Our summer reading might not match yours

Meet Larry Sceurman at Doylestown Book Shop Saturday & McKenna Graf's new poetry releases & writing stuff

This weekend, on June 14, Larry Sceurman will participate in Local Authors Day at Doylestown Bookshop in Doylestown, Pa. Look for the official details here.

I’ve been contemplating for days about what to say about this event— other than I’m really excited as I usually am for author events.

This is the first time one of our authors has participated in a Doylestown Book Shop Local Authors Day. And I’m especially excited to spend some dedicated time in the shop. I’m also thrilled to visit Doylestown again (more on Doylestown here), as that town has an adorable downtown, some interesting attractions (concrete Mercer Castle, the Vampa Museum, Michener Art Museum) and restaurants and hosts a volkssporting walk through the Liberty Bell Wanderers. (It’s a walking club that provides self-guided tours. Click here for more information.)

Angel Ackerman and Larry Sceurman at the 2023 Easton Book Festival, photo by Joan Zachary

But then there’s Larry… a gifted storyteller with a real eye and ear for what drives people. He’ll have copies of his short story collection, Coffee in the Morning, and his dyslexia-friendly children’s book, Bookworm’s Magical Journey. If you haven’t had the chance to talk to Larry, this is a great time to come say hello.

McKenna Graf’s second collection release

• On June 16, McKenna Graf will launch her newest poetry collection, The Depths, the third volume in her archive of adolescence series, with an audiobook releasing on Bandcamp. Print version will be available all the usual places.

• June 24, McKenna Graf will be at the Barnes & Noble on the Upper East Side in Manhattan, 6 to 7:30 p.m., promoting The Depths.

McKenna Graf, photo by Joan Zachary

DID YOU KNOW…

For less than $2 an issue, you can support PARISIAN PHOENIX BOOKISH BABBLE as a paid subscriber. Benefits include: 1. Free chapters and excerpts of new books. 2. Curated lists and annotated reviews of podcasts, writing books, and bookstores. 3. Full, unlimited access to ALL of my slides from my writing workshops. PLUS unlimited access to the archives of all my posts.

In today’s newsletter, I am offering a review and summary of some helpful tips from:

• Francis, Michael. Bestseller Blueprint: How to Write, Publish and Market a Book That Sells

Also:

Thanks to the weekly newsletter of Tiffany Yates Martin (the author/editor whose haircut inspired me in March), I have updated the free Writer Resources tab with the Author Care Kit from the Society of Authors.

A Queer Book Fair

If you have the time and geographic proximity, I recommend checking out the events of the Ice House Literary Arts Committee, as organized by poet Magnus Mateo. The Ice House provides an amazing reuse of a historic structure in a lovely setting— Bethlehem’s Sand Island which includes a variety of recreational opportunities.

The problem (and success) with a lot of regular or semi-regular events is that they draw the same people. On one hand, that allows everyone to develop relationships, but it also means that participants don’t meet new people. We all have our comfort zones and every organization, author, and event planner fights this battle.

If an organizer creates a free or inexpensive event, and you’re not sure whether you’d be welcome, I encourage you to check it out. Because most of us want to make connections foremost and if we do land a sale, that’s a nice benefit.

Tuesday night’s A Queer Book Fair was well-organized and really welcoming. The goal was to offer the LGBTQIA+ community in the Lehigh Valley a place to share their books and for anyone regardless of orientation to find materials that highlight a range of experiences.

As a society at large, as citizens, as human beings, we should all strive to expand our knowledge of what other people experience. We attended representing our queer authors but we also talked with people about publishing.

Authors/poets who attended:

• Igoe Brown

• Sarah Edmonds

• Robin Gow

• Sean Hanrahan

• Jinx Jamb-Fam Leonard

• Juliana May

• Sarah Mengel

• David Messineo (Sensations Magazine)

• Danielle Notaro

• Rebecca Reynolds

I already knew many of these great people, but some of them were new to me and I enjoyed hearing them read.

UPCOMING EVENTS (MOST ARE FREE)

• ThrillerFest opens in New York City June 17 and Dianna Sinovic will be there as part of their Debut Authors Program promoting her supernatural thriller, Scream of the Silent Sun.

• And on June 21, we will join the Pocono Liars Club at the Eastern Monroe Public Library in Stroudsburg, Pa., for their 2025 Author Expo with a theme of END BOOK BANNING. That event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Click here for more information. Angel Ackerman (yes, that’s me) and Joseph Swarctz will both be giving readings in the 11 a.m. hour. I will probably read an excerpt from my second novel, Courting Apparitions, a ghost story. (To check out Courting Apparitions on Kindle Unlimited, click here.)

• Also on June 21, at WDVR 89.7 fm in the broadcast coverage area of WDVRfm.org online, Angel Ackerman hosts a special tribute to Steve’s Café, the working man’s tavern featured on the cover of Larry Sceurman’s novella, The Death of Big Butch. Maryann Ignatz curated the music to honor her father, Stephen Ignatz, and the 110th anniversary of Ignatz family ownership of the tavern. Maryann also contributed an essay to Not an Able-Bodied White Man with Money detailing her experience of the blue-collar history of Phillipsburg, N.J.

• Dianna Sinovic will be discussing the uses of Canva for authors at the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group on June 28. Her free talk will be at 11 a.m. and her afternoon, hands-on workshop begins at 1:30 p.m. GLVWG meets at the Palmer branch of the Easton Area Public Library but is also available on Zoom. The workshop is free for members, $15 for non-members. Click here for more information.

• On June 28, noon to 6 p.m., local historian and author of Phorgotten No More, Wayne Sherrer will be a part of “Authors Alley” at the Warren County Bicentennial Celebration at Warren County Community College, on New Jersey Route 57 in Washington Township. His book contains his original research into the African-American history of Phillipsburg, N.J.

• July 4, the official release of Benjamin Goluboff’s and Mark Luebbers’ poetry chapbook, Group Portrait, a unique interpretation of a photographic portrait in the World War II era from Peggy Guggenheim’s art salon. We have seen the advance review copies and we are really excited about this little book!

• At the Whitehall (Pa.) Library, 6 p.m., on July 9, Larry Sceurman will present a family story time.

• July 12, E.H. Jacobs will be at The Bookery in Manchester, N.H., signing his debut novel, Splintered River, from 1 to 3 p.m. Jacobs has a sophomore novel on deck for 2026. For more information about The Bookery, click here. (This book is also available on Kindle Unlimited.)

• July 14, the official release of Motorhome Gypsies, our RV Living book that is part memoir and part practical advice, by Rachel Thompson and Lisa Cross. We may have a cover reveal soon!

• At 11 a.m. on July 16, Larry Sceurman will visit the Cops N Kids Reading Room on the southside of Bethlehem, Pa. For more information on Cops N Kids Lehigh Valley, click here.

• Barnes and Noble in the Southmont Shopping Center in Bethlehem Township, Pa., will host a benefit for the children’s hospital on August 16. Larry Sceurman will present a children’s story time (and he hopes to have his second children’s book ready before that event). Details to come. See Larry’s books here.

• Also August 16, I will be hosting a memoir workshop from 1 to 4 p.m. at Blank Space Community Center, 85 Makefield Road Unit 7, Yardley, Pa., 19067. Tickets will be $40 and will include print materials.

• Also in August, the release of Any Landing You Walk Away from is a Good Landing, historical fiction about the airline industry in the throes of 1980’s deregulation. The author of that book is retired flight attendant Dawn O’Harra.

A rant on finding this month’s craft book

I have four physical writing craft books on my desk and a to-be-read pile of 10-15 books in every room of my house. And this month, I am reading my unsolicited submission pile while overseeing a ridiculous amount of summer releases from my brand. (But as I see the first print copies roll in, it’s so worth it.)

But with all that intense reading, I wanted something lighter for this month’s craft book and it’s summer, right? So, is there a “beach read” kind of craft book? Anyway… I decided on Michael Francis’ book and while the book is a barebones kind of starting point it had some strong advice.

I read it on Kindle, and when I went to add it to this newsletter, I forgot the author name and the full title. So I Googled it.

And all sorts of books came up including one by Andrew Parry with a hideous, unprofessional cover. It had 272 pages and retailed for about $25. Yet, had only one review and, despite the title, Bestseller Blueprint did not have enough sales since its 2024 release to populate categories and rankings on Amazon. I did a little digging.

Andrew Parry has 342 books listed on Goodreads, and every single one has a hideous cover reminiscent of late 1990s Microsoft Paint/Publisher design. Some are 60 pages, some are 300. All involve writing or television, and all cost around $25 or can be found in Kindle Unlimited.

I Googled the author because nothing on Amazon was consistent. And I found one interview, but the answers felt very stock and empty, and the photo did not look like a real person. Is this an example of an AI-generated author and body of work? Do they capitalize on other successful titles and keywords? I honestly don’t know. I do know I don’t see a lick of paid advertising. None of the books have Look Inside samples.

So, that’s it for my nonsense today.

As always—

Angel

Angel Ackerman and Laurel Wenson at A Queer Book Fair

DID YOU KNOW…

For less than $2 an issue, you can support PARISIAN PHOENIX BOOKISH BABBLE as a paid subscriber. Benefits include: 1. Free chapters and excerpts of new books. 2. Curated lists and annotated reviews of podcasts, writing books, and bookstores. 3. Full, unlimited access to ALL of my slides from my writing workshops. PLUS unlimited access to the archives of all my posts.

• Francis, Michael. Bestseller Blueprint: How to Write, Publish and Market a Book That Sells

I have two main criticisms of this quick read.

1. It relies on some very specific paid services that it looks like the author gets a commission to mention (not to diss the services as some are the go-to institutions in the industry, but he also recommends individuals which I feel is risky.)

2. If you don’t have some basic skills and marketing prowess, the advice might not have enough detail to be useful.

That said— the book had a lot of useful tips that I noted for my own use.