D.L. Havlin's Blog, page 2

FAPA PRESIDENT’S AWARDS FINALIST

Congratulations to our Finalists!
DL Havlin
The Grave With Greener Grass

You have been selected to receive a medal as one of our finalists in the Florida Authors and Publishers Association’s Annual President’s Book Awards. This is a remarkable accomplishment and is a testament to their skill and talent as an author.

We will be announcing the final places and presenting gold, silver, and bronze medals at the 2023 FAPA President’s Book Award Ceremony, which will be held on Saturday, August 5, 2023 in conjunction with our annual conference, FAPACon 2023.
Now available on Amazon https://amzn.to/3sSz8X8

A few thoughts about “Memorial Day”

I was watching a national TV news program two nights ago. It was a channel I normally watch. The volume of inflammatory rhetoric got to the point I flipped the channel … Guess what … I got more of the same. After repeating the process several more times, I decided I’d go to a local channel to avoid the garbage. Oh, contraire … I was still in the truck, bouncing my way to the landfill.

At that moment, an advertisement for a car dealership came on. It was a relief from what had been insulting my eyes and ears moments before. You know … what falls on the barn floor. The man mentioned his stupendous, unbelievable, special would be available to his customers through Memorial Day.

Memorial Day! A day to honor all those who fought to provide us with the freedoms and lives we enjoy daily. I wondered … what would those who fought … bled … and died think about the two sides in this country trying their best to destroy all that those brave men and women fought to preserve?

I understand one of those rights is the freedom of expression. I also understand abusing a right is a sure way to lose it. In my opinion, today’s’ media sources … both sides … are so corrupt they are valueless. Happily or unhappily, this is an opinion shared by … in excess of 80% of our citizenry … not just me. Watching, listening, and reading the filth makes me disgusted and angry. It is an affront to those who fought and died for this country.

Criticizing, moaning … those things do no good. I want to do something. So … I’m going to ask that for one week … the Memorial Day week … the media return their manure to the cesspool. Eliminate all opinion of ANY KIND! One week! Just, one little week.

I’m going to send my request to as many national and local media as I can. TV … radio … newspapers … magazines … anywhere I see the stench of agenda over substance. Will it do any good … I don’t know. I do know my conscience will have some comfort. At least I’ve tried to do something to end the madness.

It might help … how sweet. It might … if I can get people to join me. If you agree … join me in sending this message.

I’m sick of it!

Both sides!

Stop indoctrinating and return to informing.

For the Memorial Day week, put your agenda aside.

Don’t broadcast or print opinion for those 7 days.

For one week, stop waging war on this country and its people.

If you decide to send this message, encourage others to do the same. The more voices that make noise, the harder it is to ignore for those who cavalierly go about destroying this country.

DL Havlin

Please visit my new blog site www.DLHavlin.wordpress.com .

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Back to work!

Brandi, my 80 pound lap-dog.

It has been a long time between posts. There are reasons we all have for ‘not getting to it.’ Some of mine are reasonable…some just fluff. I hoping to get back into the posting routine by easing into it. My human has been busy with all sorts of things. Some are good, like books he’s written and is promoting. Some are items revolving around his health and Ian the hurricane that visited last September. I have some pictures to tell those stories.

DL with a lady buying his new historical mystery, “The Grave with Greener Grass.”

DL at Seven Lakes Country Club doing a historical presentation

 

The Geezer and Mrs. G are still struggling with the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. It certainly has caused sleepless nights, headaches, heartaches, and problem after problem to solve. However, when we see the terrible destruction caused by the storm to our friends and neighbors, we feel so blessed.

Damage to the house; it removed all the railing.

What our friends and neighbors experienced!

We do have a new addition. Tucker! Mrs. G rescued him from being a meal for an osprey. He was tiny when she scooped him up, but the rascal is growing like a weed. He is about to drive me and the Geezer crazy.

Tucker, our new addition.

Good Luck until next post! Hope to be back soon.

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Out & About: 2/16/23

Catching up! The Grave with Greener Grass goes into high gear!

It’s been over a month since my previous post. I’ve been that busy. With excellent reviews and lots of promotional events, I’ve been derelict in my blog postings. I’ll let pictures catch you up on my travels in the past 45 days!  

It’s Christmas in August at the Venice FL Community Center.

 

The Venice event was well attended.

 

Getting ready for the Mt Mitchell festival in Burnsville, NC.

 

Festival goers at the Mt. Mitchell.

 

“Tell me about The Grave with Greener Grass”….we heard that a lot.

 

Reuniting with old friends!

 

On to the Sourwood Festival in Black Mountain NC (near Asheville)

 

Buying books at the Sourwood Festival…

 

Buying more books in Black Mountain…that’s a good thing!

 

Doing an open-air book signing for The Grave with Greener Grass in Hilton Head,, SC … At the great bookstore…By hand Ink…

I’m in the process of planning a 24 bookstore tour through the state of Florida. As soon as its firm I’ll post it here. I’m looking forward to seeing you then.

 

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See you in North Carolina!

Mt. Mitchell Craft Fair – a tradition in Yancy County.

It’s time to mix some business with pleasure. The Grave with Greener Grass is officially released from TouchPoint Press on August 2nd. To help kick off the book’s publication, I’ll be in the North Carolina on a promo tour. The Mt. Mitchell Craft Festival held in Burnsville and the Sourwood Festival located in Black Mountain are great places to do this. These festivals attract people from all over the region and country. The added benefit of spending time away from Florida’s punishing heat and humidity is certainly a bonus. I love my state but…… 

A view of Burnsville’s town square. It features a statue of Otway Burns who the town is named for.

Burnsville is a quaint mountain village established by John Bailey in 1834. At 2800 feet elevation it provides a cooler environment in hot summer months. It offers things from great mountain hikes, and local heritage opportunities to trout fishing in nearby streams. Most of all it offers a less frantic, more friendly mode of living. I’ve had the privilege of visiting numerous times; a good friend and his family are longtime residents. This year the annual Mt. Mitchell Craft Festival will be held August 5 & 6 in downtown Burnsville. I’ll be in booth 60. I’ll also have September on Echo Creek available, one of my first published novels that is set in Burnsville. Come see me.

I’ll spend a week in the mountains between events…this is a view of Black Mountain.

After a week of relaxing J and I will travel to the Sourwood Festival. It’s located in the town of Black Mountain a few miles east of Asheville. The Sourwood festival is second to none in size hospitality and pure fun. My booth is on Cherry Street, number 32. It is located close to the one of the stages. This one is for acoustical music, dare I say Blue Grass, one of my favorites! I’ll be there Saturday the 13th and Sunday the 14th. If you’re a night creature, the festival stays open until 9 PM on Saturday.

This is a BIG festival & covers most of the town!

People shopping at one of the many wonderful vendor booths.

I’ve prepared a special historical board exhibit that features the early history of the area. It will be on display both places. Would you believe the Spanish tried to establish colonies in the area four decades before Jamestown was founded? Come see J and I! We’ll be looking for fans and friends.

 

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Bmmm…Bmmm…Bmmm…Sharkcon approaches!

People learning and having fun at Sharkcon. I’ll be there!

Who hasn’t seen “Jaws?” The ominous music that marks the appearance of the super predator can’t be forgotten. Sharks are in the news currently. Unfortunately, when humans venture into the shark’s domain the results aren’t always so nice. These tigers of the sea fascinate us and create the ultimate fear; that of being eaten! Though a few unfortunate individual humans are attacked each year, most cases are mistaken identity. Sharks don’t have us listed on their menus as a New York Strip. Humans create far more carnage among the shark population than vice versa.If you have the desire to learn more about these survivors from eons of time in the past (far before humans stood upright) a great opportunity exists for Florida residents. Sharkcon will be held this Saturday and Sunday at the State Fair Grounds in Tampa. Everything you want to know about these finned eating machines will be on display. One of the features will be a special showing of Jaws II and a Q & A session with some of the cast members. The fair grounds are located near I-4 on the eastern extremity of Tampa. Visit the Sharkcon webpage for complete details. Come out…it’s great fun!

One of the exhibits at Sharkcon is the Megalodon, the ancient ancestor of the present-day shark

I’ll be there! Along with over 600 other exhibitors, I’ll have a booth (#624) displaying my books that feature history and mystery. Among the books on display will be Blue Water, Red Blood and The Grave with Greener Grass. Blue Water, Red Blood retells the story of the development of the landing craft used by our US Marines in the Pacific during WWII. It’s a Florida story few know about. The Grave with Greener Grass is my brand-new historical novel published by TouchPoint Press. It captures the mystique of Florida’s cattle days, a Holmesian set of cryptic clues, and the knowledge of a pioneer farming trick to find The Grave with Greener Grass.

My newest mystery! The Grave with Greener Grass ….The 1st of a 3book series by TouchPoint Press

The fascinating story of Florida’s accidental contribution to winning WWII is told in Blue Water, Red Blood

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See you at Sharkcon!

 

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Christmas in July…sweat instead of snow

It is good to see some of the older established events come back after Covid

Christmas in July…what a concept. That’s not snowflakes dampening the ground, it’s droplets of perspiration. Loading our vehicle in 95-degree temperatures creates that. But as the love of my life says, “If it heralds the return to normalcy, so be it.” She and I are smiling. The specter of canceled events fades, and the return of shows and festivals has arrived. One example: The Venice, Florida, Christmas in July Arts & Craft event is back. Held at the Venice Community Center (326 S Nokomis Ave.) it has been a traditional summer event for years. The two of us will be there from 10 until 3 tomorrow, Saturday, the 9th.

Venice Community Center

I’ll be introducing The Grave with Greener Grass my new TouchPoint Press novel and featuring the Oak Ridge Boys mystery anthology Christmas Cookies Mysteries in which my short story, Aunt Elvira’s Jewels is featured. I hope to see you all there!

The Nuwray Inn – Burnsville, NC. My booth 60 will be right around the corner the first weekend in August. Ah! The cool mountains!

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The ads that appear below at times are not approved by me and any political ads particularly in this time of division should be considered what they are ……. TRASH!

Tradition & Loyalty…both very important…

At the Matlacha Menagerie, in the warm Florida outdoors. Happy to be with my “fan base” in the early 2000s

Tradition and loyalty, I believe in both.The official release date of my newest novel, The Grass with Greener Grass, is drawing close. TouchPoint Press set the date as August 2nd. The historically based mystery features the star of my new “Finder” series. His name is Slydell “Sly” Harrell. Sly is a rednecked-light Sherlock Holmes with a background in industrial espionage and as an investigative agent for the DOJ. The first three books in the series are written and in TouchPoint’s hands. I have eleven followup episodes in the series. Anyone who enjoys history, particularly Florida history, will love this book. It revolves around Florida’s cattle era when fortunes were amassed by participants. Visit  http://www.dlhavlin.com  to learn more about this book. The feedback from ‘first readers’ is great! Now, about that tradition and loyalty thing. Everybody starts somewhere and I see one of my crucial starting points as having my book introduction at a unique gift store. Its name is Matlacha Menagerie. The owners Linda Kay and Larry Solinger have become great friends as well as the first to say, “I want to keep all your books here all the time.” That was fifteen plus years ago. I told them I would always premier my newest book at their store. It’s become a tradition and a loyalty that extends both ways.The Grave with Greener Grass will get its official ‘birth’ this Saturday, July 2nd at the Menagerie. I’ll be chatting and signing from 10 AM until 3 PM. The address is 4604 SW Pine Island Road, Matlacha, FL.

Matlacha Menagerie today — 2022. I’ll be out front under a tent Saturday — come see me.

Something else that will be brand new! Look for my announcement this weekend. Starting the first week in July I’ll doing a podcast that highlights history!

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Back to normal…What will it take?

People huddling at “History Corner.” People – People are longing for a return to “normal”  

It seems like an eternity since we could keep a “regular schedule.” One that wasn’t interrupted by Covid. One that wasn’t interrupted by the fear or threat of violence. As I talk to folks that stop at my booths or attend book signings, it is one of the two most discussed topics. (Inflation is #1) This weariness is universal. Even people that are at the opposite ends of the political spectrum agree, though grudgingly, they are sick of the worrying about where it’s safe to go. They are close to being as frustrated by cancellations of events.One event coordinator expressed her frustration. I’ll quote her…”I’m sorry to call you at the last minute, but we’ve called the event off. Honestly, we didn’t know what to do. Everything was fine until three days ago. Then we got an alert (city name) manager’s office. It read, due to a new rise in Covid cases cancel all functions and events through (blank). I called the department that should take responsibility and they didn’t know anything about it. The event was back on. Then I got a call telling me it was off. Then a call it was on. Then a call they’d call me back. They haven’t. I have to cancel.” Oh well!What will it take? My formula would be to face the reality that Covid is a fact of life, like polio or the flu that isn’t going away. Each of us have to be responsible to make our own decisions. YOU make the decision of what precautions to take, where to go, etc. EVENT organizers need to make a decision and not look back. Let’s face another fact we have a government that has no compass or moral judgement. We can’t count on it.You can check on what my schedule is by going to my webpage  http://www.dlhavlin.com  and click on my calendar on the tool bar. Be sure you check before you come to an event to be sure its going to happen. For private (not available to the public) book clubs and other organizations, you’ll have to check with your event coordinator. These aren’t posted for obvious reasons. For those of you looking for a schedule for book signings at Florida book stores for The Grave with Greener Grass, I’ll relay it as soon as I finish coordinating it with my publisher. Please be patient, I’m sure it will be soon.

A great “Christmas in July” put away!

My newest mystery! The Grave with Greener Grass ….The 1st of a 3 book series by TouchPoint Press

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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