Collingswood, NJ fall of 2025

  Attended the Collingswood, NJ Book Festival on the 4th of October.
Lovely weather and lots of people but only a few buying and few sales. Still, a good experience and we learned a lot. The bookcase worked out well, but we need more signage.

Can Skinwalkers Swim? New novel coming in October 2025

I'm happy to announce that my new Teenage Thriller, Can Skinwalkers Swim? will be out next month. This is a new direction and publishing experience for me. The URL is: <https://headlinebooks.com/product/can-skin-walkers-swim/>

a URL for ordering through Amazon should also be up soon.

Take a look.

 

 

 

 Up until now, most of my publishing experience has been my own personal independent writing, editing and publishing, mostly using the Hemlock Lodge imprint. This time, I am using Headline Books, a well-regarded independent publisher. I am happy with the support I received and look forward to all of your reactions.

A second interview on Berks TV

 

I have the second interview with Marilyn Klimco. Still looking for the third one, which I seem to have lost.

<https://www.bctv.org/video/michael-wescott-loders-book-beetle-the-autobiography-of-a-virtual-girl-pub-date-with-an-author/ >

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A book talk in Fleetwood, Pennsyvania

Gave a talk to a book reader group in Fleetwood, Pennsylvania last night (June 24th, 2025). Room was full. I spoke about the historical background of my MG novel "Taken Beyond the Ohio: The Indian Captivity of Marie LeRoy and Barbara Leininger." A lot of book signing afterward.

Writing Changes: a New Title coming, hopefully this fall.

An update for my many supporters and followers. The Bad news: I have used Blurb as my printer/publisher of choice for three of my fiction titles: Taken Beyond the Ohio—The Indian Captivity of Marie LeRoy and Barbara Leininger, Beetle—the Autobiography of a Virtual Girl, and Forbidden Games. All three titles have been well-received and reviewed. However, most of the sales have been through my own efforts and local contacts. Sales through Ingram have been disappointing. As a result, Blurb plans to remove these titles from the Ingram catalog sometime in June. I will be able to reinstate all three of these titles, but it does mean I have to do a better job of promoting. All are good reads, so if you have not read any of these, take a look and help by purchasing or recommending to others. You can find descriptions of all three titles below in earlier entries to this blog. The Good News: I have a new contemporary novel under contract with Headline Books. If you are wondering where my renewed interest in weaving came from, it is because part of my latest novel takes place on the Navajo Indian Reservation, or, as they prefer, the Dinéh or Diné Nation. It is a a murder mystery/thriller, but also, more important, a coming-of-age story about a teenage girl discovering a past she did not know about. I will share more information when we are closer to the publication date.

A third rug woven in the Navajo style

 In April I completed my third rug. It is the largest one I have attempted yet. The larger size and the need to put in the shuttle stick twice for each row of weft slowed me down. I also found the umbrella rib useful. This rug came out quite different. Still within the Navajo tradition, but unlike a
ny others I have seen. Still lots of mistakes, but the weaving is tighter and the lines sharper.

Running weft between the warps.

 

 

 

 

 

Rug complete and ready to come out of loom.

 

 

 

 

Memories. Linda and one-and-half year old Laura in Ruins Canyon in 1980.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A second Weaving in the Navajo tradition

 In April, 2024, I started my second weaving project. This time I went with a larger size 24 inches by 38 inches. Two feet wide is about as wide as the tools and the loom I have can manage.

I finished the new rug on July 15th. I had a hard time controlling the width (too wide in the middle) and the length is off as well. Color changes proved to be a problem in the early stages but the second half looks clean. Over all I am pleased with the way the design came out. May think about a new project when the weather gets cooler. Please understand that what I am doing is not "Navajo Weaving" since I am not Navajo or Diné. I just weave using the Navajo technique.

Working at the loom.

Mostly done, June.

Finished. Ready to come out of the loom.