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Spotlight on Steven T. Moore

Author Steven T. Moore sits in front of a bookshelf. He wears an open-collared shirt and tan sport coat. His smile is radiant. His skin is the color of milk chocolate. His head is clean-shaven.

It’s that time of year when authors are stirring around doing things, and Madville’s authors are no exception. We heard, this week, from Steven T. Moore about his book signing events, and he sent photos.

Steven reports that, “I sold out at the Martha’s Vineyard event and again at The Grace Museum in Abilene. (see attached photos). Arlene from Seven and One Books has been incredible, showing up to these events and selling books.”

Meet Steven T. Moore and several other Madville authors at the TACW conference.

This bit of info belongs on this Steven T. Moore post because Steven is the president of the organization this year, and we’re so happy to have him! TACW is the Texas Association of Creative Writers, and this year the gathering will be held on the campus of Tarleton State University. You can read all about it here: https://www.tacwtgroup.com/conference. Also in attendance and presenting at this conference will be several other Madville authors including: Daniel Mendoza, author of Drum the Double Sun–Algoems, he’s VP of TACW this year; Kimberly Davis, director of Madville Publishing, she’ll be reading from her own book, Trust Issues, not a Madville title; Earl S. Braggs, who will be conducting a masterclass and reading from his 2021 poetry collection, Obama’s Children, as well as his upcoming short story collection, Morning Edge of Midnight (which includes the novella, After Allyson); Goutham Rao, author of the 2025 novel, Electric Dreams; and Bruce Overby, reading from his novel The Cyclone Release.

The Horizon Never Forgets: Poems by Steven T. Moore. Bright yellow painging with a lot of texture shows a desolate road tith leaning power poles the only things in sight apart from the road which looks like it may be swallowed by sand.

Madville published Steven T. Moore’s poetry collection, The Horizon Never Forgets this spring, 2025.

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Frankfurter Buchmesse 24

Kasey Rogers and Kim Davis pointing at one of the many bright pink signs at the Frankfurter Buchmesse. This one says "Reading Changes the World"

by Kim Davis

I went to Frankfurter Buchmesse to represent Madville Publishing for the first time this past week. According to Wikipedia, “The Frankfurter Buchmesse is the world’s largest trade fair for books, based on the number of publishing companies represented. It is considered to be the most important book fair in the world for international deals and trading.”

I left the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on Saturday, October 12 and arrived in Frankfurt on Sunday October 13. It’s a 10-hour flight and you lose seven hours traveling west to east to get there. This is what I wrote that Sunday as I sat for another eight hours waiting for check-in time at the hotel:

“I’m sooooo-o-o tired… I haven’t slept a wink.”—John Lennon

I binged the entire fourth season of True Detective on the plane, the one with Jody Foster and Kali Reis. I knew I should try to sleep, that it would be morning when I arrived in Germany, but I wasn’t tired then. It was afternoon back home. The series was almost as good as the first season with Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. I was blown away in that storyline by Matthew McConaughey’s performance that spanned 17 years. He displayed an incredible range. This fourth season I just watched with Jody Foster and Kali Reis was good, but I think the strength of this one was the story more than the acting. Don’t get me wrong, the acting was fine, but if the story hadn’t been strong, it wouldn’t have been special.

I spent the entire time puzzling at the piercings in Kali Reis’s cheeks wondering if the two sides connect like a bit with a chain running through her mouth. Of course that sent me on a search for information about Kali Reis. Did you know she was a professional boxer? That would explain why her character gets to beat some men all the way up in the show. It was good to see a bad ass woman taking the fight to the misogynistic bastards. But I liked the resolution. If there hadn’t been a good ending, it would have spoiled the show for me. That’s what happened in the second one. I didn’t see the third. But without a compelling finish, I leave a miniseries feeling disappointed—like I wasted my time.

So, I watched this series while flying over the ocean from Dallas to Frankfurt in preparation for my first trip to the Frankfurt Book Fair—the largest in the world, and the place to be if you want to sell foreign publishing rights. I’m nervous because I don’t know what I’m doing, and I’m sure I’ve already missed a trick or two by not scheduling meetings yet. Still… Steps one and two are completed. I rode the airplane here and found my way to the hotel. Only trouble is that I arrived at the hotel at nine o’clock in the morning and can’t check into my room until four p.m. and I haven’t slept at all. Now I need to try and stay up all day so I can sleep tonight.

The Frankfurter Buchmesse

To say this fair is huge is an understatement. Here are some photos with captions that may give you an idea of what it’s like. We made some great new friends and hopefully some important business connections. As for foreign rights deals? We’ll see. That part of the trip was more of a learning experience!

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London Book Fair 2024

t was 1950’s house wife day. At our booth at the London book fair. Thanks to H.A Stories Lucid house press Madville publishing Micheal Nelson Brandy Miller Jennae Elle Beaugard R.L Merril Abeni Celeste And so many other authors

Six Madville Books went to the London Book Fair

Our friends, Jade and Wilnona, the “And I Thought Ladies,” took six or our recent titles to the London Book Fair this year. These are some of the pictures they sent back. We expect a few more, so check back! We wish we could have joined them. It looks like they had a really great time in our tiny 2 meter by 2 meter booth.

Here is an article we just read that does a great job of describing the experience of the London book Fair. That NYT Piece about LBF??

Madville books on display

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Appalachian Studies Conference

Our Instagram ad to promote the 7 Madville authors who attended the 47th annual Appalachian Studies Conference. They are pictured here in thumbnail, Jim Minick, Linda Parsons, Darnell Arnoult, Pauletta Hansel, Susan O'Dell Underwood, Dana Wildsmith, and Lisa J. Parker

Our Madville poets did a fabulous job of representing us at the 47th Annual Appalachian Studies Conference

The theme was, Beloved Community: Pride in Identity, Culture, and Geography, and the conference took place March 7-9, 2024, at Western Carolina University, in Cullowhee, North Carolina. The Madville poets in attendance were Jim Minick (The Intimacy of Spoons), Linda Parsons (Valediction), Darnell Arnoult (Incantations), Pauletta Hansel (Heartbreak Tree), Susan O’Dell Underwood(Genesis Road and Splinter), and Lisa J. Parker (The Parting Glass and This Gone Place). (Dana Wildsmith (With Access to Tools) couldn’t make it.)

This is the first year we’ve attended this conference, but our poet, Jim Minick had this great idea… After all, we have so many wonderful poets from the region, It makes sense for us to participate in regional conferences. And look how happy they all are!