Book Clubs

The Dillonvale Library

Last week and this week I had the privilege of speaking at two book club meetings. The first was at the Dillonvale Library (above photo) in Dillonvale, Ohio, and the second was at the Calvary Presbyterian Church in St. Clairsville, Ohio. The book clubs had chosen my novel, The Healing Place, as their book of the month. I'd written The Healing Place in 1999 and published it in 2001. The first edition sold out a couple of years ago, but there are 22 copies available at various libraries in Ohio.

This summer I'm working on a rewrite of The Healing Place. After writing four novels, I can more easily see the weaknesses, POV problems, grammar mistakes, and stilted dialogue of that first novel. Yet the readers have really enjoyed the characters and plot of The Healing Place despite all the problems usually associated with a self-published, rookie novel. Its popularity testifies to the importance of storytelling--readers are willing to forgive an imperfect manuscript if they find the story compelling.

Hopefully this second edition will be available through Upper Ohio Valley Books this September. Many people have already expressed a desire to get a copy of the new edition.

Another neat thing about speaking at book clubs is the opportunity it gives an author to promote his or her latest novel. Most of the club members wanted signed copies of Murder at Whalehead. Word-of-mouth publicity can make a huge difference as readers spread the good word. Besides that, I enjoy speaking at book clubs because it's fun to talk about my own book. It's like talking about one of my kids.

Talk to you later,

Joe C. Ellis

CLICK HERE to view video trailer
Link to front cover: CLICK HERE (Click on cover to enlarge)
Link to back cover: CLICK HERE (Click on cover to enlarge)
Link to first eleven chapters:CLICK HERE
Visit my website at http://www.joecellis.com/

The Interview

The books are selling well here in the Ohio Valley. I haven't heard from booksellers or my distributor on the Outer Banks. I assume everything is moving along smoothly down there. I'm still waiting for quotes for offset printing for 2000 copies of the novel from my distributor. I'll probably email her tomorrow.

One reason the books are doing well in the Ohio Valley was because of a good interview in a local newspaper. The article was placed in the "Lifestyles" section with six or seven photographs from the Outer Banks (including the one above of a wild horse along the shore) and a picture of me in front of our local library. Many people who read my first book, The Healing Place, wanted a copy of Murder at Whalehead after seeing the article.

Ya can't beat free publicity!

Here's a link to the article: http://www.timesleaderonline.com/living/articles.asp?articleID=8293

Talk to you later,

Joe C. Ellis

Here are some links to my novel, Murder at Whalehead:

CLICK HERE to view video trailer

Link to front cover: CLICK HERE (Click on cover to enlarge)

Link to back cover: CLICK HERE (Click on cover to enlarge)

Link to first eleven chapters:CLICK HERE

Visit my website at http://www.joecellis.com/

A Book Signing at the Hometown Library

Last evening's book signing at my hometown (Martins Ferry, OH) library was a pleasant surprise. I showed a PowerPoint presentation about my novel, Murder at Whalehead, and talked about the creative process a writer goes through when developing characters, setting, conflict and plot. About thirty-five people attended, and we sold 43 books. We used the event as a fundraiser for reading programs at the library and raised $217. I love the idea of supporting literacy and promoting reading. In an age of video games and instant gratification, we've got to keep young people turned on to the written word.

I received an invitation on Monday to enter my novel into the Buckeye Book Fair, an event in Wooster dedicated to raising funds for literacy in Ohio. The fair is limited to about 100 authors, illustrators, and photographers. A steering committee will make a decision by the end of August as to what books and authors are included. I hope Murder at Whalehead gets approved. It would be a great opportunity to use my abilities to support literacy and give me a chance to connect with Ohio's writing community.

Payments from the bookstores on the Outer Banks have been arriving this week along with requests for more books. I'll have to make a decision in the near future about the size of the next print run. Lightning Source quoted me a price of $1.79 per book for 2000 books. Seems hard to beat, but I'm waiting for more quotes from my distributor, Outer Banks Press. Linda from OBP works closely with several NC printers. The shipping costs may be the determining factor. Just have to wait and see.

Talk to you later,

Joe C. Ellis

Here are some links to my novel, Murder at Whalehead:
CLICK HERE to view video trailer
Link to front cover: CLICK HERE (Click on cover to enlarge)
Link to back cover: CLICK HERE (Click on cover to enlarge)
Link to first eleven chapters:CLICK HERE
Visit my website at http://www.joecellis.com/

Shiver Me Timbers

Arrrrgghh!!! On Friday night I attended a Pittsburgh Pirate game with me brother, Jim. The Bucco's thumped the Cubbies 8 to 4. It was a mighty drubbing. By far though, the challenge of the evening was keeping me eye on brother Jim, aka Jack Sparrow Senior. 'Bout the 4th inning, After wettin' his whistle with some Iron City grog, Captn' Jim took to wandering to and fro. He didn't show back up until the 8th. Hard to guess what the skallywag was up to. Getting his landlegs? Spying out the stadium with his eyeglass? Dare I say, up to no good? Avast me mateys, this morning I received the above tintype in me email. Now I know. He was looking for booty!

Seriously though, my brother makes a great pirate. We could hardly get through the crowd on the way back to the car because of all the people who wanted pictures with him. Let me know if you want to rent him for your next party.

I drew on my brother Jim's adventurous spirit for a scene in my novel, Murder at Whalehead. One summer in the late 90's while we were vacationing on the Outer Banks, Jim and his son, Jimmy, rented a two-man kayak. Somehow they managed to paddle the thing beyond the breakers. My sister-in-law, Linda, got very nervous. Before you knew it, they were out several hundred yards on the ocean. We thought maybe a riptide got them. Linda ran up to the lifeguard and told him of their plight, but there wasn't much he could do. An hour later Jim and Jimmy finally paddled in. Said they were out there enjoying the freedom of the seas.

In my novel two of the main characters, Christine (the preacher's daughter) and a ten-year-old boy named Dugan paddles out beyond the breaker in a two-man kayak. There they have a terrifying experience. I can't tell ya more, matey. You'll have to buy the book.

Talk to ya later,

Joe C. Ellis

Here are some links to my novel, Murder at Whalehead:

CLICK HERE to view video trailer

Link to front cover: CLICK HERE (Click on cover to enlarge)

Link to back cover: CLICK HERE (Click on cover to enlarge)

Link to first eleven chapters:CLICK HERE

Visit my website at http://www.joecellis.com/

The Books Are IN

More than 800 books arrived today. 500 went to my distributor on the Outer Banks and 314 came to my house. With the 200 already sold or in bookstores, that makes over 1000. Goal--sell them all and order another 2000 before Christmas.

A lot will happen in the next two weeks: An article about Murder at Whalehead with lots of photographs will appear in Martins Ferry's (Ohio) Times Leader on Saturday. Tomorrow I'll be delivering books to local stores. I've already begun emailing independent bookstores in Ohio in hopes of more orders. A book signing, multi-media presentation, and fundraiser for the Martins Ferry Public Library will be held on Tues, July 10 at 6:30 at the library. Two local book clubs have asked me to speak at their meetings in July.

I've also emailed all the bookstores on the Outer Banks to inform them that Outer Banks Press will be distributing the novel from now on. Several of these stores have already sold out and ordered more books.

One more thought: I've decided to send two copies to my old agent, Michele Rubin at Writers House. She gave me a great quote for the book cover and wanted a copy when they came in. The book has been rewritten since she peddled it to the New York publishing houses last year. I'm going to suggest she give the extra copy to an editor who might be interested. The book came close to selling at several houses. You never know--the new opening chapter, great cover, quotes, and all the excitement about the book from sellers on the Outer Banks may convince an editor to take a chance.

THERE'S ALWAYS HOPE.

Talk to you later,

Joe C. Ellis

Here are some links to my novel, Murder at Whalehead:
CLICK HERE to view video trailer
Link to front cover: CLICK HERE (Click on cover to enlarge)
Link to back cover: CLICK HERE (Click on cover to enlarge)
Link to first eleven chapters:CLICK HERE
Visit my website at http://www.joecellis.com/

The Whalehead Club

The Whalehead Club is an old hunting lodge built in the 1920s by Edward and Marie Knight on the northern Outer Banks. Check out http://www.whaleheadclub.com . At the time, women were not permitted to join hunt clubs, so Edward Collins Knignt, a Pennsylvania industrialist, decided to buy up the property and build his own hunt club so his wife, who loved duck hunting, could participate.

The place thrived for about 12 years until the Knights could no longer vacation there because of health problems. The property passed through several different hands until it eventually fell into disrepair. In the late 1990s, the Currituck County Whalehead Preservation Society raised funds to begin restoring the building. They have succeeded in bringing it back to its original splendor with all of its Art Deco designs, furnishings and wonderful historic detail. Thousands of vacationers tour The Whalehead Club every year and visit its gift shop.

Several important chapters of my novel, Murder at Whalehead, occur in the Whalehead Club. One of the final suspenseful scenes involves a chase through the many rooms of the lodge to the rooftop. I knew Murder at Whalehead would be a good seller in the Whalehead Club's gift shop. The problem: my novel is fiction, and the Whalehead Club is an important historical landmark. Although Loretta Robinson, the gift shop manager, was excited about the possibilities of selling Murder at Whalehead, she knew the board of directors would have to approve it.

When I arrived in Corolla last week, I stopped by the Whalehead Club and dropped off a couple copies of the book early in the week. Edna Baden, the Executive Director, told me she'd read the novel and enjoyed it. She was recommending it to the board, but several board members may have reservations. All I could do was wait and see.

On Friday I got a call from Loretta. The board had approved the sale of the novel. She wanted 80 copies. 80 copies! I thought that was a lot. I delivered the copies Friday morning. In the late afternoon I dropped off the invoice--eight copies had already sold. Things were on a roll. Now what am I going to do? If I sell out too quickly, should I go to an offset printer and bigger run? What if 2000 or 3000 copies overdoes it. Can I take the financial risk?

Lots of questions. I still don't have all the answers.

Talk to you later,

Joe C. Ellis

Here are some links to my novel, Murder at Whalehead:

CLICK HERE to view video trailer

Link to front cover: CLICK HERE (Click on cover to enlarge)

Link to back cover: CLICK HERE (Click on cover to enlarge)

Link to first eleven chapters:CLICK HERE

Visit my website at http://www.joecellis.com/