Tommy could keep himself out of trouble except he has a conscience.  When an innocent man gets killed trying to protect his sister from the mobsters who blame her for the hit, Tommy gets re-involved.  He ends up working for the two rival bosses, playing one against the other.  Tommy’s tough and experienced in combat, and he just about has it worked out to his advantage when the police haul him in with news that rocks his world.  Could his girlfriend, the one he saved from the stalker, have been lying to him all the time?

Full of unexpected twists and turns, Mean Town Blues is a fun, quick read.  The prose is lean, and Tommy McLain is a believable war veteran who’s been through so much he sees the world a lot differently than you or I.  You’ll enjoy getting to know this character.  Others have compared Tommy to Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, but where Reacher is nearly invincible at 6′5″ and 250 pounds, Tommy is just tough.  The question is, is he tough enough to survive this book?  The good news:  yes, he is.  I highly recommend Mean Town Blues

Michael Wiley & Jess Lourey

Jack Fredrickson, Margery Flax, and Jamie Freveletti. In the background are Sharon Fiffer and Tim Broderick.

Morgan Mandel, Raymond Benson, and Michael A. Black

Despite the rain, we had a great time.  Jack Fredrickson, Jess Lourey, Michael Wiley and I did a panel called “Stop! You’re Killing Me!” on humor in mysteries.  We had a few things planned, but the humor was mostly spontaneous, and there were a lot of laughs.  I think the audience enjoyed it.  And we sold a few books, too.

Italian Sausage & Peppers

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil
4 Italian sausage links (about a pound or more)
1 large bell pepper, cut into thin slices
1 small zucchini or yellow squash, cut into rounds
2 15-oz cans of diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning (I like Red Gold brand)
1 medium onion, cut into rings or half rings
½ cup red wine
Cooked rice

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the sausage and cook on all sides until brown, about 10 minutes or so.  Remove the sausage from the pan.  Add the pepper, the onion, and the zucchini and sauté until done, 5 to 7 minutes.  Place the sausage back in and add the wine and tomatoes.  Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes or so.  Be sure to taste the tomato mixture and adjust the seasoning to your preference.

I like to serve the Italian sausages separately and plate the tomato/vegetable mixture over cooked brown rice.  A salad is all you need to complete the meal.  And wine, of course.  (You did open a bottle of red just for this meal, didn’t you?  Why not drink it, too?)

Here’s a photo of the dish as I plated it.

Buon appetito!

In winning the contest, Joy also won a character named after her in my next published novel.  Since I don’t have a contract at the moment, Joy and I discussed possibilities among the three novels I have in progress.  We’re going to keep in touch as the year goes forward.  With luck I’ll have something definite by the end of the year.  Keep watching this space for an announcement of when Joy will appear in a novel!  (Joy also won a signed copy of Saintly Remains.)

Congratulations again to Joy and to her library, the Greensburg-Decatur County Public Library!

A person of literary significance
Three prized awards won he;
Crack the code below to learn
What valued awards these be.

ANBP, FLB1, W9, L1
ANBP, FLB4, W4, L3
ANBP, FLB7, W8, L6
ANBP, EAWEB1, W5, L5
ANBP, EAWEB5, W30, L4
ANBP, EAWEB6, W25, L1
ANBP, IB1, W5, L6
ANBP, IB3, W3, L2
ATPP, EB2, W35, L1
ATPP, WSB1, W12, L5
ATPP, WSB2, W2, L3
ATPP, TSBB3, W28, L5
ATPP, IB2, W4, L5

The first he won for seeking God
In far away Peru;
The second for lifting daily life
Above the mortal view;
The third was said to show we face
Same problems every age;
Tell me the name of whom I write–
He’s listed on a page.

The first thing you needed to do was figure out that ANBP was the sheet entitled A Nick Bertetto Primer, and that the ATPP was a Tony Perona Primer.  These sheets were in the envelopes I left at each library.  FL was Family Life, B was for the bullet point, and the number following the bullet point indicated which one of the bullet points to look at.  W indicated which word within the bullet point to look at, and L indicated the letter within the word.  Once you had that figured out, you could determine that the ‘prized awards’ the person of significance won were Pulitzer Prizes.  Then I proceeded to give you clues about the particular works that won this award.  Finally, I told you that the person was listed on a page.  By examining the names listed, particularly under Influences, you could check to see if any of them had one three Pulitzers, and if those matched up with the descriptions I provided.  Only one fit:  Thornton Wilder, a personal literary hero of mine.

So, thanks for playing and for guessing! I had such fun devising the contest that I might do another one on my website in a few months.  Not sure what the award would be this time, but I’ll be thinking about it.  Please check my website occasionally to see what’s going on.

The IMCPL, as it’s abbreviated, has been renovated recently, and although I took the photo from the front, which is the old facade, the interior and the remaining parts of the building are very modern.  I parked in the underground parking garage (free for the first half hour!) and took the elevator to the main floor.  I spoke with Melissa, to whom I’d sent the letter and who I knew from working with her on a couple of programs last year.  She was preparing for a meeting, so I left the materials with her (she knew about the contest), and headed back out, easily within my free half hour in the parking garage.  Here’s a photo of the library:

I went north on Meridian Street to 38th Street, took it across to Keystone Avenue, and took Keystone all the way into Carmel.  I went down Main Street in Carmel until I found the library, which is just past Carmel High School on the other side of the street.  I met Cynthia at the readers advisory desk.  She was very nice, and listened to me talk about why I was there.  She took the contest materials and we had a nice discussion about the mystery readers group that meets at the Carmel Library (it used to meet at The Mystery Company bookstore, which is now defunct–RIP).  Anyway, she said she’d give the materials to either Deanna or Christine.  The Carmel Clay library has a no photos policy, unless it’s arranged through the communications department, so I thanked her and left.  Here’s a photo of the library’s exterior:

From there I went north on S.R. 31 to Tipton County and the city of Tipton, which is the county seat.  With Hamilton County now in the completed column, Tipton was the 92nd and last county.  I celebrated by taking my photo outside the library.  You can see I’m happy:

I went inside and met Kendra, who works in their Indiana Room.  She is very supportive of Indiana authors and asked if I would come back to do a program.  I told yes, and that I’d try to bring some additional mystery authors with me and do a panel discussion.  She liked that idea.  Kendra also accepted the contest materials.  Here she is, holding the envelope:

Okay, so while I was technically finished, I still had two other libraries to hit.  One was in Alexandria, where my father-in-law is from.  I promised him I’d go past there after Tipton.  So I did.  And it was a fun visit.  Alexandria is on S.R. 38 east of Tipton as you head toward I-69.  It’s in Madison County, which had been covered by my visit to Anderson.  Anyway, I met the children’s librarian, Beth, and had a delightful talk with her about how difficult it can be to get your name out there as an author.  She was amused by the path I was taking, visiting so many libraries.  She took the contest materials and said she’d pass them onto the director.  Here are the photos from my visit to Alexandria:

One more stop to make, and that was the Fishers Library.  It’s in Hamilton County, which I’d already covered this morning, but I have relatives in Fishers (hi, Dan!), so a stop was in order.  I swung around I-69, got off on 116th Street, and then went around Municipal Drive.  I had a great visit at the Fisher Library!  First, the librarian, Trudy, knew who I was!  She recognized the name immediately and said some of her co-workers had read my books and were enthusiastic about them.  The library has a mystery book club (Mystery Loves Company) that’s been meeting for 10 years, and she would love for them to read my new book and then have me back for a discussion!  Of course I said yes!  Now it’s just a matter of working with her on the month, but no doubt it will be in the fall.  Here are the standard photos of the library and of Trudy with the contest materials.

I love Fishers!!

After that, I headed home.  It was nice to get home in the early afternoon instead of late.  As of now, I’ve hit all 92 counties and exceeded my 101 library goal.  In fact, it stands at 92 counties and 107 libraries.  But there is still one more day, and I’ve got one more library, my home library of Plainfield, where I’ll be presenting the final envelope and giving a talk.  I can hardly wait to complete my adventure tomorrow!

The thing that helped was that the first library on my stop, Greensburg, opened at 8 a.m.  That meant that I could leave the house and start the route early, with the expectation I could get home at a decent hour.  My goal was to be at the library by 8:30, and I hit it almost exactly on the nose.  I took I-74 east to the Greensburg exit, then went in and met with Andrea, the library director.  Andrea was very nice and seemed to get a kick out of the contest.  She even told me they had a couple of my books, which I always like to hear.  Anyway, here is the Greensburg-Decatur County Public Library and Andrea with the envelope:

From there I returned on I-74 and went on down to Batesville exit.  Batesville is right at the tip of Ripley County, but it counts!  I went into the city and found the library right on the main drag through town, Walnut Street.  I stopped across the street, took the obligatory photo, and then drove around to the entrance in the back.  Inside I spoke with Jane at the reference desk.  She listened to me talk about the adventure and how I wanted to let people know about me and my books because people didn’t know about me.  She laughed and admitted she was one of them.  But now she knows. She took the materials and said she’d give them to her library director.  Here are the photos of the library and Jane with the envelope.

From there I decided that I was better off continuing on I-74, even though it went into Ohio, and coming back on I-275 to Lawrenceburg than I was taking S.R. 1.  It would have been shorter staying in Indiana, but I wasn’t sure it would be faster.  Some of those S.R. can be winding, and if you get stuck behind a truck on a 2-lane road and can’t pass for a long time it can really slow you down.  Anyway, I took U.S. 50 west from I-275 and went right into Dearborn County and Lawrenceberg.

All I can say is wow!  Lawrenceberg has a really nice downtown area down by the river.  It’s still being rebuilt, and there are a number of vacancies, but clearly the city is putting their riverboat money to good use.  I’d love to have one of those townhouses within walking distance of everything.  Very cool.  And the library was fairly new as well.  I parked along the courthouse, snapped a photo of the library from across Mary Street, and then went inside.  I spoke with Darlene, who listened to my story of the adventure and the contest.  She took the materials to give to her director who wasn’t there at the time.  Darlene was very kind.  Since she didn’t feel it was appropriate for me to take a photo, I didn’t push the issue.  I thanked her for her time and left.  Here’s the outside of the library, though.

Today I was anxious to get as much done in as little time as possible.  I went immediately back to U.S. 50, took it through Aurora, and then caught S.R. 56 down to Rising Sun.  Rising Sun also has a riverboat, and they, too, were using their money to build up the town.  Rising Sun, though, is much smaller than Lawrenceburg.  It was still a nice area, though.  Rising Sun is home to the Ohio County Public Library.  I found Second Street easily enough, and from there figured out where the library was.  I loved the exterior.  The architect played off the ‘Rising Sun’ theme very well.  (You may not be able to see it on the photo, but there are a couple of large Rising Sun logos on the building.)  I went inside and met the library director, Cynthia.  She was great to talk with and even gave me a heads up about a nice bookstore in the area and a few suggestions on where to eat lunch.  She also wanted to know if I was interested in doing a program there, so I might be back in the fall.  Here’s Cynthia and the Ohio County Public Library.

I decided not to go back into town to eat.  It was a little early for lunch, and being obsessed with getting through today as quickly as I could, I wanted to move on.  So I continued along S.R. 56 until it went overland, and then I switched to S.R. 156 along the river.  What a beautiful drive!  At times you’re coasting right next to the river; other times you see the river through budding trees.  But you’re never far from it.  The day was nearly perfect, and that helped, too.  Not a cloud in the sky and the temperature was unseasonably warm.

It actually proved to be a bit of drive to Vevay, which is in Switzerland County.  Vevay is another small town, like Rising Sun, only I think Vevay is smaller.  I found the Switzerland County Public Library without even having to ask for directions!  Anyway, a quick photo outside and I went in and waited in line at the circulation desk.  The library director, Shannon, who was out in the library at the time, asked if she could help me.  As we talked, she remembered the letter I’d sent in advance and seemed interested in the contest.  She said they had a lot of mystery readers and that she would get someone on posting a notice about the contest.  She also said she’d order my book if she didn’t already have it on order.  Here’s the library and Shannon with the envelope.

I had one more stop along the Ohio River, and that was at Madison in Jefferson County. Madison is a beautiful city with lots of well-kept historic homes and a historic downtown area, too.  I found the library and went inside.  The person at the circulation desk said the director had gone to lunch and would be back in a half hour.  Since it was now about 12:30 and I was hungry, I decided it was worth waiting for the director, and that I would eat lunch in Madison. Often I bring lunch with me, but that morning I’d be so focused on getting out of the house early that I hadn’t made lunch.  I walked around the downtown area, but was most intrigued by a guy selling BBQ out of a cart on a grassy mall area where there was a fountain.  The area is where the town has its farmers market, and I gathered this gentlemen sold his BBQ there during the market, too.  I joined some of the locals standing in line and bought a sandwich and some water, then sat on a bench by the fountain and enjoyed a wonderful, peaceful lunch.  It was nice to have a moment like that in the middle of such a busy day.  Here’s where I had lunch:

I went back to the library and there was a different person at the circulation desk.  She told me the director wasn’t there and wouldn’t be back, nor would she let me explain about the adventure, the contest or anything.  She just said to leave the materials and she would give them to the right person.  If that person had questions, they would call.  I thanked her, gave her the materials, and left.  I didn’t even bother to ask if they’d let me take a photo.  Here’s the outside of the Madison-Jefferson County Public Library, though.  Beautiful building.

Now I needed to head inland to North Vernon, to the Jennings County Public Library.  I took S.R. 7 north out of Madison, switched over to S.R. 3, and found the library along S.R. 3 north of the split.  I parked, took the library’s photo, then went inside and spoke with Ed, the assistant director.  Ed was very nice, and I liked that he said ‘not a problem’ after I explained about the adventure and the contest.  He seemed to think I had hit on a good idea to visit at least one library in every county.  He accepted the envelope and even let me take his photo with it.  He said he’d give it to the appropriate person, who would be back the next day.

Here’s Ed, the envelope, and the library:

I took S.R. 3 back to U.S. 50, which also crossed North Vernon, and then took it to I-65.  I went north on I-65 to Indianapolis, I-465 around the south end of Indy, and then I-70 home to Plainfield.  It was my last long day, and I was glad it was over.  With 7 more counties down, I now have only 2 left to go.

The new totals:  90 counties down, 2 to go.  And I’ve hit 102 libraries.

We took U.S. 40 out of Plainfield and stayed on it all the way into Brazil.  About halfway through the city I was certain we’d passed it, but Phil kept telling me we hadn’t, that he’d kept his eyes out for it.  Sure enough, he was right.  It turned out to be on the western side of the city.  I pulled in the parking lot and went in while Phil went to the bank next door to get change in case he needed it at the booksigning.

Okay, let me be honest–I love reactions like the one I got in Brazil.  Jim at the circulation desk had been aware for weeks that I was coming, and he was excited to see me.  He handed me copies of my earlier books they’d pulled out of their stacks for me to sign, which I did.  Then one of his co-workers, Ann, came by and he introduced us, and then Phil came in, and I introduced Phil.  We had a good talk, and I couldn’t have felt more welcome.  Here are photos of the Brazil Public Library and Ann and Jim with the envelope.

From there we continued into Terre Haute.  Phil and I each had a connection to the city.  Phil had lived in Terre Haute for quite a while when he was younger, and I told him most of my mom’s side of the family lived in Terre Haute, and that I’d gone there a lot over the years (I still have relatives there).  It turns out Phil lived not too far from where my aunt lives now.  Small world.

Anyway, for as well as both of us should have known the city, we got turned around and had to ask for directions to the library.  But, to our credit, we were only about a block away.  We parked and went in, and I asked to see Chris, who I’ve known for years.  But, alas, she was on vacation that day.  I left the envelope with Sally, who played along with us and let me take a photo of her holding it.  Here’s the Vigo County library and Sally.

After we left the library, I had to pull over, and Phil and I did a frantic search of the car for the bluetooth adapter for my phone.  I’d accidentally dropped it under the seat.  This was important because I was expecting a phone call any moment from a reporter from the Jasper Herald, who’d contacted me earlier.  Fortunately we (or should I say, Phil) found it.  We hadn’t left Terre Haute yet when she called, so Phil found it just in time.   It was a great interview, and we chatted all the way to Clinton.  In fact, Phil was in the Clinton library and already setting up when my interview wrapped up.

It was a nice booksigning.  My friend Marlis Day was there and sat next to me.  It was good to see her again, especially since the last time we’d been together (at Bouchercon) we’d both been stressed out.  Her books hadn’t shown up for her signing, and I was upset because she’d brought author Wendelin Van Draanen in late for a HOT TICKET event.  Anyway, I apologized again (although ‘yell’ is strong word; I don’t really think I yelled at her).  Anyway, it was nice event, and thanks to the Clinton Public Library for putting it together.  Karen, the library director, and I have known each other for a long time.  Here’s a photo of the two of us clowning around with the envelope.

However, between the interview and the booksigning, I forgot to take a photo of the library itself.  Sorry about that.

With three more counties and libraries down, that means my total is now up to 83 counties and 95 libraries.  Only 9 more counties to go!

ANYWAY, since I was headed southward on I-65, I thought I’d take in a couple of counties on the 30-day adventure.  I first stopped at the Bartholomew County Library in Columbus, taking the short drive on S.R. 46 into the downtown area.  Columbus, by the way, is noted for its architecture. Many of its buildings have been designed by world-famous architects and engineers because of a charitable program of the Cummins Foundation, founded by the late J. Irwin Miller, which helps subsidize architectural projects.  If you haven’t been, it’s really quite an interesting city to tour.  But I didn’t have time to tour.  I had to locate the library and move on if I was going to get to Louisville on time.  I parked on a street nearby Fifth Street (legal on weekends), and went into the library.  I waited at the reference desk until it was my turn, and then spoke to Denise, who thought the contest sounded like fun.  But because her supervisor wasn’t there (Saturdays is a bad day for that), she could only promise to hand it off to her supervisor on Monday.  Alas, no picture of her with the envelope or even just the envelope.  But here’s the library:

I got back onto I-65 South to the Seymour exit, and then took U.S. 50 into the city.  Because of construction, I ended up having to turn around a couple of times, but I did find the Jackson County Public Library on W. Second Street,as promised.  I parked in front of the library and snapped a picture, only to find that I had to walk all the way around the sizeable library because all the entrances are in back.  I went in and found the reference desk, where Monica gave me the bad news that both of the people I needed to talk to were not in because it was Saturday.  She said she would give the materials to her supervisor, and encouraged me to call on Monday.  So, again, no photo.  But here’s a picture of their stately-looking library:

I got back to I-65 and made it to the book talk with a half-hour to spare.  I was really glad I hadn’t planned more Saturday stops, since it seemed that Saturdays were not good days to try to connect with the right people about my contest.

At any rate, that’s 80 counties and 92 libraries down.  Only 12 counties to go.

The book talk and signing went great, and I want to express my appreciation to all the sisters in the Ohio River Valley chapter who came in from the beautiful weather to listen to me talk!

Though it’s my birthday and I’d love to take it easy, I knew I needed to take Friday off to handle stuff that hadn’t been done yet (like mowing the lawn and getting ready for my book launch), so today had to be another big travel day.  My original thought had been to do the southeastern swing down toward Lawrenceville, Madison, and the Ohio River counties, but Debbie and I had dinner plans to celebrate my birthday and I was afraid that itinerary was just too ambitious.  So I went for the middle central Indiana route that still took me pretty far south into Orange County.

That said, I was down in Greenwood at 9 a.m. for the opening of the Greenwood Public Library.  I’ve spoken there before on previous occasions, so I wasn’t unfamiliar with the library or how to get there.  I spoke with Cheryl, the head of adult services, and she was amused by the adventure I was undertaking.  She allowed me to take her photo with the envelope, but she was going to pass it onto Susie, the library’s multi-media department head, who also heads up a mystery reading group.  I’ve met Susie before, and I probably should have sent the original letter directly to her.  Anyway, here’s the library and Cheyrl with the envelope.

From Greenwood I went to Franklin.  They’re both in Johnson County, but Franklin is the place where Nick Bertetto, my series’ main character lives, so I wanted to make certain that city’s library had the contest materials.  The Johnson County Public Library, which is the name of the library in Franklin, is located on the campus for Franklin University, which also just happens to be where Nick received his BA in Journalism.   Anyway, I stopped by and spoke with Tod, who took the envelope and said he’d give it to the library manager, Ann.  Tod thought the contest was a fun idea.  I think he’s planning to enter.  Here’s the Johnson County Public Library and Tod:

I caught S.R. 44 out of Franklin to S.R. 135, which I took south to Nashville and the Brown County Public Library.  Going into southern Indiana meant going back into the hills and forest area.  For those who’ve never been to Indiana or for those northern Hoosiers who haven’t made it down to Brown County, it’s the home for one of the state’s best parks, Brown County State Park, and also has a quaint downtown with unique little shops that attract hordes of tourists from spring through Thanksgiving.  The library fit the town perfectly, built into a hill with a brown stone and limestone facade that felt very natural.  I found Diane at the reference area, and she had a positive reaction to the adventure and the contest, and said she’d seriously consider ordering my books and doing something about the contest.  She had a lot of people in line to be helped so I didn’t feel like I could take up too much more of her time trying to get a photo.  But here’s the library:

I took the roller coaster ride that is S.R. 46 west from Nashville over to Bloomington.  The one thing that struck me during the drive, in addition to the loopy twists and turns, was the number of flooded fields.  We had a lot of snow during the winter and have had quite a bit of rain so far this spring, so I guess it makes sense, but it must really difficult for the farmers.  I located the Monroe County Public Library in downtown Bloomington and drove around for about 15 minutes trying to locate a spot to park.  Finally I decided I’d have to go to a public lot several blocks from the library and walk back, which I did.  I went into the library and was introduced to Sarah, who handles programs for the library.  She was enthused about the contest, but she was also thinking ahead to the winter and the possibility of having a program with mystery authors.  I assured her I knew other mystery authors I could put her in touch with, so I maybe back in the winter with friends.  It was great talking to Sarah.  Here’s the library and Sarah with the envelope:

From Bloomington I got on S.R. 37 and went further south to Lawrence County and the city of Bedford.  The Bedford Public Library was my destination, and I found it on K Street in the downtown area.  I parked and went inside.  I spoke with Mary, the adult services librarian.  She said she’d give it to the programming person to “whip something up,” and I thanked her for that.  I have really appreciated how most librarians have embraced my visits and my contest.

Here’s the Bedford Public Library, but I can’t find a photo the photo of Mary.  (Sorry, Mary…)

I went even further south on S.R. 37 into Orange County, but just barely.  I knew I wouldn’t have a lot of time, so my scheduled stop was at Orleans, a few miles past the county line.  I found a spot on the street right outside the library and went inside and spoke with Tammi at the circulation desk.  She listened to me explain about the adventure and the contest.  Tammi took the envelope and said she’d give it to the library director, who was at lunch.  Here’s the library and Tammi with the envelope:

I backtracked on S.R. 37 to Bloomington.  It was my intention to take S.R. 46 to Spencer, but I was so close to Oliver Winery that I couldn’t resist stopping and buying some of their Sauvignon Blanc, a wine my wife and I are enthused about.  If you have not been to Oliver Winery, it’s beautiful place, like a little bit of Napa Valley in Indiana.  Then I backtracked, but not too far, to catch the road into Spencer and the Owen Valley Public Library.  Brenda, the circulation clerk, told me that everyone I should talk to was not there today, but she’d be happy to talk to me, even though she was “just a clerk.”  I told her I would be delighted to talk to “just a clerk,” and that she was an important person in the library.  Brenda liked the adventure and the contest and took the envelope, but was shy about letting me take her photo, so we compromised and she allowed me to let Nicolas Cage hold the envelope.  (I hope I don’t get myself in trouble for this…)  Here’s the library and my good friend Nicolas unwittingly promoting my contest.

Last stop for the day was in a county I’d already covered, Morgan County (Mooresville was one of my first stops), but I wanted to cover Martinsville, too.  I took S.R. 67 to the Martinsville exit, then cut across S.R. 39 to the city.  I drove past the town square and then found Jefferson Street and the Morgan County Public Library.  Inside I found Krista, the library director, and she remembered my advance letter. We talked a little about the adventure and the contest.  She told me they had all my books.  I told her I LOVED Martinsville!  She laughed and let me take her photo holding the envelope:

I had thought it wouldn’t be a long day, but I didn’t get back to Plainfield until suppertime.  So much for my ability to estimate driving time…ha!  I’m not getting better, even though I’ve nearly covered the whole state.

With six more counties and eight more libraries down, I’m getting there.  The total is now 78 counties and 90 libraries.  Only 14 counties to go!