Michael Stephen Daigle's Blog, page 2

White dress and peace

When the ocean rose

they danced mad in the flood.

When the wind took the trees

They crawled up the broken branches and howled.

When the mountains fell

they kicked at the rubble.

They put their ear to the sea and heard the silence  

Because the  blue whales sing no more.

She stands with you

The white dress stained with blood of the troubled world

When the marching boots grow loud.

Stands with  you

Says time is change

Some topsy-turvy leap

Through reason and pain

To the moment.

Fingers

Lips

Rise.

Breath

Touch

Peace.

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White dress sorrow

In a world of preaching

In a world of scorn

She whispers.

In a world of war

In a world of darkness

She offers.

In a world of crying

A world of screams

She sings.

In a world of sorrow

She knows.

Sits in sunlight

White dress wrapped in her arms at her knees

Eyes dark, because that’s where her pain settles;

That thing you left behind

And not have come back to claim.

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The Ironton, N.J. conspiracy

We live in a world where that are as many conspiracies as breakfast cereals.

The five-book, award-winning Frank Nagler Mysteries  are no exception.

A sneaky, back-room conspiracy is introduced in the first book in the series,  THE SWAMPS OF JERSEY, when the former mayor of Ironton, N.J., powerbroker Howard Newton brags to reporter Jimmy Dawson about its existence.

The conspiracy simmers through the other three books in the series–A GAME CALLED DEAD, THE WEIGHT IF LIVING and THE RED HAND–until breaking into the open in the latest book,  DRAGONY RISING, by blowing up part of downtown Ironton.

The Scene from  THE SWAMPS OF JERSEY:

“You’re surprised, Jimmy,” Howard Newton said. “You always seem surprised; as long as I’ve known you. Need to stop being surprised; it’ll clear up your vision. Sometimes what seems to be really crooked, is actually pretty straight. Look at it from a different direction.”

Dawson thought, am I?

QR code for THE SWAMPS OF JERSEY

Newton gazed over the lawn.
“I know you think I’m a crook,”  he said.  “Go back and look what I’ve done. I helped people. Their sons needed jobs, the daughters needed to get into the county college but her grades weren’t so hot. So I helped.” ….

“So they set up an alternative way of doing business,  because, hell,  they had no money, but mostly they knew they could not trust the mill owners or the bosses or the bankers, the landlords  or anyone who had control over their lives. So we all did favors, and some of the favors got big.”

The old man stood up and put his hands in his pants pockets.

“Did that make us corrupt? Don’t think so. Made us traders. Trade something, get a little extra for it when you trade it again. It was all so small time. But you know what? People didn’t lose their homes to the banks. If they got behind somehow it was made right. And when they got hurt on the job and the factory boss threw them out, their kids got fed , the house got fixed. Then they did a little work for you. Look at that flood last week. Those people will be paying off those repairs  for years because the insurance companies who sold them home insurance didn’t tell them that it didn’t cover  water damage. What the fuck did they think a flood was anyway?”

Newton stood and walked to the edge of the patio. “The crooks are wearing the suits, Jimmy. Twisting the law into  knots to justify anything they want. The guys with three cells phones and nine hundred dollar suits. Listen to them. They sell so much bullshit, they forget who they sold it to.”

IN DRAGONY RISING, the conspiracy is discovered:

Ramirez read the title: “‘An ordinance to reform the duties of the city council of Ironton, New Jersey.’ Reform how?”

“By taking away their statutory rights to power and making them an advisory council,” Lauren said, taking the papers from Ramirez. “Um, here, see?”

She read, “‘The council shall with this act rescind all powers of appointment, financial oversight, and legislative authority; with such powers being transferred to the mayor, whose term limits are hereby suspended, per Article 256-2006.’ That means that Bill Weston is about to become mayor for life.”

QR code for DRAGONY RISING

“What about elections?” he asked.

“Suspended,” Lauren said. “Let me see,” and she shuffled the papers. “Here. “‘Public elections may be suspended under the emergency powers granted under Article 256-2006.’”

“What emergency?” Ramirez asked.

“The assassination of the mayor,” Nagler said. “Holy Mother of God.”

“They put this in motion in 2006, Frank. That meeting was not a drug deal but a coup,” Lauren said.

The Frank Nagler Mysteries are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Ingram Spark, and at these bookstores:

Book & Puppet, Easton, Pa., and the Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop, Mechanicsburg, Pa.

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White dress and the unspoken thing

The moment she is bold,

The instant the world shifts.

and she turns; you must

join the unspoken thing.

Roses, daisies

Iris, sunflowers,

Crocus, daffodils.

White dress buttons finger stained pollen streaks.

Blueberries, strawberries, cherries ripe

Juice fills her open palm;

Tongue licks the flavored skin;

Shared.

Tulips open, drenched in dew.

Sunlight captured in golden hair;

Time captured in a sigh

The moment she is.

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White dress renewed

Sun dusts her shoulders

Sand on her feet

She welcomes the Atlantic  dawn

Takes in the world

And smiles at the secret.

Arms spread, head back

She absorbs the light,

Inhales the moment

That instant of being

That she gives to you with a touch

The challenge of a kiss;

The thing she shares

And has always known

Renewed.

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The Frank Nagler Mysteries

The books are:

THE SWAMPS OF JERSEY: Frank Nagler is called to the Old Iron Bog where the body of a young woman was found after a weeklong tropical storm flooded the City of Ironton. A gold ring suggests that Nagler’s estranged girlfriend Lauren Fox might be a victim in this sprawling, disturbing case.

This story also introduces the framework of a conspiracy  that the hides in all the stories then bursts to life in Book 5, “Dragony Rising.”

A GAME CALLED DEAD: The story introduces #Armageddon, a self-styled Internet terrorist who transforms an old-style video game into a real-life game that threatens the lives of students at the New Jersey State College of Ironton, the friends of Detective Frank Nagler, and Nagler himself. The story is structured like a game, with rules that change and spin-on-a-dime twists.

“A Game Called Dead” was named a Runner-Up in the Shelf Unbound 2016 Best Indie Book contest.

THE WEIGHT OF LIVING: Who is this young girl found standing in a Dumpster in a cold night wearing summer clothes? Finding the answer to that question leads Detective Frank Nagler down a dark path to deeply hidden secret held by a family, the revelation of which hatches modern threats. A reviewer said:  “The narrative is a stunning and engrossing meditation of grief and survival.”

“The Weight  of Living” was awarded First Place for Mysteries  in the 2017 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards; Named a Notable Indie in the 2018 Shelf Unbound Book Awards;  Named a Distinguished Favorite, 2018 Independent Press Awards; Named a Distinguished Favorite in the 2018 Big NYC Book Contest. Named a Finalist in the 2019 Book Excellence Awards; Named A Gold Star Award winner in the 2020 Elite Choice Book Awards; Named a Book Award Winner in 2021 by Maincraft Media Fiction Book Awards.

THE RED HAND:  This is the prequel to the Frank Nagler series. He’s a rookie detective assigned to the most serious case of murder in the history of the City of Ironton.  Nine women are dead, their deaths spread over months, some with few clues. This is also the story of Martha, Nagler’s wife, whose illness hangs over every action taken by the young detective. The book weaves terror and grief in equal measure.

“The Red Hand” was named a Distinguished Favorite in the 2019 Big NYC Book Contest; Named Second Place winner for mysteries in the 2019 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards; Named a Notable 100 Book in the 2019 Shelf Unbound Indie Book Awards; Named a Distinguished Favorite  in the 2020 Independent Press Awards;A Nominee in the 2020 TopShelf Book Awards; Named A Gold Star Award winner in the 2020 Elite Choice Book Awards.

DRAGONY RISING:  The explosion that levels two blocks of downtown Ironton, N.J. is not the worst thing that Detective Frank Nagler investigates in this thrilling, wide-ranging and  challenging story.  The story introduced the Dragony, a sinister, shadow bunch of thugs whose beginnings range back to the mining days of Ironton and whose founders had issues with Nagler’s family back then, even as modern members challenge Nagler in their own times.

Dragony Rising was awarded First Place  for Mysteries in the 2022 Royal Dragonyfly Book Awards; named a Notable 100 Indie Book in the 2022 Shelf Unbound Indie Book Awards; A Distingished Favorite in the 2023 Independent Press Awards; A Distinguished Favorite in the  2023 Big NYC Book Awards.

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What we do

We take  that right turn down the puddled  overgrown road, one car wide with hanging branches we have to duck that even when we do scrape along the roof like a past that never fades to pull into the barbeque shack that looks like it fell down yesterday to have the  ribs drip off the bone as you wrap your tongue around the juice slipping down your chin to your finger which you give to me to lick.

We cut to the hayfield edge when the vines emerge and pull fat, dimpled blackberries off the prickled stalks, fingers stained and bloody, tasting  all the same, stains at your hips as you remember a day you came home as a kid with the white dress purple blotted with a pocket filled with crushed berries that you stuffed into your mouth because they wouldn’t make it to the muffin dough.

Marched, hands held high with a million others, sang, yelled, cursed, demanded freedom and  love; danced to the edge and beyond, stepped through the fog of hate, pushed past darkness to light to declare as one this what we do. Celebrate all the differences.

Sat on a ledge facing fading sunlight to see your face blush with all the youth and years between, to see the lines at your eyes are the knowledge of time that deepens the smile that  slides across your face; filled to know that age has made you more beautiful.

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Peace and the white dress

Peace is loud, climactic,

Filled with songs and shouts

And screams of joy; a rhythm of touch.

Hands  clasped, widespread.

Smiles like prayers;

Words of thanks yelled

To drown the moan of war.

She will dance with you,

She in the white dress

To  waltzes whispered,

Troubling  tangos

Body slamming la bambas

Dance, foot slamming and jumping

Till the marching boots stop

Till the weapons’ grinding fades

Till the sterile madness of war

Becomes  cracking, wet, open

Dripping love;

Explored till words and tongues taste the world.

And she in the white dress smiles, eyes glowing.

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Passaic County Book Fest June 14 — cancelled by rain

Organizers said Friday June13 the event is cancelled because of rain.

I’ll be one of  70 authors at the Passaic County Book Festival on Saturday, June 14.

The event runs  from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Weasel Brook Park, Clifton.

I’m looking forward to this event.

I attended two well-run  BookNJ events run  by the Passaic County Library in 2015

and 2017.

I’ll have copies of my 5-book, NJ-based Frank Nagler mysteries on hand.

Kirkus Reviews  called Nagler,  “One of modern fiction’s expertly drawn detectives.”

The Nagler mysteries at the Book& Puppet, Easton, Pa. and Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop, Mechanicsburg, Pa.

The Passaic County Book Festival will be an all-day event, featuring local authors, scholars, and poets across every genre. The event is a county-wide event that aims to promote and bring awareness to the arts and community through exchanging ideas, encouragement of continued research and creative expression, and the promotion of your local libraries. The County is partnered with PALS Plus to bring lectures, programs, and activities for all ages, centered around the written word.

#passaiccountybookfestival #pcbookfestival #pcbf #pcbf2025 #palsplus #seepassaiccounty #RichHistoryBrightFuture #books #booklovers #cliftonnj #tourism #palsplus #palspluslibraries #librariesconnectingcommunities 

The post Passaic County Book Fest June 14 — cancelled by rain appeared first on Michael Stephen Daigle.

Join us at the Passaic County Book Festival, June 14

I’ll be one of  70 authors at the Passaic County Book Festival on Saturday, June 14.

The event runs  from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Weasel Brook Park, Clifton.

I’m looking forward to this event.

I attended two well-run  BookNJ events run  by the Passaic County Library in 2015

and 2017.

I’ll have copies of my 5-book, NJ-based Frank Nagler mysteries on hand.

Kirkus Reviews  called Nagler,  “One of modern fiction’s expertly drawn detectives.”

The Nagler mysteries at the Book& Puppet, Easton, Pa. and Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop, Mechanicsburg, Pa.

The Passaic County Book Festival will be an all-day event, featuring local authors, scholars, and poets across every genre. The event is a county-wide event that aims to promote and bring awareness to the arts and community through exchanging ideas, encouragement of continued research and creative expression, and the promotion of your local libraries. The County is partnered with PALS Plus to bring lectures, programs, and activities for all ages, centered around the written word.

#passaiccountybookfestival #pcbookfestival #pcbf #pcbf2025 #palsplus #seepassaiccounty #RichHistoryBrightFuture #books #booklovers #cliftonnj #tourism #palsplus #palspluslibraries #librariesconnectingcommunities 

The post Join us at the Passaic County Book Festival, June 14 appeared first on Michael Stephen Daigle.