Six U.S. cities have selected Church of the Graveyard Saints to launch the inaugural “Four Corners/One Book” regional reading program for 2019-2020. The public libraries of Montrose, Cortez, Dolores, Mancos, and Ignacio (CO) and Moab (UT) have joined forces to invite all their residents to read the novel — hailed as “a lyrical, vivid tour of the West” by Publishers Weekly — starting in September of 2019, and to participate in public discussions with the author, slated for January of 2020, all with the goals of promoting literacy and building community through the shared experience of story. Formal launch events are scheduled for September 23 in Montrose and September 27 in Cortez. Check local listings for times and details.

Here’s a preview of the cover of my sixth novel, CHURCH OF THE GRAVEYARD SAINTS, coming in September, 2019 from Torrey House Press.  Environmental issues have always been important to me, and moving from Pasadena, CA (via Santa Fe) to the Four Corners and witnessing firsthand both the beauty of the landscape and the threats posed to it by the area’s extractive industries inspired me to write a novel that explores the tensions between economic prosperity and environmental stewardship, as well as the ties that bind us to our past and those that pull us toward what we hope will be a larger and brighter future.  COGS is a work of upmarket commercial fiction with elements of both eco-thriller and contemporary romance.  It is a book close to my heart, and one that I hope it will find a place in yours.