May 16, 2026

Thank you, Carmen Bouldin and Jeanie Smith, for hosting many of us Edgar Allan Poe fans today as we read self-selected works by the Master of Macabre! I am grateful for being chosen to participate.

You can learn more about Carmen and Jeanie, their events, and their podcast, “The Six Degrees of Edgar Allan Poe,” via their website HERE.

And it isn’t too late to donate to their fundraiser via that website!

“Doomsday 2026: 24 Hours of Poe Readathon” was a live YouTube fundraiser, celebrating five years of Carmen and Jeanie’s Poe Unplugged–The Six Degrees of Edgar Allan Poe programs.

Click HERE  to enjoy the recorded Readathon on YouTube.

If you want to access my readings of two of my favorite Poe poems, “Ulalume” and “The Valley of Unrest,” please scroll to my time stamp 4:05:05.

And I must give a shoutout to my Friend in Poe, author Steve Boilard, who read Poe’s short story, “The Man That Was Used Up.” Scroll to his time stamp 4:43:00.

I appreciate how Carmen and Jeanie recognize Edgar Allan Poe’s complexity and talent, a man and writer who deserves to be honored and read year-round.

(Image by Carmen Bouldin and Jeanie Smith)

May 15, 2026

What a joy virtually presenting, “My Writing Process,” to Ms. Erin Southam, librarian, and her 8th-grade Bookworms at Hilltop Middle School in Chula Vista, California, this afternoon!

The students are at various stages writing their stories and wanted to hear from a published author “how it’s done.”

Basically, I packed one year of teaching writing into six slides and included Ruth Culham’s “Writing: Six Plus One Traits.”

Thank you, Ms. Southam and students. I hope to see you and the new Bookworms next school year!

(Photo by Vlada Karpovich on pexels.com)

May 8, 2026

Book 8 Update:

I have returned my First Round Revisions to my editor–Yay!–and am happy how the story has continued to blossom.

Editor Molly will return her Second Round Edits on May 23.

Bougainvillea Street: Stolen Tiara is taking shape!

(Photo by Tim Mossholder on pexels.com)

May 4, 2026

Six of my Blackbird Writers feathered friends and I were featured on our group’s Substack page this morning, “Blackbird Writers: Views from the Nest.”

Every Monday, six to seven of us answer a question posed by our subscribers.

This week’s question was, “What are your favorite local books and authors?”

Check out my answer and photo HERE as you also enjoy my colleagues’ contributions.

On our Substack page, please leave a comment, possibly a book-related question you’d like us to answer, and follow Blackbird Writers. Thank you so much!

(Photo by Abigail Firster on pexels.com)

April 1, 2026

Today, the Marvelous Molly, my editor, returned her First Round edits.

I am now busy with my revisions, following her good advice and suggestions to make Book 8, Bougainvillea Street: Stolen Tiara, its best for all of you, my dear readers.

The revisions are due back to Molly on May 9 for her Second Round edits. Fingers crossed that she likes my hard work!

The book is still on track to release on September 22, 2026. To read the book’s blurb, please click HERE or on the Books Tab. Then, scroll to the bottom of the list.

Please keep watching this Events page for updates!

(Image by MunozPhoto on pexels.com)

March 19, 2026

I was honored and privileged to make a virtual School Author Visit to Ms. Alfano’s and Ms. Beky’s 5th-grade classes in Macungie, PA, today!

They had read Macadamia Street: Hidden Skeleton and wanted to meet me.

I spoke about my writing process and what is important for all good writers to do, e.g., read, write, revise, repeat! You want any work with your name on it to be the best you can present to readers.

The students had fabulous questions, such as,  “Will you ever add more detectives to your stories?” “Have you ever needed to throw out anything you wrote?” And, “How do I write a story that doesn’t end up  being like one that’s already been done?” See the answers on my secure website in the FAQ section, or click HERE. Then, scroll to the end of the FAQ page. I always accept questions!

Thank you, Ms. Alfano, Ms.Beky, and Students, for a fun, memorable hour. Keep reading, writing, and revising!

Are you an educator, librarian, or school-parent liaison? Would you like me to make a classroom visit? Loyal readers will recall that I am a retired teacher. See the details on my secure website’s School Visits page! Most visits are FREE! Please use this reliable email contact address: kidsauthor@sherrilljoseph.com

(Photos by Ms. Beky and Ms. Alfano)

March 7, 2026

Book 8 Progress Report:

1.  I am so happy to announce that the first draft of Bougainvillea Street: Stolen Tiara is in my editor’s capable hands as of today!

Molly does a fabulous job as a copy editor and a developmental editor, helping me revise and fine-tune my draft in the first go-around.

After those revisions, Molly will have another go at it in Round 2 in early May.

If you would like to read the book’s short blurb, please visit the Books section of my secure website, or click HERE. Scroll down the list to Book 8’s description.

2.  Also, I ordered the book cover for Stolen Tiara today.

This is such an exciting time as the book moves on toward publication, scheduled for September 22, 2026.

As always, your support is appreciated!

(Photo by Vanessa Pozos on pexels.com)

February 25, 2026

Book 8, Bougainvillea Street: Stolen Tiara, is a present-day mystery that evokes the old Californio days (1769-1848) when the expansive, unforgiving frontier in what is now the western United States was called Alta California. During those wild, adventurous years, Alta California was owned by Spain, then Mexico, with Indigenous peoples already long-time residents. La Corona Del Castillo, a solid-gold, tourmaline-encrusted heirloom tiara intended as an engagement gift for Señorita Victoria Elena Bautista Ruiz in 1830, has recently been stolen from the Rancho Del Castillo! The detectives, back home again in Las Palmitas, are hired to find it. Prepare for surprises, roadblocks, and curveballs as they set out to solve this unusual and often dangerous mystery. Many growth opportunities present themselves to the sleuths in strange, even devastating, forms. This time, are they up to the task?

I have been writing Book 8 since early December and am now FINISHED with the front matter and all twenty chapters! The back matter will be finished by March 1. My thorough read-through and corrections will be completed by March 6.

I am on schedule to send the First Draft to my editor on March 7 for First Round Edits and to my sensitivity reader on March 8.

So thrilled about this latest addition to the series, and I hope you are, too! Please watch for it to launch in late September.

Your support is always appreciated!

(Photo by Rizen Media on pexels.com)

February 2, 2026

I enjoyed joining some of my Blackbird Writer friends as we answered the February question on Substack: “How will some of our cozy Blackbird protagonists enjoy a cold, romantic February night at home?”

This was a bit challenging since my four detectives are thirteen years old!

But they came up with the perfect answer! And  you can see how the other Birds answered the question, too.

Check it out HERE! Or go to https://substack.com/home/post/p-184963436

(Image Credits: Graphic by Blackbird Writers; photo by Sherrill Joseph)

January 30, 2026

Thank you for being a fan of the Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries, always with a twist of history! Here is an update on my work in progress for the series:

Book 8, Bougainvillea Street: Stolen Tiara, is a present-day mystery that harks to the Californio days (1769-1848) when the expanse of frontier in what is now the western United States was called Alta California. During those wild, adventurous years, Alta California was owned by Spain, then Mexico, with Indigenous peoples already long-time residents. La Corona Del Castillo, a solid gold, tourmaline-encrusted tiara, that was intended as an engagement gift for Senorita Victoria Bautista Ruiz in 1830, has recently been stolen from the Rancho Del Castillo! The detectives are hired to find it. Prepare for many surprises as they set out to solve this mystery in their hometown of Las Palmitas.

I have been writing Book 8 since early December and am about 60% finished! The story is flowing from my fingertips as our four detectives provide much dialogue and intriguing adventures, making my task effortless!

I should finish on schedule by early March. 

I hope you’re as excited as I am about this latest addition to the series. Please watch for it to launch in late September.

Your support is always appreciated!

(Image by MunozPhoto on pexels.com)

January 19, 2026

Happy Birthday, Mr. Poe!

This is a very special day for Edgar Allan Poe fans! Celebrate with a Gothic-tinged libation, some chocolate birthday cake, and a Vincent Price/Roger Corman movie based on Poe’s work:

The Fall of the House of Usher (1960)

The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)

Tales of Terror (1962)

The Haunted Palace (1963)

The Raven (1963)

The Tomb of Ligeia (1964)

The Masque of the Red Death (1964)

If you wish to submit an original work for the 2026 Edgar Allan Poe Saturday “Visiter” Awards, the call for entries opened today and will close on May 30, 2026. The entry form and more information can be found HERE.

(Graphic by Sherrill Joseph. The Poe photo is in the public domain from commons.wikimedia.org)

January 1, 2026

Happy New Year, everyone!

May 2026 bring the world Peace, Love, Kindness, Compassion, and abundant Blessings.

I will try to do my part to make it so.