An important month ahead as the 2026 Venice Writers’ Festival and Book Fair is in final planning. I am a member of the planning committee, and in the last 30 days, everything has been locked in and prepared for the 26-28 March 2026 weekend. 

• The annual Venice Book Fair and Writers’ Festival announced its kick-off event and day of panels, taking place on March 26 and 27, with the Book Fair following on March 28. Venice Heritage Inc. sponsors this three-day event and is part of this year’s Venice Centennial Celebration. The Island Bookshop hosts a social and panel discussion to kick off the festival on Thursday, March 26. A day of moderated panel discussions and presentations follows on March 27 at the William H. Jervey Jr. Venice Public Library, featuring authors sharing their insights on writing and publishing. It culminates on March 28 with a book fair at the beautiful Venice West Blalock Park and Arboretum, where literary lovers meet local and national authors who sell and sign their latest works.

“The Foreword,” Thursday, 5:30 p.m., March 26: Held at The Collectors Gallery in Venice, and sponsored and moderated by the Island Bookshop, the wine and cheese social begins the weekend. South Beach Shakedown best-selling author Don Bruns, Heal America: The Remarkable Life of Mary Lasker author Judy Pearson, John Nolen: Urban Planner and Landscape Architect author Bruce Stephenson, and collaborative writer and coach Karen Kelly kick off the literary weekend with a look back and look forward on our area and publishing overall.

“Table of Contents,” Friday, 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., March 27: The Gulf Coast Foundation Community Room, William H. Jervey Jr. Venice Public Library, serves as the location for the continuation of the series of select panel discussions. Panel topics include:

“Imagine Yourself a Writer: Tools and Tips for Getting Started.” Reflections on a year of starting to write and edit, with practical tips and resources for authors.

“Do You Plot or Do You Write by the Seat of Your Pants?”  Which are you, and does it make a difference?

“The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Writing and Marketing” Point-Counter Pointon the merits and pitfalls of AI in producing and marketing works for publication.

“Celebrating Venice’s Centennial: Writing about Your Hometown” Perspectives on celebrating Venice or any hometown in words and pictures.

• “The Book Fair,” Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., March 28: Local and national authors meet the public and sell and sign their latest works. Open to the public, the park setting, with upwards of sixty authors displaying their books, provides an enjoyable Saturday stroll through a wide range of genres.

• “ADVANCE THE LINE”

I am closing in on the manuscript and will release my latest novel, “ADVANCE THE LINE,” this Spring. It is the continuing story of the Mackenzies. The protagonist, Jonathan “Standing Elk” Mackenzie, is a graduate of Norwich University and a lieutenant on the Western Front. I thought many have waited so long for this novel that I’d add a little something in this month’s blog. Imagine yourself standing in a trench, artillery bursting around you, and finally, when you climb up and move forward, thousands of bullets fill the air.

 CHAPTER 1. TIP OF THE SPEAR

The Western Front, France.

He could not press his body closer to the wood-reinforced trench wall, gaining one more inch of protection. Dawn’s light was breaking, and the ground seemed to shake everywhere as American and French artillery traded fire with the Germans in a lethal exchange. Jonathan Oliver “Standing Elk” Mackenzie, rain-drenched and muddy, trembled deep within his core. He reached inside his tunic and touched the talisman he wore around his neck. The words repeated in his mind as another artillery round burst in front of the trench.

“Christ, they are close.”

The explosions were unsettling as thousands of soldiers waited for the signal to go over the top. Mouth dry, he swallowed hard, fighting the nausea building in his stomach. There was no outward display, only the determined look of an army officer preparing to rise from cover and move forward into enemy fire.

His platoon of foot soldiers waited, rifles with fixed bayonets, each man lost in thought: some asking a higher Deity for protection, others trying to reassure comrades, and some giving in to the nausea and vomiting. The seconds ticked away as the artillery shifted forward, preparing the ground for the soldiers and creating a wall of destruction ahead of the infantry.

“Lead, and they’ll follow. Move quickly, but not in a straight line. That’s too easy a target. Listen to the voice from the other side, saying the Lakota ancestors were with him. I am a warrior in the long line of the Lakota Sioux.”

He released the talisman and stood back from the wall. Drawing his pistol and looking left, then right, he could see only part of his 40-man platoon; the zigzag construction of the trench, meant for added protection, obstructed his view of the rest.

The sound of continuous rifle and machine gun firing, the zip of bullets passing over their heads, and the unfamiliar shaking in his core were overwhelming. The feeling was foreign to him. Now the extreme life-threatening impact of war was upon him, and he needed to set that aside. Their brigade led the assault, marking the beginning of the long-awaited offensive. The booming American artillery fire prepared the ground in front of the Americans for the advance.

Mackenzie counted the seconds for the order to advance. The captain’s whistle sounded above the artillery, and the signal was finally given. The sound itself evoked feelings of finality, yet the soldiers swallowed their fear, climbed out of the trench, and advanced.

Gotta finish this novel for editing. More to follow.