HAPPY HOLIDAYS

I can hardly believe that the Holidays are here already, and as far as I'm concerned 2009 can't get here fast enough. The last 4 months of 2008 have been a financial disaster. I sure don't envy our new president, what with the mess he has to deal with, but I wish him the very best. Heaven knows he will need it.
The past 4 months have been very busy for Linda and myself. We spent some time in Florida and put our Ocala home on the market. If you have been following the news, and it's hard not to, then you know just how bad the housing market is. We made some sacrifices, but we managed to sell our home. So, after 11 years, we leave Florida with mixed emotions. We will miss the nice warm Florida sunshine and the wonderful friends that we made over the years, but we will enjoy living so close to our family in Virginia year-round. Our grand children are growing up fast and we don't want to miss their early years.
I plan to become more active with marketing my novel and hope to schedule more book signings in the Richmond area. I have to admit, I have been a bit lax in that area over the past several months because of other commitments, but I will make it a New Year resolution to get bust promoting The Scam. If you know someone who enjoys reading mystery novels you may want to get them a copy for a Christmas present.
Linda and I would like to wish everyone a wonderful Holiday season and a super great 2009. We hope and pray that our economy turns around real fast, and that our nation's new leaders learn from the errors of the past to put aside their differences and cooperate with each other for the good of our country.

NOW AVAILABLE AT TARGET

I was delighted to find out that The Scam is now available from www.target.com. They are currently offering a slight discount off the regular retail price. Target is a major retailer, so you can imagine how excited I was to get this news.
In addition to Target, www.ebay.com is now selling my novel. They have it listed at a buy now price of $16.95, and it appears that you can also bid for it. EBay claims to have 100 books in stock at the moment.

Take a look inside the book

Amazon.com has just added a new feature to my novel. It's called "Search inside," and it actually allows you to go inside and read pages of the book before purchasing it. You can also check out the front and back covers. I tried it out and thought that it was excellent. Not all books have the feature, but I was delighted to find it added to The Scam. Check it out and let me know how you like it.

PASS THE WORD, NOT THE BOOK

Today is the first day of summer, so I wanted to take the opportunity to wish everyone a nice summer and hope that you have the opportunity to read some really good books.
If you have already purchased a copy of my novel, I would like to thank you. If you enjoyed the book kindly pass the word to others, but I hope you will pass the word and not the book, because I am trying to increase sales of my book in the hope that it can become a best seller. The only way that will happen is if others go out and buy a copy.
I just got back from a trip to NY to visit family and was delighted to speak with several people who have read, and enjoyed The Scam. I even had the privilege of signing three books while in Brooklyn. That was a nice experience.

Richmond, Virginia

It's that time of the year again. Linda and I will be going back to our home in Virginia for the summer. Actually, we plan on being there at least until October. It will be good to see our family again.
I will be making one stop on our way to Virginia to do a book signing in Charlotte, NC. The book signings in Ocala and Bradenton, Florida were a lot of fun. I met a lot of mystery fans and signed some books.
Once I get back to Richmond I plan to schedule as many local book signings as possible and continue marketing The Scam. I will also be spending time doing research for my next novel and creating an outline for the story.
I'd also like to take a moment to say that I am very proud of Linda. Her grandfather, Giuseppi Procaccio, an Italian immigrant who came to the United States as a young man and enlisted in the U.S. Army at twenty seven years of age, fought in the Battle of the Argonne Forest, France. He was severely wounded but did not receive his purple heart (it was not awarded during WWI). Well, Linda made sure that he got the medal that he earned. On April 12 she was presented with her grandfathers Purple Heart posthumously at a moving ceremony conducted by Congressman Cliff Stearns in Ocala, Florida. Way to go Linda, I'm sure that your grandfather is proud.

MARCH & APRIL SCHEDULE

Book signing events scheduled for March & April:

*March 27th (Thursday) 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Freedom Public Library
5870 SW 95th Street
Ocala, Florida

*April 7th (Monday) 4:00 to 5:30 p.m.
Tara Golf & Country Club
6602 Drewry's Bluff
Bradenton, Florida

*April 26th (Saturday) 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Allen Tate Realty
8734 Arbor Creek Dr.
Charlotte, N.C.
(in the Lowes Food Store shopping ctr.)

BOOK SIGNING IN BRADENTON, FLORIDA

I have just scheduled a book signing for Bradenton, Florida. If you are in the area I would love to meet with you and talk about my book. It will take place on Monday, April 7 at the clubhouse at Tara Golf & Country Club from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m.
Tara Golf & Country Club is located just off Interstate 75 at the SR70 exit in Bradenton. I will have copies of The Scam available at the book signing.

LEAP YEAR 2008

I only get this opportunity once every four years, so I'm taking advantage of it-that is to write something on February 29.
Linda and I just got back from a ten day Caribbean cruise on Feb. 24. It was really nice. We visited the Dominican Republic, Tortola, Antigua, Barbados, and St. Lucia. I think that St. Lucia was the most picturesque of the five ports, but they all had a different charm. Well, I'm not too sure about Samana, D.R. where poverty abounds. I love cruising but the jury is still out with regard to Freestyle Cruising, as far as I am concerned. There were ten restaurants on the ship but it was almost impossible to make a reservation for the times that we wanted to dine. Other than that, it was a great trip.
We met, and befriended some very nice people during the cruise. Jeff DeHart, actor, comedian, and impressionist, was the main act for one evening and we actually got to spend some time with him during the cruise. He is a talented, and very funny man. I encourage you to visit his web site at http://www.jeffdehart.com/ You will find it interesting.
We also became friends with author Gail Small and her husband Dave. Gail gave several seminars during the cruise on 'How to be creative.' She has published several children's books and self help books-many of which her husband has illustrated. Gail's has a web site at http://www.gailsmall.com/ and Dave has an online cartoon at http://wwwDave@SignGarden.com/ We have already been in touch by e-mail and Gail has told me that she has started reading my novel and "Really likes it" she added that it is "Good and engaging and fun."
I did sell, and sign, several copies of The Scam while on the cruise-I had to mix business with pleasure. A really nice couple from London, Patsy and John, purchased a book and were kind enough to invite Linda and I to stay with them if we ever visit the UK. You have just got to love the Brits.
When we arrived home on Sunday, my next door neighbor welcomed us home and gave me a couple of copies of the South Marion Citizen, which he had saved. While we were away, the Citizen had written a really nice front page article about me and my novel along with a very favorable book review of The Scam and my neighbor wanted to be sure that I had some copies of the local Ocala newspaper.
Unfortunately, I woke up Monday with the flu, so I have been spending the week trying to recover. It could have been worse though-I could have gotten sick while on the cruise. Oh...I did take a whole bunch of really nice pictures which I downloaded to my computer to show my friends.

FAQ

Here are a few of the most frequently asked questions:
How did you get the idea to write The Scam? The original inspiration came to me about twenty years ago while I was working as vice president for an independent commercial bank on Long Island. At that time one of the bank's senior officers mysteriously disappeared. He was the commercial loan officer. One of the loans that he had made had become delinquent and I was in the process of reviewing the file and drawing up papers to write off the loan when I came upon a suicide letter that he had left behind. In his letter, the loan officer explained just how he was duped into making the loan, and how his life was threatened by the client that he gave the loan to. The letter startled me, and my first thought was that it sounded like something right out of Hollywood. I began to do some research and drafted an outline for a book. Eventually, I started to write a manuscript. However, at that time, I could not think of a proper ending for my book so I put the manuscript asside with the intention of finishing it sometime in the future. As the years passed I became involved with other matters and did not get around to finishing my manuscript until after I retired. By that time I had to completely revise and rewrite my novel, but I finally had an ending.
How much of your novel is true and how much is fiction? Well, as I mention in the Author's Note at the begining of my book, The Scam is a work of fiction based on actual events. I will say this: the disapearance of the loan officer is factual, as is the loan that he made. The bank's client was connected to organized crime and allegedly did threaten the loan officers life. Also. the bank that he worked for was eventually closed by the bank regulators, and many of the events that I write about led to the demise of that bank. I will leave the rest up to the readers imagination.
Why did you self-publish your novel rather than use a traditional publisher? There are several reasons for my decision to self-publish. To begin with, I wanted to have my book published in a timely manner, and as a new author I knew that it could be years before I found a traditional publisher willing to publish my book. By that time my novel could be dated. Also, I felt hat if I had a published book, rather than an unread manuscript, I would have a better chance of attracting the attention of a literary agent to represent me in the future publication of other novels that I write. That is of course if my first novel was good enough attract the attention of an agent or a traditional publisher. As it is my desire to have my novel turned into a movie, I wanted to have a finished book to show to film producers. At this stage I am activly seeking a literary agent to represent me.
Is self-publishing expensive? Yes, it is costly. Also, you have to be careful to select a reputable publishing company. I selected iUniverse to publish my novel because they were recommended by a friend and fellow author. I also looked at other books that were published by iUniverse and liked the quality of their product. There are some down sides to self-publishing though: for one, do not expect to make a profit from your book sales, the publisher takes 80% of your profit. And you can count on spending a lot of time marketing your book if you expect any success. However, like anything else in life, you only get out what you put in.
Will detective Vince Bianco appear in your future novels? I do plan to use Vince as a continuing character in other novels. I feel that he has a good future in my books, and, who knows, perhaps he will star in a regular TV series some day.

SIGNED-FIRST EDITION

You can now purchase a First Edition of The Scam, signed by the author by sending a check or money order in the amount of $19.95 ($16.00 + $3.95 s&h) to:
J.R. Malerba
c/o 9630 Redwick Dr.
Midlothian, VA 23112.
( Shipping within the United States only) When ordering please indicate if you would like your book personalized.

WELCOME IN THE NEW YEAR

The Holidays are over and the new year is here. I hope that 2008 is a good year for all.
I am happy to say that the early reviews of The Scam are very favorable. Both Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com have given my novel 4.5 stars out of a possible 5.
If you have already read my book and would like to write your own review you can do so at bn.com and amazon.com.
I am currently in the process of scheduling book signings for the spring and will be spending the rest of the winter in Ocala, Florida enjoying the sunshine and promoting my novel.