide attention to the inequality toward Black people living in America's segregated South, Black men, women and children managed to build lives of love, productivity and joy in one of the most oppressive eras in our country's history.

Time's Undoing is a novel about an average black man who had pride in his work, cared for his family, and met his demise just because of the color of his skin. I know my grandfather's journey is emblematic of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of other accounts of racial intolerance and violence against U.S. Black citizens in the twentieth century.

I am grateful for the opportunity to share this fictionalized story with readers. For those of you who have bought, enjoyed, reviewed and contacted me about Time's Undoing, let me take this week of Thanksgiving to offer my gratitude for your support and caring.

Southern Hospitality Meets Southern Literary

I had an amazing time at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville in late October. I participated in two events: an Authors-in-the-Round dinner, and a panel discussion with two, wonderful NYT-Best Seller authors: Sadeqa Johnson (who was a fellow writer in the Hurston-Wright Writers' Week at Howard University) and Palestinian-American writer, Etaf Rum.

I met, and had dinner with the very warm women of the "Clean Plate Book Club" on Friday evening where Time's Undoing was one of the books in the spotlight. The next afternoon, a robust audience of book lovers attended a very stimulating conversation about women characters, family legacy novels, and the opportunity reading gives us to understand a world beyond our everyday lives.

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Thank you to the organizers and volunteers of the Festival, thanks to Sadeqa and Etaf, and thank you for your hospitality, Nashville.

Fall Book Travel

Two more trips on the calendar. Then just writing and R & R through 2023. It's been a very good year. I feel blessed!!

What a Difference a Positive Book Review Can Make

Authors always love to receive positive editorial reviews. I received more than a handful of really wonderful reviews for Time's Undoing from a variety of sources: Sun Sentinel, Tampa Bay Times, Library Journal, Detroit Free Press, The Atlantic, Oprah Daily, Bolo Books, Southern Bookseller Review, Criminal Element, NPR, and a dozen or more indie bookstores. But a good review from a reader? Well, that's what really makes a connection.

I'm always grateful when a reader likes my book. It's fire to the soul. I've also learned to shake off the not-so-good reviews, because not everyone has the same sensibilities or taste about creative work. So, what do you do but write the next book!

Every once in a while a wonderful review will not only bring gratitude, but will humble me. The review at this link is one of them.

"Time’s Undoing is proof that these stories must be told no matter how much pain they may bring because there is healing, release, and liberty in the telling."

It is such a leap of faith to believe that the words you commit in purpose of a story will have resonance with another. But it is always what writers do. We don't always have the same goals in our storytelling, but we all hope there will be at least one reader who will share our zeal for the story being told. Who gets it! My thanks to Audra (reader, podcaster, author).

"I am not one to cry when a book moves me. Instead, my spirit experiences a stillness that I can only assume is the deep satisfaction of reading a beautiful story."

And, to all the other readers who have read, and loved or liked, Time's Undoing and have taken the time to said so. My deepest thanks.

Book Doings

Let me start with this. I'm way behind in my writing.

It's been a busy September/October in my writers life. After Bouchercon (where I was elected as Chair of the Board), I was able to have a bit of R&R at a retreat with the writing group I belong to called: Writers Writing. It was a 2-day focus on writing, reading, critiquing and encouraging our individual and collective work. We also took time to share a few meals, play games, do some yoga, and we ended up dancing. Yaay. It was the fellowship and sisterhood energy I needed to regain my creative focus. A pic, below, of the dynamic women and writers who are my valued beta readers:

A week later, I was a panelist with another dynamic group of women writers for a discussion sponsored by the GCLS called Color Between the Lives about the current status of Women of Color Sapphic Literature and what publishers can do to increase their offerings available to their readers.

The next day, I attended the Literary Hill Fest in DC's Capitol Hill neighborhood at the Eastern Market, where readers, writers, shoppers and families indulged in our love of books. I was included in a panel about Claiming Identity to talk about some of the family dynamics of Time's Undoing, and I spoke to, and signed books for a very nice crowd of interested readers.

At the end of September, I headed to beautiful Lewes, Delaware where I was invited to participate in the History Book Festival. What a wonderful event that is! Held in the cultural area of this small, historic city near Rehoboth Beach, the Festival is exceptionally organized. There were author panels, author presentations, and lots of opportunity to interact with

readers. I was interviewed by the amazing, Professor, Adenike Davidson of Delaware State University (Adenike is also the Chair of the Delaware Humanities Commission) and signed lots and lots of books.

Oh, and during the month I read a fabulous new book by an author friend, did a virtual book club chat with a group in Annapolis, MD., and managed a slew of Bouchercon business. Check out Bouchercon if you don't know about it.

https://www.bouchercon.com/

October is off to a good start with upcoming events at the Southern Festival of Books in mid-October in Nashville, TN.

Followed by a town hall discussion on Writing Complex LGBTQ Characters for the International Thriller Writers (ITW) on Sunday, October 22 with fellow panelists, friends and award-winning writers: Margot Douaihy, Robyn Gigl, Laurie R. King, Lev AC Rosen and John Copenhaver.

This is a FREE webinar, and I hope you can join us!

More info to come on these wonderful October events.

Meanwhile, did I say I was behind in my writing. Please send good vibes!