A Saturday to Remember: Reflections on My First Book Signing

A Surprise I’ll Never Forget

Just when I thought the day couldn’t get any more special, my family revealed a surprise they had been keeping for an entire month: my brother flew in from California just to be there.

I had no idea. My daughters and my husband planned it quietly, and when he walked through the door, I was completely overwhelmed. Having him there — at my very first signing — made the day feel even more meaningful. It was a moment of pure joy, and one I’ll carry with me forever.

Conversations That Stayed with Me

What surprised me most wasn’t the turnout — it was the curiosity. People are genuinely intrigued by government secrecy, covert activity, and mysterious deaths. They lean in when they hear about Mike’s story. They ask thoughtful questions. They want to understand the pieces that never fit neatly into the official narrative.

One comment in particular stayed with me long after the event ended: “Perhaps it wasn’t so much the aerial photo, but the lens and its technology that was the target of interest.”

That single sentence captured something I’ve felt for years — that the truth behind Mike’s disappearance may lie not in what he photographed, but in how he photographed it. The lens, the equipment, the technology… sometimes the smallest object carries the biggest secret.

Moments like that remind me why I wrote Shadows Over Sumter and why I continue the investigation. Every conversation adds a new layer, a new angle, a new possibility. And every reader who engages with the story becomes part of the search for answers.

Thank you again to Once Upon a Crime for opening your doors to me, and to everyone who stopped by, asked questions, shared thoughts, or simply wanted to learn more. You made my first signing unforgettable.

More updates — and more reflections — coming soon.