---

November 11, 2023

Today, just in time for the holidays, the EBOOK for Jacaranda Street: Gravestone Image launched. Hurray!

You can purchase it at your favorite bookshop HERE, or go to https://sherrilljoseph.com/books.

At that same site, you can purchase the paperback edition of Jacaranda Street and all books in the Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries quintet.

Thank you for your ongoing support!

---

October 28 and 29, 2023

It’s that time of the year again!

We four-and-twenty Blackbird Writers and other authors, who decided to join the fun, are having our annual two-day book and merch HALLOWEEN FLASH SALE and GIVEAWAY!

Some books are free; others are deeply discounted.

My Walnut Street: Phantom Rider eBook is ON SALE for just $0.99. That’s a savings of $3.00.

So, if you like mysteries, cozies, thrillers, crime thrillers, international intrigue, and police procedurals, you’ve come to the right sale.

BONUS: Walnut Street: Phantom Rider will remain on sale until Midnight, November 1.

In addition, we are having some fabulous BOOK BUNDLE GIVEAWAYS! I will be giving away a signed, personalized paperback copy of Walnut Street: Phantom Rider and a matching bookmark. See the graphic, below, for the other books being offered for giveaway in the “Mystery” bundle. There are also “Cozy Mystery” and “Thriller” bundles up for grabs. When you add your email address on the entry form, you will be added to the mailing lists of Blackbird Writers.com and the authors in the bundle. To enter for a chance to win a giveaway bundle, please fill out an entry form for the bundle(s) of your choice by clicking HERE.

TO SHOP for books and merch, simply go to https://blackbirdwriters.com, or click HERE. Thanks in advance for your patronage!

---

October 24, 2023

It’s my turn to do a one-hour “Author Takeover” today for the Facebook group “Cozy Mystery Party”! 

Please join readers, other authors, and me for the fun from 11:00 am Pacific until noon Pacific on Tuesday, October 24, by clicking HERE. You might want to go to the site before my takeover since you must request to join Cozy Mystery Party in order to participate.

Did I mention GIVEAWAYS?  I’ll be giving away FIVE signed, personalized paperback copies of my mystery books and matching bookmarks while sharing a little about myself, the Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries–especially my newly released Book 5–and Edgar Allan Poe.

Here’s your chance to ask me anything as you enter for some freebies. I hope to find you there!

***Update: I had a blast interacting with and getting to know the many attendees at my Author Takeover today! Thank you, Heather Doyle Harrisson, CMP site admin, for the opportunity! The five winners, one for each of my books, will be announced tomorrow, October 25, on FB’s Cozy Mystery Party group page at 10:00 a.m., Pacific. Congratulations in advance to the winners! But . . . 

There’s still time to enter! Comments for my seven posts on CMP will remain open until tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m., Pacific. Your comments become your entry. And you can double your chances if you subscribe to my monthly newsletter HERE. My next newsletter goes out on October 31. Thank you and good luck!

 

 

 

 

---

 

October 21, 2023

Dru Ann Love’s “A Word with the Author” portion of her blog, “Dru’s Book Musings,” went live today, and it features me!

Thanks, Dru Ann, for my spotlight and for being a champion for books, readers, and writers.

These are fun blogs for getting acquainted or re-acquainted with authors.

You can read her fun interview of me HERE.

(Graphic Credit:  Anna Tarazevich on pexels.com)

 

 

---

October 20, 2023

Today, writer Valerie Biel posted her interview of me on her popular blog, “Reading, wRiting, and Roaming.” Thank you, Valerie Biel!

I certainly enjoyed answering her great set of questions!

The POST for your enjoyment is called “Publishing Wisdom from Author Sherrill Joseph.”

I shared some extras with the audience that are important to me as the writer of The Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries. I hope you’ll read all about it!

 

 

 

 

 

---

October 3, 2023

 

Thank you, Sharon Lynn and Tracey Phillips,

my fellow Blackbird Writers, for the fun interview

of me that Sharon conducted today!

This was in conjunction with the September 26 release of my Botanic Hill Detectives

Mysteries, Book 5, Jacaranda Street: Gravestone Image.

Sharon’s questions were quite provocative! I also reveal what’s to come in Book 6.

If you would like to watch the interview on YouTube, you may do so HERE. I hope you enjoy it!

 

 

 

---

September 27, 2023

Please Save These October Online Events’ Dates!

Mainly in conjunction with the release of Jacaranda Street: Gravestone Image, I invite you to mark your calendars and attend these upcoming online events in October:

October 20–On that date, please click HERE or paste into your browser   https://www.valeriebiel.com/blog    to see my responses to Valerie Biel’s questions for her blog “Reading, wRiting, and Roaming.” The post will be called “Publishing Wisdom from Author Sherrill Joseph.”

October 21–On that date, please click HERE or paste into your browser   https://drusbookmusing.com/category/word-with-the-author/   to see my responses to Dru Ann Love’s fun questions and “extras” in her blog “Dru’s Book Musings.” The post will be called “Word with the Author.”

October 24, 11:00 am to Noon, Pacific Time--On that date, please join me HERE or paste into your browser   https://www.facebook.com/groups/cozymysteryparty   when I do an “Author Takeover and Giveaway” for the Facebook group “Cozy Mystery Party.” I will be giving away three signed, personalized paperback copies of my mystery books as I share a little about myself, the Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries, especially Book 5, and Edgar Allan Poe.

October 28 and 29–My fellow Blackbird Writers, other authors, and I will participate in our 2023 Annual Halloween Flash Sale! On those two days, my eBook for Nutmeg Street: Egyptian Secrets, Book 1 in my standalone series, will be on sale for $0.99. That’s a three-dollar savings! Many other Blackbirds will also be selling their mystery, thriller, and crime books. Please come! Maybe you’ll also discover a new author. We might even have a pop-up store to sell our group’s tee shirts with our cool bird logo. On those dates, please click HERE or paste into your browser   https://blackbirdwriters.com   to access the sale. And while you’re there, please check out the site. Get to know all four and twenty of us Blackbird Writers.

Attention, Mystery Authors! Would you like to participate in our 2023 Annual Halloween Flash Sale? We invite mystery authors from all around the country! Our signature event brings new audiences and new readers to your books.

To receive your submission form, please email Tracey at Blackbirdwritersgroup@gmail.com DEADLINE- October 5, 2023.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

September 26, 2023

ANNOUNCING THE OFFICIAL RELEASE:   JACARANDA STREET: GRAVESTONE IMAGE

Book 5 in my Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries launched today!

What is the detectives’ new mystery case about?

Lenore Valentine Kirby’s cryptic gravestone in a derelict cemetery beckons across centuries.

The four Botanic Hill Detectives—Lanny, Lexi, Moki, and Rani—stumble upon a mystery revealed by the deceased woman’s descendant, Mr. Nigel Kirby. Can the teens decipher Lenore Kirby’s gravestone image and messages? Their unusual, present-day case, incorporating the life and works of Gothic horror writer Edgar Allan Poe, takes the four out to Ravenswood, the Kirby family’s Victorian home. But one solution leads to more puzzles! Will the detectives successfully decode all the special instructions they discover to help restore Mr. Poe’s reputation, damaged by a real-life enemy, and reveal to the world a priceless treasure? Come lend the squad a hand!

Currently, the paperback is available for PURCHASE ON AMAZON. and BARNES & NOBLE. You may also access those stores via this LINK ON MY WEBSITE.

The eBook will be available soon. More purchase sites for both the paperback and eBook, including indie bookstores, will also be available SOON. Please check back.

If you’re a fan of Edgar Allan Poe or want to learn more about his enigmatic life and works while helping the detectives solve a spooky mystery, you’ll want to read this book.

Thank you, dear readers, and all the best of the season to you.

 

 

 

---

September 21, 2023

BIG UPCOMING EVENT: Thursday, September 28!

In honor of my Book 5, Jacaranda Street: Gravestone Image, releasing on September 26, I will be featured on “House of Mystery Radio on NBC!” on Thursday, September 28, at 9 pm PT.

Thank you, hosts Alan Warren and David North-Martino, for interviewing me! It was so much fun.

Tune in at: KCAA 106.5 F.M. Los Angeles/ 1050 A.M. Palm Springs, or streaming from the web at KCAA Live Stream (live.kcaastreaming.com)

After the show airs, the interview will be placed on most major podcast platforms found at

Podcast Episode (https://www.alanrwarren.com/hom-podcast-episodes);
House of Mystery Radio Show (http://www.alanrwarren.com/house-of-mystery-radioshow); and,
Alan R. Warren (alanrwarren.com)

My episode link is
Sherrill Joseph – Jacaranda Street – House of Mystery Radio on NBC | Acast.

I hope you will tune in Thursday evening when the broadcast goes live or after the show via podcast for our mysterious discussion. Thanks and happy listening!

 

 

---

August 30 – September 3, 2023

I attended Bouchercon 2023 San Diego: Murder at the Marina, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel at the Marina, from August 30 – September 3.

What fun that it was held right here in my hometown this year!

Bouchercon is the only convention in the world where writers and readers can connect. This was my first experience at Bouchercon, and I hope to attend annually.

During the convention, I attended many panels, some with my fellow Blackbird Writers as participants–I finally met seven members of the flock! I hope my turn as a panelist comes next year.

I also enjoyed the “Ghosts of Honor” activities for my hero Nancy Drew, and for the Hardy Boys. I met Jenn Fisher, Nancy Drew expert and founder of Nancy Drew Sleuths, the official Nancy Drew fan club. Of course, I’m now a member and hope to attend that convention next year!

Bouchercon 2024 will be held in Nashville, Tennessee, from August 28 to September 1. You may register NOW to secure your place by going to bouchercon2024.com, or click HERE.

I hope to see you there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

August 26, 2023

Drumroll, please! . . . Ta-dah!!! . . . COVER REVEAL

As promised, here is the front cover for my Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries, Book 5, Jacaranda Street: Gravestone Image.

I hope you like it as much as I do.

Our four detectives are gazing at a gravestone, loaded with clues and intrigue that foreshadow a complex, present-day mystery having ties to the nineteenth-century writer Edgar Allan Poe.

Thanks to Dane and Alisha at eBook Launch for the design, their fifth for me and counting.

Please watch for Jacaranda Street: Gravestone Image to release anytime between September 19 and 26 by visiting this Events section.

 

 

 

 

---

July 31, 2023, and August 22, 2023

Attention: Mystery Readers and Writers!

I will be attending Bouchercon 2023 San Diego: Murder at the Marina from August 30 – September 3, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel at the Marina.

Bouchercon is the only convention in the world where writers and readers can connect.

I’m excited that it’s in my hometown this year, but also because I will get to meet many of my Blackbird Writers for the first time. Look for our group’s half-page ad in the Bouchercon convention booklet.

You are invited to join me. I’d love to meet you. For convention information and programming, please visit HERE.

I hope to see you in August and September in San Diego!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

July 31, 2023

Progress Report for the Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries, Book 5: Jacaranda Street: Gravestone Image:

Round Two edits and revisions are finished as is the document’s formatting for publication. The book’s PDF is in the hands of my reader-reviewers and praise-quote providers. Yay!

So, we’re ahead of schedule. Jacaranda Street, with its current-day mystery wrapped around the life and works of Edgar Allan Poe, will now release in late September.

And watch for its Cover Reveal to the world–but first to all of YOU!–in the August 31 Newsletter.

The excitement builds!

(Photo Credit: Edgar Allan Poe: Photo and Signature–Unknown author–Public domain from commons.wikimedia.com)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

July 31, 2023

Today is the LAST DAY for my big, month-long eBook JULY SALE during Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale!

All Kindle/ebook versions of the Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries will be 50% off until midnight tonight.

That means Books 1, 2, and 3, normally $3.99 each, will be only $1.99 apiece; and, Book 4, normally $4.99, will be only $2.49.

Before it’s too late, please visit my sale on Smashwords and stock up by clicking HERE.

Or go to Smashwords’ home page by clicking HERE and type my name or one of my book titles into the search window to get to the sale.

Now you can catch up on the detectives’ first four cases as you await Book 5 to drop this fall!

Happy Summer Reading!

(Ad Credits: Left by Valerie Biel; right by Smashwords)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

June 30, 2023

It’s time for a big SALE!!!    Books, books, books!

Beginning tomorrow, July 1, through July 31, 2023, all Kindle/ebook versions of the Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries will be 50% off during Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale!

That means Books 1, 2, and 3, normally $3.99 apiece, will be only $1.99 apiece; and, Book 4, normally $4.99, will be only $2.49.

Starting July 1, please visit my sale on Smashwords by clicking HERE.

Or go to Smashwords’ home page by clicking HERE and type my name or one of my book titles into the search window to get to the sale.

Now you can get caught up on the detectives’ first four cases as you await Book 5 to drop this fall!

Happy Summer Reading!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

June 12, 2023

Another milestone for the Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries, Book 5: Jacaranda Street: Gravestone Image!

I have completed Round One revisions, so back to the editor it went for Round Two edits. I plan to have Round Two revisions finished by June 30. Then, the next important step will occur called formatting the document for publication.

So, we’re on track for Jacaranda Street to release in October as planned.

The excitement builds!

(Photo Credit: Edgar Allan Poe: A Centenary Tribute–A Portrait of Edgar Allan Poe. The Edgar Allan Poe Memorial Association. Public domain)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

May 20, 2023

Hurray! I received my Round One edits back today from my amazing editor for Jacaranda Street: Gravestone Image, Book 5 in my Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries series.

That means we’re getting closer to the book releasing this fall.

Watch for Book 5 to launch before Halloween. Mwahh-ha-ha!

(Photo Credit:  Drawing of Edgar Allan Poe by Felix Vallotton on commons.wikimedia.org)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

April 29, 2023

One day (actually, three). All fifty US states. Hundreds of independent bookstores!

This weekend, head to your favorite U.S. indie bookstores for the 10th Anniversary of the National Independent Bookstore Day on April 29, sponsored by the American Booksellers Association.

But wait! Some cities will also hold three-day Bookstore Crawls from April 29 – May 1. Research your local cultural events for details. Go HERE to check events and learn how to win prizes based on the number of stores you visit during the crawl.

I plan to visit Verbatim Books, among others, in my San Diego neighborhood of North Park.  It is a much-loved, vibrant community business. Thanks, Verbatim, for carrying my Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries books, which helps support me as a local children’s author!

 

---

April 26, 2023

Today, I registered to attend and sit on an author panel at Bouchercon 2023 San Diego from August 30 – September 3, being held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel at the Marina.

If you’re a mystery or crime fiction fan like me, you may have been to a Bouchercon. It’s the only convention in the world where writers and readers can connect!

I’m excited that it’s in my hometown this year, but also because I will get to meet many of my Blackbird Writers here for the first time. Look for our group’s half-page ad in the Bouchercon convention booklet.

You are invited to join me. I’d love to meet you, too. To register for the convention, please click HERE.

I hope to see you in August! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

April 25, 2023

I’m so excited to announce that my first draft of Jacaranda Street: Gravestone Image, Book 5 in my Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries series, went to the editor today.

YAY!

Here’s the book’s blurb that will appear on the back cover:

Lenore Valentine Kirby’s cryptic gravestone in a derelict cemetery beckons across centuries.

The four Botanic Hill Detectives—Lanny, Lexi, Moki, and Rani—stumble onto a mystery revealed by the deceased woman’s descendant, Mr. Nigel Kirby. Can the teens decipher Lenore Kirby’s gravestone image and messages? Their unusual case, incorporating the life and works of Gothic horror writer Edgar Allan Poe, takes the four out to Ravenswood, the Kirby family’s Victorian home. But one solution leads to more puzzles! Will the detectives successfully decode all the special instructions they discover to restore Mr. Poe’s reputation, damaged by a real-life enemy, and reveal to the world a priceless treasure? Come lend the squad a hand!

Watch for Book 5 to launch this fall before Halloween. Mwahh-ha-ha!

 

 

---

March 3, 2023

What fun I had bright and early this Friday morning! I was honored to join Mrs. Stacy Alfano, Mrs.Beky, and their two classrooms of fifty-two fifth graders for a virtual author visit in Macungie, PA.

Mrs. Alfano had read aloud my Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries, Book 2, Eucalyptus Street: Green Curse, to her students at Shoemaker Elementary School after they voted for that title.

The students prepared some insightful questions for me. Of course, I also had to share about my synesthesia and what each of their names made me taste or smell. That’s my superpower!

Thanks, Mrs. Alfano, Mrs. Beky, and your marvelous students. Kids always motivate me to keep writing for them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

February 1, 2023

So pleased to announce that Verbatim Books, San Diego, California’s largest indie book store, in my North Park neighborhood, is now carrying all four of my Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries!

If you live in the area, please stop in and shop indie at 3793 30th Street, 92104. Phone 619-501-7466.

My books are in two sections of the store:  Local Authors (back of the store), and Middle Grade–New Arrivals (for kids in the front of the store).

Thank you so much, Verbatim Books! You can check out the website for this incredible store HERE.

---

January 3, 2023

I’m honored to be the Featured Author in the Blackbird Writers’ January 2023 newsletter!

I think you’ll enjoy the DISCUSSION and PHOTOS. 

And if you scroll to the end of the newsletter, you’ll find my special Giveaway Bonus–a character interview featuring the comedic-foodie member of the Botanic Hill detectives, Moki Kalani.

Thank you, Tracey Phillips, founder of the Blackbird Writers mystery and mayhem authors’ group! I’ve been a proud member since 2020.