I am from a small town in northern New Jersey called Phillipsburg. Our little town sits on the shores of the Delaware River, right across from Easton, Pennsylvania, and the Lehigh Valley. Our claim to fame is our high school football team, always ranked top in the state of New Jersey (“I bleed garnet and gray!”) and our high school football rivalry with our neighbor across the river in Easton High School. That rivalry has been going on since 1905 and we fight it out on the gridiron every Thanksgiving. It’s a Stateliner tradition!

I have a good friend from Phillipsburg, Jennie Rosenblum, who is an online book reviewer (jenniereads.com) and she has been a wonderful supporter in my literary career as an independent author. Jennie gives comprehensive and honest book reviews of a variety of genres. If you’re looking for a good book to read, check out Jennie’s blog and I know you’ll find a something worth your while.

Add to that list my latest fantasy novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart. Jennie surprised me this past week when she posted her review. You can read her entire review HERE, but this is the highlight for me . . .

“Magic, Fantasy, and Steampunk all rolled into one very enjoyable adventure story.  I have read other books by this author and he always pulls me in with incredible covers and beautifully laid out interiors of his books.  When an author takes this much care, I’m already into the story before the first line.  Oh, did I also mention that the main character has lost all memory of who he is or what his life was before we see him on that very first page?”

Jennie Rosenblum, jenniereads.com

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Plan to visit the Fredericksburg Independent Book Festival and West Virginia Book Festival in October

I have two upcoming events to mention here! I will be signing and selling my novels at the Fredericksburg Independent Book Festival on Saturday, October 2, from 10am to 4pm at Riverfront Park on Sophia Street in historic Fredericksburg, Virginia. This is my first book festival EVER so I’m looking forward to attending!

Their mission is to provide a venue for local authors, graphic novelists, publishers, book artists to market their work, and to foster an interest in reading, writing, and literature. By bringing writers and readers together to promote indie authors and creators in the community to inspire the next generation of writers. Visit fredbookfest.com for more information.

UPDATE: The 2021 West Virginia Book Festival has been cancelled, at least for in-person events. Due to COVID concerns, the festival is now virtual so I will not be attending. The pain of COVID for independent authors continues…

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Mark Piggott is an independent author of the Forever Avalon fantasy book series and other fantasy novels and short stories. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon and as an audiobook from Audible and iTunes. The Dark Tides: Book 2 of the Forever Avalon Series is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook from iUniverse Publishing and at Amazon, and other booksellers. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook from Austin Macauley Publishing, and at Amazon and other booksellers. His latest fantasy novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart is available through Lulu and other booksellers. Get ready for The Prometheus Engine: Book 4 of the Forever Avalon Series, coming soon, and the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates.