Tag Archives: easton book festival

You Didn’t Come This Far Only to Come This Far

December 24, 2023 philgiunta@ptd.net

Despite recent bouts of COVID, depression, and elevated stress, I had occasion over this holiday season to reflect on everything for which I’m grateful, and the list is long.

Yes, 2023 was a challenging year. I struggled with severe anxiety attacks that began in September 2022 and continued until mid-August 2023. They left me debilitated for the first hour or two every morning and were often accompanied by bouts of depression, some lasting weeks. There were days when I thought they would end me, but I live by two mottos: “life might knock me down, but it can’t keep me down” and “you didn’t come this far only to come this far.”

I’ve been grappling with the demons of depression and anxiety for over 45 years. For most of that time, I’ve been alone in my fight, but on this occasion, I had the help of three amazing women—my wife, my therapist, and my favorite singer on the planet, Dido (never say music doesn’t heal a broken soul). They are all my heroes.

‌‌My wife planned and booked every step of our June trip to Niagara Falls and the Thousand Islands, culminating in a visit to Boldt Castle on my birthday. It was a fantastic week. Travel does wonders for mental health.

It was also in June when my detective tale, “Pearl of Great Price,” was published in Hard-Boiled and Loaded with Sin by Hawkshaw Press. That also helped loosen anxiety’s grip on me.

At the same time, plans to release the second edition of Testing the Prisoner were coming to fruition. By early June, the book was fully re-edited by yours truly and two months later, artist pal Scott Barnett produced a cover that not only popped but exploded.

The book was released on September 18th. What happened next was nothing short of amazing.

First, I ran an Early Reviewers giveaway on LibraryThing, which resulted in five stellar reviews from the happy winners.

In October, after purchasing a copy of Testing the Prisoner from my table at the Easton Book Festival, writer and publisher Angel Ackerman—current president of the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group—praised the book on her blog as well as Amazon and Goodreads. By this time, Testing the Prisoner had been named as one of five finalists in American Book Fest’s 2023 Best Book Awards (Horror Category). Wow!

I was then contacted by horror writer Carson Buckingham who offered to review the book for Hellnotes.com. I sent a paperback to her in mid-November and shortly after Thanksgiving, she posted her effusive review, giving Testing the Prisoner six out of five stars!

As of this writing, I’m on the final round of re-edits to By Your Side, the second edition of which is slated for release on February 5, 2024 with a new cover by the aforementioned brilliant artist, Scott Barnett. The official launch will happen at Farpoint SF Convention in Pikesville, MD.

As I sit here on December 23rd, the house decked out for Christmas, anticipating a glorious week off from work and all of the writing and editing ahead of me, I do indeed have plenty to be grateful for. I hope you do as well. If you’re struggling, remember that you didn’t come this far, only to come this far. Life will knock you down at times, but problems and setback are temporary. Please don’t let them keep you down.

I wish you peace, love, and joy this holiday season and throughout the new year!

Blog, Book Signings, Events

After Action Report: Witches Day Out & Easton Book Festival

October 24, 2023 philgiunta@ptd.net

The weekend of October 21-22 was a hectic one with back to back book events. On Saturday the 21st, I had an author table at a local family Halloween event called Witches Day Out.

This event was founded about a decade ago by a friend and former co-worker who has since passed down the torch to her daughters. I had a table at their very first show held in a small bed and breakfast in Allentown, PA. Back then, it was a one-day event. Now, it’s three Saturdays in October at the Tri-Boro Sportsmen Club in Northampton, PA.

There were vendors both inside and out selling jewelry, crafts, candles, holiday decor, baked goods, tattoos, and of course, books. I only sold about six, but catching up with my co-worker and her daughters made the day wonderful in addition to the beautiful location on the Lehigh Canal, of course!

Deep gratitude to Lynn Murphy and her daughter Megan Schroy for inviting me back. Already looking forward to next year!

Sunday saw me participating in the final day of the 5th annual Easton Book Festival and for me, it was the best one yet as I reunited with old friends, made new ones, and sold a few books.

At 11AM, I moderated a wonderful panel called “Grit & Crime: The Art of Writing Noir” with Dianna Sinovic, Suzanne Mattaboni, and Albert Tucher. All of us have stories in Hard-Boiled and Loaded with Sin, the latest crime fiction anthology by Hawkshaw Press. The panel was held at Book & Puppet Company on Centre Square, one of the hubs of the festival.

Throughout the day, I dashed to and from my table at the Easton Public Market to participate in other events including “Dark & Stormy Night” book reading competition at 2PM in Book & Puppet. This is always a fun event with my fellow members of the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group. This time around, participants included Dianna Sinovic as scorekeeper, Charles Kiernan as timekeeper and quizmaster, John Evans as our host and inventor of the competition, and my fellow readers Michael Daigle and Suzanne Mattaboni.

All told, it was a magical weekend of fun and camaraderie. Hats off to EBF President Lynn Alexander, Vice President Darrell Parry, Festival Director Andy Laties, Secretary John Evans, and the entire committee and staff. Looking forward to next October!

Art of Writing Noir Discussion Panel — Photo credit: Andy Laties, festival director and owner of Book & Puppet Co.

Dark & Stormy Night Book Reading — Photo credit: Joseph Malham

Phil's Table at Easton Book Festival — Photo credit: Lynn Alexander, president of Easton Book Festival

Articles, Blog, Opinion, Promotion, Writing and Publishing

Short Stories, Novellas, and Novels… Oh My!

October 17, 2023 philgiunta@ptd.net

A few weeks ago, lovely and perspicacious writer pal Sara Karnish threw some questions at me about novels, novellas, and short stories and from my addled, sleep-deprived brain, I conjured up some reasonably cogent replies (or a reasonable facsimile thereof).

Check out the interview on the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group blog!

The second edition of my first paranormal mystery novel, Testing the Prisoner, is out now in ebook and paperback!

And if you’re in the Lehigh Valley this coming weekend, October 19-22, come on out to the Easton Book Festival for a dazzling array of writers and poets offering readings, panel discussions, presentations, and more!

Blog, Book Signings, Events

Easton Book Festival 2023

September 22, 2023 philgiunta@ptd.net

October is nearly upon us and with it, the Easton Book Festival, which will take place October 19-22 in downtown Easton, PA. The central hub of the festival is Book & Puppet Company at 22 Centre Square but programming is scheduled all over town including:

International Fusionism Museum
Nurture Nature Center
College Hill Tavern
Easton Area Public Library
Skillman Library
Quadrant Book Mart
Easton Farmers Market

The full schedule of impressive events can be found here on the festival website.

I’ll be participating on Sunday, October 22 in the following events:

11AM – 5PM – Easton Small Press Expo. Author tables will set up in the Easton Public Market located at 325 Northampton St. Come on out to see local writers Angel Ackerman, Michael Stephen Daigle, Phil Giunta, Christopher Ochs, Ginny Shephard, Felicia Heath, Dianna Sinovic, and Tom Lubben.

11AM – Noon – Grit and Crime: The Art of Writing Noir with Albert Tucher, Suzanne Mattaboni, Dianna Sinovic, Phil Giunta (moderator).

Noir is a subgenre of crime literature featuring cynical characters and bleak settings. Dark in theme and subject matter, noir often features systemic corruption and a disturbing mixture of sex and violence. It is frequently associated with hard-boiled detective fiction, but they’re not exactly the same. Panelists will discuss the similarities and differences between noir and hard-boiled fiction, and what inspired them to write in these genres. Panelists will read excerpts from their stories in “Hard-Boiled and Loaded with Sin,” the latest crime noir anthology from Hawkshaw Press.

2PM – 3PM – A Dark and Stormy Night: Game Show with Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group. Host: John Evans. Participants: Phil Giunta, Bernadette Sukley, Michael Stephen Daigle, Suzanne Mattaboni, Dianna Sinovic, Charles Kiernan.

Storm clouds gather as the audience votes on their favorite excerpts read by three GLVWG authors in a literary “gameshow.” Each round showcases the authors’ mastery of an element of fiction: dialogue, setting, character with the audience as the judge. Expect audience participation, a literary trivia quiz, door prizes, and fun for all.

3:45PM – 4PM – I will be reading a 10-minute excerpt (unless I speak quickly and finish the entire thing!) from my short story, “Where Halloween Never Ends” at the Easton Public Market.

Blog, Book Signings, Events, Writing and Publishing

Easton Book Festival

September 14, 2019 philgiunta@ptd.net

The Easton Book Festival will take place the weekend of October 25-27, 2019 at various locations throughout downtown Easton, PA.

As part of the festival, the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group is sponsoring a series of writing workshops, presentations, and discussion panels on Saturday and Sunday at the Easton campus of Northampton Community College on the corner of 3rd and Pine Streets (adjacent to the Crayola Experience).

At this time, the topics have been selected, but the schedule is still tentative. I will present a one-hour session on self-editing called “Trim Your Story” on Saturday at noon and another one-hour session called “Time Management for Writers” on Sunday at 1PM. I’m also slated to participate in a discussion panel called “Writing in the 21st Century” on Saturday at 2PM.

Other authors will present topics on writing memoir, poetry, biographies, historical fiction, cover design, traditional publishing, and much more. I will post the final schedule when it becomes available.

In between all of that, I will have a table where my books will be available. Looking forward to a weekend dedicated to the love of literature. Hope to see you there!