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I'm very happy to be a part of the Missouri Speakers Bureau, a joint project of the Missouri Humanities Council and the State Historical Society of Missouri. Libraries and other nonprofit organizations have access to a wide range of speakers on Missouri-related topics. And if they're located in a rural area, defined as any county outside of St. Louis, Jackson, Greene, or Boone, the speakers are free! It's the bargain of the century. My topic this time around is "The Great Tornado of 1925." It's a talk that has grown out of my research for the fifth and final Daybreak novel, which will be coming out later this year. Here's a link to the Speakers Bureau webpage about my presentation. E-mail me if you're interested! Next up: Ozark Regional Heritage Center in West Plains, February 24.

It was a grand occasion for me when Scattered Lights was honored by the Missouri Library Association with its Missouri Author Award for 2022. Libraries hold a special place in my heart, and recognition by the state's librarians is about as good as it gets. Here's a longer rumination on the library award from my blog. And here's a link to my remarks at the association's annuan conference.

Land of Joys has been named a semifinalist in the Society of Midwest Authors annual contest, in the Adult Fiction category. I'm delighted by this honor! Books that are "historical" often get overlooked in the general excellent categories. Here's a link to the announcement.

I was thrilled to learn that Scattered Lights was named to the shortlist of finalists for the PEN/Faulkner Award! It was such an honor to be among the distinguished company.

The next book in the Daybreak series is coming out later this year. I'm excited beyond words!

The book is entitled BRING DAYBREAK, a title that is drawn from the motto that the Daybreak colonists recited at the founding of their community: "Where there is darkness, let us bring Daybreak."

This book takes place in 1924-1925, and like the others in the series, it involves the inhabitants of Daybreak dealing with social change. A new generation is taking over, but the older generation still exerts influence. This book completes the series, and I'm thrilled to have reached this point in the creative endeavor that began so many years ago. I think people will find BRING DAYBREAK interesting even if they haven't read the other books, and a suitable conclusion if they've been following the series all along.