Happy pub day and congrats to Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavridis for 2084, the third in a trilogy peering into the future with the hope we can all make it better than grim paths that could lie ahead. #2084 #militarythriller #politicalfiction #newbooks

Enjoy my May Substack, including blog “Into the Breach…” The Writer at Risk profiles young Cuban poet Duannis Dabel Leon Taboada. Books to Check Out features 2084 by Elliot Ackerman & James Stavridis & Brian J. Morra’s novel THE ABLE ARCHERS. joanneleedomackerman.substack.com/p/into-the-b...

Thanks to all the dynamic independent bookstores that knit our communities together and give platforms for writers, books & ideas. A few photos of stores who have hosted, encouraged and helped promote my novels in DC, Chicago, Dallas, NYC, LA, Denver and more. THANK YOU!

Enjoy my April Substack, with blog “Barking at Thunder 2." Writer at Risk profiles Belarusian writer & editor Valeryja Kaściuhova. Books to Check Out features the timely CHECKLIST TO END TYRANNY by Peter Ackerman & Anne Tyler’s THREE DAYS IN JUNE. joanneleedomackerman.substack.com/p/barking-at...

My March Substack includes blog “Sunrise…Sunset: Not Missing Snow, Wind, and Weather," Writer at Risk section with British/Chinese publisher & author Jimmy Lai, Books to Check Out features Deborah Goodrich Royce’s BEST BOY & Kate Quinn’s THE BRIAR CLUB, and more. tinyurl.com/27hbe6ms

Many Iranian writers have spent years in Evin Prison, including Narges Mohammadi, who has spoken up for human rights and spent almost two decades as an inmate on charges of committing “propaganda activity against the state” and “collusion against state security” which she has denied.

Enjoy February’s Substack with blog “World in Our Minds…Learning from Dogs.” Writer at Risk Narges Mohammadi; Books to Check Out features Kazuo Ishiguro’s “Cellists” and E.M. Forster’s “The Machine Stops.” This monthly Substack is free. joanneleedomackerman.substack.com/p/world-in-o...

Insightful article by Elliot Ackerman on Venezuela.

Happy New Year! Enjoy my January Substack, including blog “Message to Tomorrow…” Writer at Risk, Books to Check Out, and more. This monthly Substack “On the Yellow Brick Road” is free. Please sign up if you’re not already a subscriber. joanneleedomackerman.substack.com/p/message-to...

Enjoy my December Substack, with blog “Changing Latitudes, Chasing the Sun, Voting with Consequence.” The Writer at Risk section highlights the cases of four writers. Books to Check Out features Favorite Five for ’25. The monthly Substack is free. joanneleedomackerman.substack.com/p/changing-l...

IT TAKES A JOURNALIST! Celebrating courage and commitment of journalists who find and report facts and uncover truth, DC reporters, friends & supporters gathered at the @icfjorg.bsky.social Awards Dinner. #freedomofspeech #journalism #icfj #courage

Enjoy my November Substack, with blog “Tunnel of Hope…Past and Present," profile of Turkish publisher Osman Kavala, Books to Check Out with early novels of Graham Greene —THE THIRD MAN and THE CONFIDENTIAL AGENT, and other features. The monthly “On the Yellow Brick Road” Substack is free.

Thanks to Bargain Booksy for featuring Burning Distance: www.bargainbooksy.com/featured-books

Crisis Group celebrated its 30th year in Sarajevo with a board meeting, including four of its former CEOs, researchers, board members current & some past in the cauldron where the conflict negotiation organization was born.

Writers approve gender diversity justice resolution windycitytimes.com/2025/09/30/w...

Enjoy my October Substack, with blog “You Are What You Think…And Eat," Indian Writer at Risk Hany Babu, Books to Check Out section with John le Carré’s classic A PERFECT SPY and a television series—WHITE COLLAR. “On the Yellow Brick Road" is always free. tinyurl.com/2z2rpksc

Enjoy the “Books to Check Out” section of my September Substack featuring a new memoir WOMAN OF FIRSTS by Kimberly Heckler and the English classic MIDDLEMARCH, a novel by George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans). Both books are about women coming into their own, written centuries apart. tinyurl.com/44uj6fkn

Weekend celebrating publication of Elliot Ackerman’s SHEEPDOGS at Academy Art Museum in Easton, MD for Shore Lit and in Washington DC at Politics & Prose along with novelist Michael Jerome Plunkett’s new novel Zone Rouge. #sheepdogs #zonerouge #fiction #authorevent #booksigning #fallreads

Bouchercon Conference 2025 for Thriller and Mystery writers in the Big Easy. Enjoyed participating on panel “Creating a Diverse Cast of Characters” and listening to other writers & panels. #bouchercon2025 #authorevent #thriller #suspense #mystery #bigeasy #neworleans

@peninternational.bsky.social 90th Congress in Krakow Poland “Freedom of Words, Words of the Free.” Panels on literature, climate, global conflicts, poetry reading & for me friends of a lifetime and new from around the world. #freedomofwords #wordsofthefree #pencongress #krakow #freedomofexpression

@peninternational.bsky.social 90th Congress in Krakow, Poland celebrated Polish Pen’s centenary with 200 participants from 80 countries. “Freedom of Words, Words of the Free” discussed freedom of expression in a world in conflict. #freedomofwords #peninternational #krakow #freedomofexpression

Enjoy my September Substack, “Detecting the Counterfeit: Lies, Flimflam and the Real Deal," Cuban Writer at Risk, Kimberly Heckler’s A WOMAN OF FIRSTS and George Elliot’s MIDDLEMARCH, with other features. Hope you’ll join “On the Yellow Brick Road.” joanneleedomackerman.substack.com/p/detecting-...

Dispatches From Afghanistan Show How the U.S. Lost Its Way — and the War www.nytimes.com/2025/08/12/b...

New Thriller Blurs Lines Between Good Guys and Villains now.tufts.edu/2025/08/25/n...

I hope you’ll enjoy The Books to Check Out section of my August Substack featuring THE RED HOUSE MYSTERY by A.A. Milne and THE COUNTRY GIRLS by Edna O’ Brien, both novels from times past, rooted in the United Kingdom. Subscribe to my free Substack: joanneleedomackerman.substack.com/p/finding-ki...

Excellent interview and profile of @elliot.ackerman in the @nytimes. Hope you enjoy it and his new novel SHEEPDOGS. For complete piece visit: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/16/b... #sheepdogs #fiction #nytimes

Happy Pub Day to Elliot Ackerman & SHEEPDOGS! “Raw and real and beautifully told, Sheepdogs isn’t just a page-turner, it’s a mind-bender.”—David Ignatius “A riotous entertainment.”—Publishers Weekly (starred) #fiction #summerreads #fallreads @aaknopf.bsky.social

Enjoy my August Substack, with blog “Finding Kindness and Heroes,” Writer at Risk Boualem Sansal, two books —A.A. Milne’s THE RED HOUSE MYSTERY and Edna O’Brien’s THE COUNTRY GIRLS, and with others. Hope you sign up for “On the Yellow Brick Road.” joanneleedomackerman.substack.com/p/finding-ki...

SUMMER READING! Oceanview Publishing has extended the Kindle deal on my novel BURNING DISTANCE. I hope you’ll enjoy this love story/political thriller, also available in hardcover and paperback & share with friends! joanneleedom-ackerman.com/books/burnin... #kindledeals #summerreads #fiction

Thank you to Writers’ Voices and a thoughtful and fun interview with Debbie Huang Hadley. For complete interview visit: writersvoices.com/podcasts/pol... #thefarsideofthedesert #interntionalthriller #suspense #summerreads #fiction

Amie is ready for the 4th! 🇺🇸🎆 #4thofjulyweekend

I hope you enjoy my July Substack which includes my blog “In Search of Kindness,” new novels by James Lee Burke DON’T FORGET ME, LITTLE BESSIE and Elliot Ackerman’s upcoming SHEEPDOGS, Writer at Risk Chinese writer Zhang Zhan. I hope you’ll sign up “On the Yellow Brick Road.”

Thank you Mary Dixie Carter for including The Far Side of the Desert as a #FridayReads recommendation! #repost #summerreads #thrillerfest #suspense www.instagram.com/p/DLambjuy8R...

Thank you to the National Indie Excellence Awards for selecting THE FAR SIDE OF THE DESERT as a Finalist in the Suspense category. Congrats to other finalists and winner Leslie Kain, Angela Douglas, Helaine Mario, Matt Barrows, Jessica Barrows Beebe, Sarah Sawyer & Zelly Ruskin #bookaward #suspense

Another fun & substantive International Thriller Writers ThrillerFest with engaging panels, meet ups with fellow writers & friends! Have a look: #thrillerfest #burningdistance #thefarsideofthedesert #internationalthriller #authorevent #writers #suspense

Amie’s ode to joy and hope as summer begins… Watch here: @joanneleedomackerman www.instagram.com/reel/DLDqUME...

Sharing June's Substack, including blog “Devastation & Destruction or Resilience, Reimagining and Rebuilding?,” book news, two book reviews—THE VORY: RUSSIA’S SUPER MAFIA and THE HELSINKI AFFAIR, Writer at Risk Alaa Abd el-Fattah, and other features. I hope you’ll follow “On the Yellow Brick Road.”

Honored by Bronze Medal for Suspense/Thriller from Independent Publishers Association. Congrats to Gold Medalist @jensadera for I Know She Was There & Silver Medalist @gothiccharlottem: The Death of Clara Willenheim. #thefarsideofthedesert @oceanviewpub @ippyawards #thriller #suspense #bookawards

www.thefp.com/p/things-wor... Excellent Memorial Day article by @elliotackerman

Enjoyed a lively discussion with Brenda Coffee at Interabang Books in Dallas about her new book Maya Blue, a memoir full of fast-paced narratives of remarkable events from a resilient author. #mayablue #memoir #authorevent #booksigning #summerreads #shewritespress #thefarsideofthedesert

In NYC @icfjorg.bsky.social celebrated journalists worldwide. “From TV News to TikTok Views: Journalism in the Age of the Influencer” ICFJ & Code Africa launched ICFJ+ connecting journalists globally to build alliances, engage in factual, actionable news to develop systemic solutions & safe space.