Almost here...or at the county fair, down by the river.

I'm working on my next newsletter. And it's all about the new Derek Mason Mystery, SCALPING THE RED ROCKS. I wrote in the newsletter about some things that inspired me to write the novel and how the characters move between my books.

Still time to sign up for the newsletter. Just jump over to my website and commit: http://www.greglilly.com/.

I have blurbs from some great reviewers and writers (see those on the website). I have pre-publication books in a box next to my computer for a pre-release signing next week at the James City County Fair.

Speaking of that... This year at the county fair, the organizers have created an "Arts Night" that includes the "Author Talks Series." I was lucky enough to be invited. Each author will have one hour. The first half is for a presentation and the second half is for discussion and book signings.

Author Talks Series - Thursday, June 24

James City County Fair, Chickahominy Riverfront Park

The schedule is:

4:00 p.m. Mac Laird present "Researching the Historical Book"

5:00 p.m. Edward Lull presents "Poetry for Fun"

6:00 p.m. Laurie Krebs presents "Writing for Young Children"

7:00 p.m. I will present "Overcoming Writer's Block"

8:00 p.m. L.B. Taylor will discuss is series of Virginia ghost stories.

I was able to grab the 7:00 slot because I'm the prettiest of the group....Just seeing if you're paying attention. L.B. wanted to present as the sun sets, and I wanted to go later in the day because it's HOT, so we took the last two slots.

All the presentations sound great to me. I wish I could go to all of them, but I can't see sitting out there in a tent for five hours.

If you're in the area, come on out to the fair on Thursday night. I'll have the new book available and special JCC Fair prices.

Lime Green all over

Okay, I'm sitting here when I should have gone for my run...But the air is full of yellow-green pollen and I couldn't imagine breathing it for thirty minutes. Lazy and clear is better than worked-out and congested, at least today it is.

SCALPING THE RED ROCKS is pulling in some great pre-publication reviews. I'm excited about its release. I'm making the final changes to the galleys, then the publisher will ship it off to the printer.

One thing we're trying over on http://www.greglilly.com/ -- a virtual book signing. Apparently, since I last used it, PayPal does not require you to have an account with $$ in it to use their on-line payment processing. Now, you can buy things with your credit card directly. That was a BIG hassle years ago when you bought something that needed payment via PayPal. I remember transferring money to PayPal, waiting for it to clear, then buying. Now, it's fast and easy. So, remember: PayPal will take credit cards without requiring a PayPal account... Wham, bam, thank you ma'am.

Got off target there. Back to the virtual book signing. At www.GregLilly.com/VirtualBookSigning.htm all three books (UNDER A COPPER MOON, DEVIL'S BRIDGE, FINGERING THE FAMILY JEWELS - A Derek Mason Mystery) are available to be personalized and shipped to you. Add your special requests in the "Add special instructions" field at checkout.

I'll try this virtual book signing to see how it shakes out. When the new Derek Mason Mystery -- SCALPING THE RED ROCKS debuts, I'll hit the road to do a few in-person signings. Let me know if you have a favorite book store in your area that I might visit.

Stay clear and pollen-free.

Greg