Franklin Book Festival

Franklin Book Festival 2019 - June 1 (10am to 5pm) & June 2 (1pm to 5pm)
Williamson County Public Library - 1314 Columbia Ave, Franklin, Tennessee 37064

I hope to see you at this weekend’s Franklin Book Festival.

Of all my mysteries, the one I like best is: The Claret Murders. I will have a limited number of library quality hardcover editions of that book and others available for purchase during the event. And, for wine lovers, there will also be a special treat. I will be giving away a 33-year-old claret from my personal wine collection—a Chateau Certan from the French Pomerol region of Bordeaux.

I’m just one of over forty local authors who will be participating in the Franklin Book Festival. Stop by my signing table, pick up a free American flag pin and enter the drawing for the wonderful claret. You don’t have to buy anything to enter the drawing for the wine.

Book lovers will find plenty of bargain opportunities to build their collection of books signed by authors. Participating authors will be displaying their works and talking with attendees about the art and business of the book world. Many authors will offer their novels at a discounted event price and sign their books for you. For example, my library quality signed novels go for $29.00, but you can purchase one at the event for only $15.00. In addition, you can take home a paperback edition for only $5.00. My book, The Language of Excellence, called one of the best five books on management and leadership, regularly priced at $39.00 will also be available at the Festival for $15.00. Of course, on site quantities are limited, so these bargains are only available as long as the Festival inventories last. If you already own one of my books, bring it and I’ll sign it for you.

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For signed copies of books by Tom Collins, go to TomCollinsAuthor.com. Unsigned print and eBook editions are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online bookstores. Audio versions of The Claret Murders and  Diversion are available from iTunes, Audibles and Amazon. eBook editions are also available through Apple iTunes’ iBook’s Store and Smashwords.com. 
Published by I-65 North, Inc.

Middle Tennessee Authors Circle

Franklin and its surrounding areas are home to many artists including authors. There are several 2019 events featuring local writers for you to consider.

The Authors Circle (an association of local writers) will have a booth at the downtown Franklin Main Street Festival which takes place April 27 and 28 (Saturday and Sunday).  Plan to stop by the Authors Circle booth.  Local writers often offer discounts and they are always happy to sign their books and answer questions.

The Authors Circle is a regular participant in the Downtown Franklin Art Scene held on the first Friday of each month.

One of the largest Authors Circle events in terms of participating authors will take place on June 1st and 2nd at the Williamson County Library at 1314 Columbia Ave, Franklin, Tennessee. Fifty authors, including yours truly, have already signed up for the educational and  book signing event. The event is an opportunity for one-on-one visits with area authors. The June event also includes educational panels for aspiring authors, or anyone interested in the literary world: 

 Saturday, June 1

10:00                    Children’s Books
11:00                    Young Adult
1:00                      Creative Nonfiction
2:00                      Writing for an Anthology
3:00                      Christian Fiction
4:00                      Fiction--Historical, Crime, Fantasy

Sunday, June 2

1:00                      Book Business--From Manuscript to Book Sales
2:00                      Poetry
3:00                     Nonfiction
4:00                      Fiction--Crime, Mystery, Horror.

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For signed copies of books by Tom Collins, go to TomCollinsAuthor.com. Unsigned print and eBook editions are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online bookstores.
Audio versions of The Claret Murders and Diversion are available from iTunes, Audibles and Amazon. eBook editions are also available through Apple iTunes’ iBook’s Store and Smashwords.com.
Published by I-65 North, Inc.

Snow Day

A few days ago, I posted about the weather on https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTomCollins/

It was cold then, and it is even colder now! This is the view from my front door:

My friends in the north think Tennessee is in the warm south. I lived in Philadelphia (North Wales area) for two years. I discovered that Philadelphia and Nashville are in the same growing zone. Who would have thunk it?

Nothing to do but stay home and write.

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For signed copies of books by Tom Collins, go to the TomCollinsAuthor.com. Unsigned print and eBook editions are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online bookstores. For Amazon go to www.amazon.com/Tom-Collins. For an audio edition of The Claret Murders go to http://amzn.com/B00IV5ZJEI. eBook editions are also available through Apple iTunes’ iBook’s Store and Smashwords.com. For the new adventure novel on Amazon go to Diversion: a Mark Rollins Adventure.
Published by I-65 North, Inc.

Winners—No Losers at Book Signing

The book signing event at the Franklin Art Crawl on Friday, August 1st,
was a great success. A good many fans stopped by the signing location at the law firm of Stites & Harbison that is located in historic downtown Franklin at 604 West Main Street.  In addition, an impressive number of new mystery readers purchased their first Mark Rollins adventure—a signed hardcover copy or the new audio edition.

Ed Binkley won the drawing for a 28-year-old claret from my private cellar. Two people won the opportunity to have a character named after them in my next mystery, Nancy Hagen and my friend Janet Jones.  If my memory serves me correctly, both Ed and Nancy purchased the audio edition of The Claret Murders during the event.  Janet is a long time friend and the wife of Ray Tarkington.
Previous character name winners at other signing events include:
• Connie Maynord
• Kathie Fuston
• Mick Hendrickson
• Edwin Myers
• Sue Hadfield

Connie Maynord has a busy career as an actress and model. This past month, her on camera roles have ranged from a fun loving mature age Aunt Jackie, to a ghost/wife who has come back to a husband who is dying, to a happy Golden Girl!  She has been cast in the upcoming productions S.O.U.L. as Nurse Hazel and Candles as a News Reporter, and Connie is also an associate producer on Candles. In addition, Connie has had several appearances in commercials.  To learn more about Connie Maynord check out www.conniemaynord.com.

The new mystery is about one-third complete and has the working title Diversion. Diversion deals with drug diversion -- legal medications diverted for illegal purposes and all the bad things that surround addiction and drugs. Our character winners could be drugged out teenagers or just someone who can't get off their pain medication and has no way to get them except on the street -- from very unpleasant people. Alternatively, the winner could be a DEA hero who saves a teenage druggie from a horrible life or an undercover cop posing as an unpleasant person on the street selling happy pills. They might turn out like Kathie Fuston who in the early draft is a pregnant, unwed mother in the visitor section of the Manchester Jail waiting to find out if her man is going to be released.

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Tom Collins’ books include his book on leadership, The Language of Excellence, and his mystery novels including Mark Rollins’ New Career, Mark Rollins and the Rainmaker, Mark Rollins and the Puppeteer and the newest mystery, The Claret Murders. For signed copies, go to the author’s online store. unsigned print and ebook editions are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online bookstores. For an audio edition of The Claret Murders go to http://amzn.com/B00IV5ZJEI. The ebook edition for the iPad is available through Apple iTunes’ iBookstore.

Literary Murder and Mayhem in Franklin

I will be bringing literary murder and mayhem to Franklin, Tennessee this

Friday, August 1st, as a part of the city’s First Friday Art Crawl. The crawl, which invited me to attend and sign copies of my adventure mystery The Claret Murders, features over thirty galleries and studios which all showcase a variety of magnificent works ranging from books to blown glass.

The Claret Murders is an exciting mystery that takes place during Nashville’s devastating flood.  It's Nashville…with  a beautiful lawyer, a deadly secret, and wine to kill for. The novel is my most recent installment in the adventure series which also includes Mark Rollins’ New Career, Mark Rollins and the Rainmaker and Mark Rollins and the Puppeteer, all which feature Nashville as a backdrop.

The week’s First Friday Art Crawl will run from 6-9pm and complimentary wine and hors d’ouevres will be offered at many of the participating locations. The Downtown Franklin Association puts on this free event each month to showcase Franklin’s beautiful downtown core and the local talent that surrounds the historic hotspot. I will be signing copies of The Claret Murders at Stites & Harbison, located at 604 West Main Street, Franklin, TN 37064. For more information on Friday’s event, visit www.franklinartscene.com.
Stop by the book signing location, Stites & Harbison,  and enter your name for a chance to win a 28-year-old Claret, 1986 Chateau Certan, from my private collection.

For those of you who regulary follow The Language of Excellence Blog, I have taken a little time off from the blog to work on a new mystery, DIVERSION. I have finished about one-third of the book.  It deals with drug diversion in and around Nashville. Yes, there is trouble; I say trouble, right here in Music City.
Drug diversion is legally prescribed pain medication diverted for illegal purposes. It is a big business, and it spawns other illegal businesses. One tragic off-shoot in the world of drug diversion is the disappearance of young girls who are seduced by drugs into a life of prostitution. A life that only profits the sex traffickers and drug lords.

 If you have had experience dealing with this subject, your suggestion and insight is welcome. You can email me at tom.collins@i65n.com.

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Tom Collins’ books include his book on leadership, The Language of Excellence, and his mystery novels including Mark Rollins’ New Career, Mark Rollins and the Rainmaker, Mark Rollins and the Puppeteer and the newest mystery, The Claret Murders. For signed copies, go to the author’s online store. unsigned print and ebook editions are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online bookstores. For an audio edition of The Claret Murders go to http://amzn.com/B00IV5ZJEI. The ebook edition for the iPad is available through Apple iTunes’ iBookstore.