2013
May 30, Thursday, 7–8:30 pm: Launch party and book signing at The Portier House, 307 Conti St., Mobile, AL, for my new fantasy novella CHANCE FOR REDEMPTION. In it, mercenary Jerome Strait discovers that he cannot buy his way into heaven; to be redeemed, he must relive his life and correct all the mistakes he made on Earth. BAITING THE HOOK will also be available.
My story “Mom Made It” was in the Midlife Collage April 8 contest! Promotional video: http://midlifecollage.com/video/
Comments and likes help judges decide on the winner each week.
May 6, Monday, 7 pm: Fiction Writers’ Group presentation at the Jefferson Parish Library in Metairie, LA. I’ll discuss using elements of writing effectively, such as, style, imagery, figures of speech, and the five senses. Of course, I’ll have my own books available, too
I’ve won 2nd and 3rd place for short stories at the Baldwin Writers’ Group contests.
The book NEW ORLEANS BY NEW ORLEANS, with my story THE BIG CITY—THEN AND NOW in it, has been released. I went to the launch party and read it aloud at Jefferson Parish Library in Metairie, LA and they invited me to come back and do a presentation of my books this summer. No date yet.
2012
November 17: Mary Palmer and Don McNair gave
instructive examples to improve writing skills, much like a mini-workshop.
Baldwin Writers Group Meeting, Daphne Library, Daphne, AL.
June 1: TO CATCH A FISH has just been released from MUSA PUBLISHING (also at AMAZON.COM. and BARNES AND NOBLE). Price: $5.99. Reviews on AMAZON.COM, MUSA PUBLISHING and B & N are very much appreciated. A sequel to this book, entitled BAITING THE HOOK, has been published by Musa.
Davey Simpson, a fisherman, is charged with the murder of a powerful Alabama politician’s son. His childhood friend, Ben Johnson, is well-qualified to act as his attorney, but Ben would have to resign as the first black lieutenant governor of Alabama to take the case. Davey does not want Ben to make such a sacrifice.
While in the Mobile County Jail awaiting trial, Davey has a unique method of surviving confinement. Since he can’t endure living in the present, he lives in the past, recalling memories of his two childhood friends—his lost love, Pokey and his best friend, Ben. Even though those memories are also a reminder that Ben and Pokey both moved away from Mobile, they allow Davey to escape the unbearable loneliness of incarceration. Years before, when Ben was shunned and mistreated because of his race, Davey stood up for him. Now, despite Davey’s protests, Ben insists on representing Davey. Though they had been separated by time and space, loyalty prevails. However, it is Davey’s plight that causes childhood friends to reunite. Unexpected twists reveal the many complications involved in the case and in Davey’s personal life.
This book has been compared to The Help by author Milam McGraw Propst. She called the work amazing and said she "loves these three characters; most especially Pokey and her triumph." She added, "these beautifully drawn, rich memories of the South bring back a place and time we all need to remember."
Mary S. Palmer has a Master of Arts Degree in English with a Concentration in Creative Writing from the University of South Alabama. She has also published four other books: THE CALLINGS, FALSE GODS, QUEST FOR FORGIVENESS and TIME WILL TELL (also an E-book by Musa Publishing). Her play, MURDER MOST SOUTHERN was just produced by the Mobile Mystery Dinner Theater. She teaches English at Faulkner State Community College and Faulkner University.
David V. Wilton has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from Auburn University. He was an insurance claims investigator for thirty-four years and is currently the Director of Administration for the Catholic Archdiocese of Mobile. He is presently working on a new novel.
Summer 2012 Blog Tour: see schedule
In the past eighteen months, David V. Wilton, my coauthor of TO CATCH A FISH, and I have had sixty book signings and presentations. It is available from Musa Publishing Co. as an e-book. Along with my science-fiction book entitled TIME WILL TELL, it can be purchased from Musa Publishing and Amazon.com.
A fantasy novella, JOE AND JO, which was originally a screenplay, is under consideration. It was awarded Third Place in the 2005 Eugene Walter Writer’s Fest. I am also working on a sequel to THE CALLINGS and a fantasy novella entitled CHANCE FOR REDEMPTION, AN EASTER STORY.
I will have the honor of being a judge for the poetry entries in the 2012 Baldwin Writers Group Workshop.
