Thank you, Elizabeth City.
Thank you kindly.

Project Zebra was scheduled to be released on November, maybe catching the holiday gift-giving season. Although with all this anti-Russian collusion stuff, who knows.

Anyway, Elizabeth City Mayor, a big fan of my project, called me in early September to invite me to the City’s twenty-first annual Ghost Walk in mid-October. The city, founded in the 1700’s, has been the siting of numerous Colonial Ghosts—real and imagined. So Ghost Walk has become a October weekend tradition.

“I’m sure I can rustle up a spot somewhere, and we’ll just see what happens.” With that modest pronouncement, I wasn’t expecting much but it sounded like fun, and we could make a few stops to catch up with some old friends in D.C. My publisher sent a few hundred advance copies to the Mayor’s house.
Three Sundays later, a front-page story about Project Zebra appears in the local daily newspaper, The Daily Advance. I’m a happy trooper.

Front page story in the Elizabeth City Daily Advance, replete with book cover.

The following weekend there was more. Project Zebra became a featured read in the paper’s book section. Now I’m a happy, happy trooper!

The city’s welcome Project Zebra continues. Note review.

Mayor Peel called again. “Hey’ we’ve got you a nice spot at the Arts on Albemarle.” Turns out AOA is the city’s preeminent arts center for all things cultural from theater to film to dance. When we arrive at the gracious Culpepper Inn a few days later, there a sign, “Welcome Project Zebra.” Inside on the table, and, all around town, as I was to learn, there was a mail flyer which detailed the weekend events. And, so I learned the town had organized a “Meet the Author” event for both Friday and Saturday prime time slots. Now I’m a happy, happy, happy trooper. (Even my wife is impressed).

Ghost Walk event mailer and special M.G. Crisci hello.

So, Friday evening arrives. I’ve got a prominent table, a bunch of local produced point-of-sale materials. The doors open to the place, and people come in looking for me and signed copies of Project Zebra. By the time the doors closed, the first batch of books was gone. Fortunately, I thought to myself, we have another batch at the Mayor’s house.

And, so it was on Saturday. Those who were shut out on Friday returned, plus more friends and residents. In the end the cupboard was bare. And, this author felt all the hard work of the two previous years had been rewarded.

Should you decide to pick up a copy, I hope you have as much fun reading the book as I had in writing it.

Book-loving, gracious residents provide a warm southern welcome.