Happy New Year! God save us! So, what does an artist do in the face of an increasingly strange world? Fringe, of course! Join me and my gal-pal writers (in photo from left to right) Randi Janelle, Alli Marshall and Nina Hart at this month's Asheville Fringe Festival. We're bringing the circus to town, the Literary Circus, that is. Read all about it! Monkeys, elephants, and maybe frontal nudity! You won't know unless you go! Thanks to Adam McMillan @amphotoavl for the great group shot, to The Odditorium for our backdrop, to Downtown Books and News for hosting our event, and to Malaprop's Bookstore for just being an indie. Also, FringeFest organizers are the bomb!

The amazing Tracey Schmidt invited me to participate in a special day this summer at Malaprop's Bookstore in Asheville. We wrote poems for customers on the spot during Poetry by Request day. It was so much fun to talk to book lovers in the store and write short, off-the-cuff personalized poems. Good practice. Maybe a few lines will be remembered by the folks who sat with us. Thanks, Tracey, for the invitation! Happy Summer, everyone.

My newest mantra is #BuyABookFeedAWriter. I'd love to buy you a coffee if you stop by the booth. I'll be at the table for BlackBombBooks.com. Grab some cash and come downtown! Buy a great Christmas present. Here's a little more info online. Also see the festival website.

One of the best decisions any writer can make is to attend a conference. I recommend the Willamette Writers Conference held each August in Portland. There, writers meet good writers, editors, movie producers, agents, and plenty of up-and-comers. You'll leave with a greater sense of purpose and excitement about your work because the caliber of talent and information at Portland's premier writing conference is excellent. If you're a writer, I hope you build a fire under you this summer. Here's a short piece about my experience as a WW conference volunteer. 

"The book is a fascinating continuation of the story of Athos, Dumas' most enigmatic character. Well written, with evocative descriptions, the perception of the Musketeer's personality is believable." I, on the other hand, will have to reread this passage several times before I believe it. Thanks to HNS and Alan for considering my book. ~ jmf