This past week saw the T.J. Jackson Mysteries make two stops. On Thursday we gave a talk at the Bigelow Senior Activities Center in Fairfield to discuss The Voodoo Cult's Treasure, and we had a great time, as usual. Thanks to Margaret Andrews (a real T.J. fan) for making the evening happen, as well as my Iona brother Bobby Sherwood (who was a character in Curse of the Fairfield Witch, you may recall) and his lovely wife Sylvia for attending. Then it was on to the second annual Halloween on the Green in Fairfield on Sunday...only it wasn't on the Green! A driving rainstorm sent the event inside the Fairfield Museum (also featured in Curse of the Fairfield Witch) where we had a table. I'm happy to say we gave out HUNDREDS of lollipops, sold a bunch of books, and lined up some possible speaking engagements for next spring. And, as you'll see in our gallery, we met some interesting folks, including Ichabod Crane, Stormy the Sound Tiger, and even Beetlejuice! Thanks to museum director Christine Jewell for the invitation, and we hope to be back next year. HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM T.J. AND THE GANG!
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On Sunday, September 10th, we had the pleasure of setting up at our third Trumbull Arts Festival, and it was a great time. We surpassed last year's total sales by 1/3 and made many new friends. Thanks to Emily Areson, event coordinator, for the invitation. We hope to be back next year. Hi everyone, this is just a heads-up that book #5 in the T.J. Jackson Mysteries, The Voodoo Cult's Treasure, can now be found in both paperback and electronic version on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites. We hope you enjoy it and submit a review to the websites!  Recently I had the pleasure of attending a small get-together of my Iona Gael teammates from the 70s...coincidentally, all of them have appeared as characters in my books! (That's one of the fun perks of writing...you can slip your family and friends into the story). Anyway, from left to right, Pat Garvey was in T.J. Book #1 AND The Rovers, Matty Paul was in T.J. #1, Kenny Ali was in T.J. #2, Mike Florio was in T.J. #3, and Paul Jarboe was in T.J. #4. Altogether, a dozen Iona luminaries have graced the pages of my novels, and there should be at least one more in The Voodoo Cult's Treasure, coming out in August.  Hello everybody, T.J. here. As far as any new stories, 2016 was kind of quiet for us. However, that doesn't mean there wasn't a lot going on. For example, Paul's first adult novel, The Rovers: A Tale of Fenway, was published in April, and now is sold side by side with Roberto's Return: A T.J. Jackson Mystery at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. There were also many appearances Paul made for our books during the year, highlighted by Fairfield's Halloween on the Green event, in which Curse of the Fairfield Witch completely sold out. As for what lies ahead, Paul said it was okay to let you in on a secret: he'll be making an announcement around Mardi Gras of this year (hint, hint) about our next T.J. Jackson Mystery, which is now entering its final edits. As always, he'll keep you posted about any 2017 speaking/signing appearances. And so, from Bortnicker, LouAnne and myself, our wishes to you for a happy and healthy New Year!
Our last appearance of 2016 was a good one. Barnes & Noble was filled with holiday shoppers and good cheer. We sold a bunch of books, but the highlight was one generous lady who purchased the entire Ferrante catalog: all four T.J. Jackson Mysteries and The Rovers: A Tale of Fenway. Thanks to Tricia Tierney for making us feel at home. We hope to return to Barnes & Noble in the future! On November 17 we had the pleasure of speaking at the Westport Center for Senior Activities about our two baseball theme books, Roberto's Return and The Rovers. Thanks to everyone who came out and purchased books, and special thanks to Program Manager Holly Betts, who has herself visited over 90 major and minor league ballparks! On Sunday, Oct. 30, the T.J. Jackson Mysteries had the pleasure of taking part in the first Halloween on the Green, sponsored by the Fairfield Museum and many other local organizations. The event in general was an unqualified success, with thousands of Halloween revelers both young and old enjoying the numerous vendor tents, food trucks, and children's activities (including access to historic buildings decorated for the occasion) in and around the Town Green on a beautiful Autumn day. Our tent was situated near the site of Edwards Pond, used as an actual witch ducking pond in the 1600s, and portrayed in Curse of the Fairfield Witch: A T.J. Jackson Mystery as the scene of accused witch Charity Blessing's ordeal by water. And we are happy to announce that in addition to distributing over 1,000 lollipops to young trick or treaters, we completely sold out of our inventory of Fairfield Witch, as did the Fairfield Museum gift shop, with whom we hope to continue our partnership. Special thanks to Museum coordinator Christine Jewell for the invitation to this great event. See you next year! Hi Everybody - T.J. here. As you know, during the past couple weeks two horrible hurricanes tore through the Caribbean and Atlantic - Matthew and Nicole. I just want you to know that Bortnicker's grandparents, Morty and Doris, came through Matthew just great. Boca Vista Royale, their retirement village in Boca Raton, sustained no serious damage, mostly some downed trees and branches, and flooding was minimal. As for our friend Ronnie Goodwin in Bermuda, Nicole, which was a category 3 hurricane by the time it passed over the island, never officially made landfall. But they were still hit with 100+ MPH winds, heavy rain and a big storm surge. Something like 27,000 people, over half the population on the island, lost power. But Ronnie's family and the Blue Lagoon Dive Shop, except for some minor damage to their Reef Seeker II dive boat, got through it okay. Let's hope this is the end of Hurricane Season for 2016! And by the way, rumor has it that you'll be hearing from Paul next Spring about a new T.J. Jackson Mystery. Just saying. We had a wonderful day at this year's Trumbull Arts Festival. The weather was perfect, and the crowd flow steady all day, helped by an impressive 5,000 motorcycle cruise commemorating 9/11 that passed through Trumbull town center, where our event was being held. For the first time we actually sold out on one YA book - Curse of the Fairfield Witch - and nearly sold out on our adult book, The Rovers: A tale of Fenway. Overall, it was our best selling day ever. Thanks to Emily Areson, event coordinator, for the invitation. We hope to be back in 2017 with a new T.J. Jackson novel to add to our table! |
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