Mississippi State University graduate and Starkville native Joe Lee will sign copies of his new Oakdale series suspense novel, “40 Days,” at the Webster County Public Library at 11 a.m. Monday.
“Same Oakdale, with lots of crazy people, old money, skeletons in every closet and people all up in each other’s business,” Lee said of his new book. “But there’s a strong faith-based angle to the story as well as a supernatural aspect.
“It takes place in 40 days of real time, ties into the season of Lent and culminates with Easter Sunday. It’s indeed very suspenseful, but in different ways than my previous Oakdale mysteries, and I hope it’s something that makes the reader laugh, cry and think.”
Lee’s novels have been praised by Sid Salter, Marshall Ramsey and New York Times bestselling author Ace Atkins. He’s the editor-in-chief of Dogwood Press, a small but traditional publishing house headquartered in Brandon, and has published over two dozen books by seven Mississippi authors since 2002. Lee promises three other Dogwood Press titles in 2018.
“I’m excited to publish “My Crowning Achievement (Beating Cancer),” an inspirational memoir coming in August by Molly May, the former Miss Mississippi State University and a breast cancer survivor with a true heart for supporting cancer patients,” Lee said. “She has a story that I felt absolutely had to be told.
“John Floyd of Rankin County, one of the top short story writers in the country, has a new collection of short fiction, ‘The Barrens,’ coming this fall,” Lee said. “And also this fall we’ll roll out the long-awaited second novel from Gautier-based novelist Valerie Winn, ‘The Dance Between.’ It’s the sequel to ‘Forsaking Mimosa’ and every bit as poignant.”
For the first time, Lee will be on a panel at the Mississippi Book Festival at the state Capitol in August.
“I’ll be part of a group that discusses the rise of small publishing houses and how authors are chosen and marketed,” Lee said. “It’s a tremendous honor to be included. My authors Susan Cushman, John Floyd and Randy Pierce have all been on author panels at the Capitol in the last couple of years. That’s a tremendous feather in my cap as a small publisher.”
The Webster County Public Library is located at 445 W. Fox Ave. Admission to Lee’s book signing is free. To reserve signed copies of “40 Days,” call 258-7515.
For information about all Dogwood Press titles, and to read Lee’s blog, The Little Publisher That Could, visit
www.dogwoodpress.com.
