In This Issue

HONORABLE LIES

My Bookstore

Music Video

Come Sail with Me

Book & Lecture Tour

Grand Marshal

Personalized Copies
Available for Sale 

Want a personalized, signed copy of any of my novels?

It's simple--

just email Jen at

 locotzinc@locotz.net

and order them. She sends my books all over the world. If you're in North America, you can call her toll-free at 
866-456-2687. 

Can't get easier than that!

View My Videos on 

YouTube!    

 HONOR BOUND and the Peter Wake sculpture 

THE DARKEST SHADE OF HONOR

THE HONORED DEAD

Friend me at
Facebook!

If you'd like to get even more news about my lecture and book signing tours, join discussions about maritime topics, and see some kewl pics of my events, just "Friend" me (Robert Macomber) at Facebook. Just click on the logo above. And yes, I am trying to become more modern and social media-wise...though I'll admit I don't Twitter (or is it Tweet?) yet.

Winter 2013 Newsletter from Author Robert N. Macomber 

Going out quarterly to 3,000 "Wakians"
(fans of Peter Wake) around the world!

HONORABLE LIES  is a Big Success!

Honorable Lies, the tenth and newest novel in the Honor Series, has done even better than we hoped for! On October 10th, 2012, Wakians across North America ordered it at amazon.com and the hardcover edition reached amazon.com best-seller status (in the top 4% of 10,000 titles) in the genre. The Kindle edition reached even higher. In Canada, it did better than any of my other novels. Additionally, we had an unanticipated joy when the Kindle edition of the first novel in the Honor Series, At the Edge of Honor, made it into the top 100 of Civil War books.

But the good news doesn't end there. As I write this, Honorable Lies is rated a 5-star book at amazon.com, has garnered excellent critical reviews, gotten some film interest, and received wonderful reader feedback. And now I have the great pleasure of letting everyone know that it has been nominated for the top national literary award and monetary prize in the genre, the American Library Association's W.Y. Boyd Award. The winner will be announced in June and the award ceremony will be in Chicago in late June/early July. Long time Wakians may remember that A Different Kind of Honor won that award in 2008, so if a long shot happens and we win this one, it will be only the second time in history that an author has done it twice. The other is Jeff Shaara.

The Big Book Bash at Pine Island saw Wakians from around the continent come to Pine Island and party like they've never partied before. The Cuban Band was a huge hit, with everyone toe-tapping and sipping Mojitos, and the special reunion show by The Yard Dogs was a rare treat. I signed hundreds of books, danced, drank rum, and never even got tired. 

Thank you for everyone that has helped and sent kind words my way. Onward and upward!   

Here's another other book  

we had released in 2012 -

 MY BOOKSTORE

Writers Celebrate Their Favorite Places to Browse, Read, and Shop

In early 2012, I was chosen as one of 84 noted authors around the country to write an essay about my favorite bookstore for an upcoming book project. In my case, it was The Muse, in Deland, Florida, a legendary place owned for 30 years by a delightful lady and dedicated bibliophile named Janet Bollum. We have a Reader Rendezvous there every year. The result was My Bookstore, a compilation of essays about some really intriguing book lairs, all of which are independently owned, which was released in November to rave reviews and excellent sales. I love this book and am honored to be in such company as Grisham, Brinkley, Atkinson, Standiford, Allende, Flagg, Eggers, Robbins, and so many others.  

So please pick up a copy of My Bookstore and go on a bibliophilic road trip! Check out these terrific places and people. Help keep independent bookstores -- the real bookstores -- alive and well in America!

Hey, is that Macomber in a music video?

Yep, it sure is - I'm a rock star!

Well, not really... 

I am proud to have Annie Wenz, an amazing folk musician known around the world, as a dear friend and fellow islander. So when she asked me to help out in a music video being filmed to promote her new song and CD, I said, "Count me in!" I've never been in a music video, and man, was it fun. Of course, the locale may have had something to do with that -- it was filmed at the famous (infamous?) Bert's Bar in Matlacha, long time mecca for blues and folk performing greats from far and wide. Check out the video by clicking on the link below. I'm the lecherous drunk 2:31 minutes into it. It was quite a stretch for me, but I think I pulled it off rather well.

Come sail with me through the islands of the Southwest Florida coast
aboard the lovely 

47-foot
sailing ketch Alondra! 

Over the last two years, our Reader Sailing Cruises have proven to be very popular. We've had so many Wakians asking for more cruises that we are offering another six cruises in early April, 2013, when the weather is some of the nicest of the year. As we sail through the islands of Mondongo, Patricio, Useppa, and Punta Blanca, I'll be sharing some of the inside stories of what it's like to roam the world, researching, writing, and lecturing, and also provide a special author's reading preview of the next novel in the Honor Series, Honors Rendered, which will be released in September 2013. Oh,  just wait 'til you hear what happened to me in the South Pacific, while I was researching that book!

Alondra gets underway from the dock at Tarpon Lodge, a lovely Old Florida fishing lodge in the village of Pineland, on Pine Island. If you come from out of the area, spend a night or two at Tarpon Lodge and experience their 4-Star gourmet dining. The dinners at sunset are truly memorable experiences.

Each sailing cruise is four hours long, starting at 1:30pm and returning at 5:30pm. The dates are: April 2nd (Tues), 3rd (Wed), 4th (Thurs), 9th (Tues),
10th (Wed), and 11th (Thurs). For each sailing, there is a maximum of six passengers and must be a minimum of four signed up. The price is $85 a person. Snacks and bottled water are served aboard.
If you would like to bring something along to drink among yourselves, please feel free to do so.

Reserve your spot(s) right away -- they get filled up fast -- by telephoning Nancy Koucky at 239-233-3003 or email her at info@pineislandsailing.com.  

Alondra's website is:www.pineislandsailing.com 

To get a room or reserve a table for dinner at Tarpon Lodge, call 239-283-3999. Their website is: www.tarponlodge.com   

Winter & Spring 2013

Book and Lecture Tour

Back in early 2012, I must have said "Yes" to a lot of folks asking for me to do talks and signings in the first several months of 2013, because suddenly I find that I'm doing 33 events in January to April, all around Florida and North Carolina. Hey, I'm glad you asked! 

We already started bright and early by doing eight events in January, and are running full speed by now. Here is the remaining line up of events. Please come on by, say hello, and allow me the honor and pleasure of personally inscribing my work for you. 

February 1st and 2nd 

Panama City, Florida 

Featured author at the Books Alive Reading Festival

I'll be speaking at 9am and 2:30pm on Saturday, the 2nd www.booksalive.net  

February 4th at 2pm

Lecturing on "World War I in the Pacific" 

Shell Point Village, South Ft. Myers, Florida 

February 5th at 10am 

Lecturing on the Civil War in SWFla "The Patriot & the Widow" Florida Gulf Coast University, Charlotte Campus 

Downtown Punta Gorda, Florida 

February 6th at 11am (private event) 

Lecturing on "Marco Island in the Civil War" 

Reserve Officers Association 

Naples, Florida 

February 11th at 2pm 

Lecturing on "The German Raiders of the Pacific" 

Shell Point Village, South Ft. Myers, Florida 

February 13th at 5:30pm 

Lecturing on "Marco Island in the Civil War"

Gulf Coast Sailing Club Naples, Florida 

February 16th at 7pm

Grand Marshal of the Edison Pageant of Light Parade

Ft Myers, Florida

February 21st at 10am 

Lecturing on "The Great Escape" (of the CSA Sec of State
thru Southwest Florida)

Florida Gulf Coast University, Charlotte Campus

Downtown Punta Gorda, Florida

February 23rd at 5pm 

Harvard Club Dinner (private event) 

Royal Palm Yacht Club Ft Myers, Florida

March 2nd at 10am 

Lecture on "Cuba Then, Cuba Now" 

Harbourview Gallery 

Cape Coral, Florida

March 4th 

Grace United Methodist Church (private event) 

Venice, Florida 

March 7th at 6pm

Lecturing on "Cuba Then, Cuba Now" (private event) 

Retired Physicians Association 

South Ft. Myers, Florida

March 10th at 2pm 

Book signing/discussion "Researching and writing inside Cuba" Bookstore 1 

Downtown Sarasota, Florida 

March 15th and 16th 

Featured author at the Lake County Bookfest Reading Festival
Central Florida

April 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 9th, 10th, and 11th, 

from 1:30pm to 5:30pm each day 

Reader Cruises aboard sailing ship Alondra

Tarpon Lodge, Pine Island, Florida

April 19th and 20th 

Featured author at the Carolina Writers Conference 

Wadesboro (near Charlotte), North Carolina

April 26th at 10:30am and at 2:30pm 

Lecturing on "The Coastal Civil War in SWFla" at 10:30am 

and "The Great Escape" (of CSA Secretary of State thru Southwest Florida) at 2:30pm 

Boca Grande Civil War Symposium 

Boca Grande, Florida  

Come out and cheer me on -
as the Grand Marshal of the
Edison Pageant of Light Parade!  

Wow... I've been given the great honor of being named the Grand Marshal of the 75th annual Edison Pageant of Light Parade. The largest night parade in the southeastern United States, with over 5,000 participants, is named after Thomas Edison, Lee County, Florida's most famous resident. Last year 200,000 people lined the parade route, which begins in Edison Stadium at 7pm, on Saturday, February 16th, and winds its way downtown to the Historic River District.  This is a big dang deal for someone who grew up here, as I did, and who marched in the parade twice in the 1960s. And it's not just a little intimidating, I might add. 

So I promise to try to be on my very bestest behavior, not embarrass Wakians by doing something dumb, and not fall out of the Mustang convertible they've got me sitting atop. Accompanying me will be the lovely Nancy Glickman, who has promised to keep me in fine decorum, at least while I'm in public. We're both practicing waving our hands. I'm opting for the classy British royal style, Nancy prefers good ol' American. Time will tell, and you can watch all the action either in person or on television that evening.  

Spring is coming, really... 

I know that some of you live in frigid places, and I hope that you get through the winter without mishap or malady. Perhaps you can escape the Arctic atmosphere and come to one of my events in Florida. How about sailing through tropical islands in early April? That'll thaw your body and soul.

This winter I'm not going on my usual Pacific lecture and research journey-there's just too much to get done (I'll tell you about that in the next newsletter) around here. But this coming September, my book tour for Honors Rendered will go from Key West to Maine, so I hope to get see some of you who haven't been able to make it down to the tropical end of Florida.

In the meantime, be safe in the winter and rest assured, Spring is coming!

Onward and upward, for us all...

Bob Macomber