Dawn's Eerie Light, my new novel, was featured as the Book of the Day on December 11 by the Online Book Club. As a result of the promotion, Online Book Club reported that my book skyrocketed to Number 677 on the Amazon Kindle list! I have receive more than a hundred comments and reviews from readers and authors. I have established links with writers in all parts of the country. This was a very effective and helpful promotion. 

First blog article for our 2017 WriteStuff Conference campaign is up on our Wordpress website.  We expect to post a new one every 5 days or so.  

An Interview with Michael Hauge

On November 17^th I was at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh for the 2016 induction ceremony of Eta Kappa Nu, the honors society of IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers). I was the evening’s speaker and I was also inducted into the Society as a “professional engineer”. The recognition was largely for my eight, recent electrical publications which included seven online courses for registered electrical engineers and a 400-page textbook for engineering students. I truly felt honored to speak to this elite group. The audience included students from the  electrical and computer engineering schools. Carnegie’s computer engineering school was named best in the Nation by US News and World Report; only one in 20 applicants is typically admitted to the School. The electrical engineering school, while not number one, was close behind. – Joseph Fleckenstein

My latest book, Sodium Balls, A Reverend's Journey, has just gone to print at Dorrance Publishing Company, Pittsburgh. It is to be released in December (2016). It chronicles my rocky road to the ministry, which took some forty years. I call it my Jonah Journey -- God called Jonah, but he ran the other way. I did too. I wanted to sing opera, which I did for over thirty years. (That story you'll find in Tales of a Tenacious Tenor, ASJ Publishing, 2014, available on Amazon, Goodreads, and other venues. And you don't have to dig opera to enjoy this rollicking adventure.)

I have recently published my new children's book, Santa's Day Jobs. Illustrated by Ashley Reigle, the book covers the 12 jobs that Santa works at during the year. Text for each color pic is geared toward kids 6-10. The second part of the book has 14 black and while pics for kids to color and the text was provided by children. You can get signed copies by sending $12 plus $3 postage to me at PO Box 45, Hellertown, Pa. 18055-9998

On October 21^st Streetlight Magazine published my essay “Cousin Paul.” The Paul mentioned in the essay is Paul McCartney, the famous Beatle. My adventure started when I had tea with a known relative, Ellen Winters. By chance I later learned she was the sister to Paul’s grandfather and that Paul and I are third cousins. Sir Paul and I never met and most probably never will. The piece is about my discovery and some of the personalities along the way.

Intrigue, scheming and dirty tricks are not necessarily the exclusive tools of politicians, spies and hit men. No, not at all. History has shown all of these practices are common in the workplace. If you read my latest short story “A Subtle Play” you might find it reminds you of specific situations you witnessed  - or suffered through. The story is free online at Work Literary Magazine. Look for the publication of the week of September 12^th. 

"Dawn's Eerie Light" my new romantic/suspense novel was awarded 4 our of 4 stars by the OnLine Book Club review in August, 2016. Part of the reviewer's remarks:

"I consider "Dawn's Eerie Light" a great story of unrequited love. It describes the pain and loneliness of a person who loves someone so much, to the point of obsession, who does not love him back....the author's descriptions of the settings are vivid and the backstories are so detailed that if feels like the reader knows the characters personally. . . .this is one moving and unforgettable story that will stay with the reader for a while. It is  great story of love and I recommend it t those who appreciate suspense, thriller and same sex love stories."  AVAILABLE ON KINDLE AND AMAZON.

My new book, Metal Detecting for Beginners: 101 Things I Wish I'd Known When I Started, was released April 15 and began selling well immediately. This month, I inked a deal with White's Electronics, Inc. to license 1,000 copies under custom cover to include with their beginner detecting packages. In the detecting world, getting a thumbs up from White's is like getting the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. Pretty stoked about it! More at Detecting101.com.

I finally finished and published the latest novel in my Victorian Mansion series, The Fish Hatchery Murders, and you can see links to the publishers on my website at www.pimabooks.com.  Click on the Victorian Mansion series to see a list of books in that series.