Thanks to all who attended the successful book signing held Thursday night Dec. 2nd at Park Square Cellar in Lithia, FL. The venue was fantasic and our hosts, Mary and Shawn from Park Square Cellar are the best–thanks again! I want to also thank my fellow author Kelly Abell for joining me at the event.

I was blown away by all the support from friends and family. Could not believe that my cousin Steve Frazee flew in from Ohio to attend–great to see you Stever! Fantastic to see Dr. Andy Solomon, my writing professor from the University of Tampa–thanks again Doc! My son’s teacher, Ms. Mathis stopped by as well as several students (Ryan) and parents from Randall Middle School (I had spoken to their classes  a couple of weeks prior as part of the Great American Teach-In).

For anyone unable to swing by that would like to purchase a signed copy of the book (makes a great last minute holiday gift),  please contact me.

Dan

Don’t forget the book signing with myself and fellow author Kelly Abell is this Thursday, December 2, 2010 from 6pm  – 9 pm at Park Square Cellar in Lithia, Fl. I will be signing my Solstice Publishing bestselling thriller The WILCO Project and Kelly will be signing her “In Lies” series of thrillers, Sealed in Lies, and Captured in Lies.

Can’t decide on what gift to get that person that has everything? How about personally signed novels from local authors? Kelly and I look forward to seeing everyone on Thursday!

Dan

Dad with kids Steven and Madison

Thanks again to all that made it out to my first book signing on November 17, 2010. The turn out of family and friends was fantastic–I was blown away by all the support!

I have to admit that the event was quite surreal for me and I kept thinking that whole thing was a dream. Getting everything together and set up was a nerve-racking and a lot of work. I had the signage in the background, the table along with the TV monitor and the DVD player to bring in and assemble, but once folks began to stream in, I could not stop smiling.

Rich Soule, Greg Wilcoxen, Daniel Springer, and Greg Gartley

Thanks to my friends from the Florida Writers Association, Eugene Orlando and Paul DuBose, for stopping by and showing support. I had a friend that I have known since middle school, Rich Soule, show up! Thanks also to the wonderful folks that live in my neighborhood for taking the time to come by on a Wednesday night–such wonderful support, I was overwhelmed!

Thanks also to my family for coming–my wife Sheri and kids, Selma Leach, Dad, sister Teri and Clint and the kids. You all made the event special for me!!

If you could not stop by for this event, please put Thursday, December 2 on your calendar for the next signing at Parl Square Cellar–look forward to seeing you there!

Dan

Check out the book trailer for THE WILCO PROJECT. This is an incredible video created by a team of students from Strawberry Crest High School in Dover, FL (outside of Tampa). All of the fantastic participants are credited at the end of the video.

My sincere thanks go out to Teri Locke, who liked the idea and allowed me to pitch it to the SCHS Drama Club.

I absolutely love the trailer–thanks to all the students that participated. Now, sit back, relax and enjoy the show…

Dan

This post may seem a little corny, but this was a special moment for my family and me. Reminded me of a scene at the end of the movie BACK TO THE FUTURE where Marty’s dad George opens a box. It went something like this…

What’s in the box?

Today is Veterans Day 2010 and to all of those that have served and are currently serving, I salute and thank you!

I often wonder how I was fortunate enough to not be involved in one of the many conflicts and wars that have occured in my lifetime. I was born in 1964, right in the middle of the Vietnam War and remember Walter Cronkite leading off the newscast with reports from the battlefield every evening.

While I attended college in 1983, the US intervened in Grenada. In 1989, I was a 25 year old newlywed when the US invaded Panama. Then, in 1990, the US fought in the Persian Gulf War. In these wars and conflicts I was in my late teens and twenties, the optimal age for a soldier. In 2001 the US invaded Afghanistan and two years later invaded Iraq. By this time I had reached my late thirties,  but certainly was still young enough to fight and serve in these wars.

In the conflicts and wars that have occurred in my life, where I was of the age to participate, the draft was not in effect, and because I did not volunteer, I never went into the service. So, I am so very thankful for those that made the decision to defend our country, a choice I did not make.

Dan

My name is Daniel Springer and I am the author of The WILCO Project, a newly released mystery/thriller available in both eBook and print from Solstice Publishing. When people find out that I wrote a published novel I am usually asked, “How did come up with the idea for the story?” My answer is that I can’t honestly remember exactly how the idea came to me, but I am sure it had something to do with my background in computers and telecommunications and me looking to the future of cell phones and the types of games that would be possible on those devices. I wrote the first draft of the manuscript in 2004 when much of technology in my book was in its infancy and, as it turned out, I happened to get pretty close on what is happening in that area of technology. But, I can not actually pinpoint how I came up with the story idea.

The less often asked question and the one that I think may be more interesting is, “Why did you decide to write a novel?” That is a more complex question that certainly has a longer answer.  The most basic answer is that I can remember wanting to write the great American novel as far back as high school. I am forty-six now, which would make that thirty years ago–so I guess you could say that for all of my adult life I have had the urge to write a book!

In the summer between my junior and senior year of high school I can vividly remember scratching out about ten pages of, what I thought at the time, was the first in my string of bestsellers on notebook paper with a black Bic ballpoint pen. I vaguely recall that the story had something to do with a young Air Force pilot that was part of an elite squadron being trained to fly a secret fleet of space ships designed to protect the earth from alien invasion. I never finished chapter three.

In college I had another idea that I got serious enough to jot notes about and tear magazine articles out with facts that would come in handy when I wrote the book–this would have been in the mid-eighties. I did not start writing anything down until almost ten years later. I had a pretty good excuse as I had to graduate from college, get married, relocate from Tampa to Tallahassee with my new bride, then move back to Tampa a year later, build a house, and grow my career. But finally I did start a manuscript, this time typed on my first PC. This was a “sophisticated” story of a small market profession baseball team that defied the odds and made a run at the World Series. The antagonist was a young TV executive who would loose his career over the terrible ratings if the team won the pennant and on the World Series–he would have to make sure the team failed. The hero was to be a rookie pitcher who would bravely ignore the mob threats to throw the game, thus, risking his life. What a fantastic story! I never finished chapter five.

In 1997 my son was born and my daughter came along two years later. We built a larger house to accommodate our growing family. For a year and a half I commuted from Tampa to Dallas for my job–life was crazy busy! Then, one morning in 2001, while out getting some exercise, a car hit me while I was riding my bicycle. Fortunately my helmet saved my life and I received relatively minor injuries and made a full recovery. The hit-and-run driver’s car impacted me at such a high rate of speed that I was launched into the air as the car sped under me and I landed some thirty feet in front of my bike! I could have easily been killed,

Needless to say, my appreciation for life changed as a result of that accident. So when the idea for The WILCO Project came to me, in July of 2004, I once again sat down in front of the computer to write the story. On this attempt, however, for six days a week I woke up a four in the morning and wrote for three hours. By late November I had completed the first draft, I had finally finished writing my novel. I guess I would conclude that I wrote my novel because I love to write and it was always a goal of mine–but, it also took a change in my outlook on life to give me the mindset to finish.

The WILCO Project won Honorable Mention in the 2005 Florida Writers Association Royal Palm Literary Awards. It was a Semifinalist in the 2008 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. Publishers Weekly review says, “”THE WILCO PROJECT combines murder mystery with elements of a technological thriller, blending the genres in a deftly written manuscript…the author delivers a well-executed thriller.” Please check out my website: http://DanielSpringer.com.

Great news! The print version of my book is now available in Amazon.com.  I am told that the Kindle version should follow in a week or so. If you are interested, take a look here: http://www.amazon.com/Wilco-Project-Daniel-Springer/dp/1453884637/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1288909908&sr=1-1

If you happen to like the book, a good review is much appreciated :’)

Dan

Both the print and eBook version of THE WILCO PROJECT are now officially released and available for ordering from Solstice Publishing. To order the eBook version, please click here. You can order the print version by clicking here.

This is very exciting for me. Thanks to all my family and friends for the incredible support. Have a fun and safe Halloween!

Dan

Several years ago I entered THE WILCO PROJECT in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. The book was selected as a Semifinalist (it made the cut from 5000 entries to 836). As a result of my participation in the contest the book received the following review from PUBLISHERS WEEKLY:

THE WILCO PROJECT combines murder mystery with elements of a technological thriller, blending the genres in a deftly written manuscript. The author provides a gripping opening with a female college student murdered while playing a mysterious campus-wide game in the woods. Readers are soon introduced to the rest of the cast of characters: Dr Steven Archer, former Internet entrepreneur turned professor, who leads a team of young computer programmers in the creation of the ultimate cell phone game; Bobbi, a school reporter, determined to find out the truth about the murder, even if it means putting her own life in jeopardy; Jonathan Holden, creator of the game and all around cad; Patricia, the angry assistant on the team who is sleeping with the head of the wireless company, Larry Hershman; and finally, Peter, a techno-geek who is invisible. After Archer discovers that the dead girl is Jonathan’s ex-fiance, he realizes that the The Wilco Project is a game of hide-and-seek, in which players use the phone to locate and destroy enemies. As Archer finds himself investigating the first murder and a subsequent one, he is led down one path after another. While this plot is a new take on an old thriller genre, the author delivers a well-executed thriller.

Only a couple of days left until the official launch of the book. You can pre-order now at: http://www.solsticepublishing.com/products/The-Wilco-Project.html for the eBook and http://www.solsticepublishing.com/products/The-Wilco-Project-(Print).html for the print version.

Dan