A Mariner's Tale Book Signing at Georgia State College!
2021-11-18 11:00 - 13:00 (Pacific/Norfolk) | FL
Novelist and Waycross native Joe Palmer will visit South Georgia State College for a meet and greet and to sign copies of his debut book, A Mariner’s Tale, on Thursday, November 18, 2021, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., in Peterson Hall, Room 108 on the Douglas campus. While on campus, Palmer will also speak to students in Mrs. Elaine Stephens’ English classes.
A Mariner’s Tale was released from Koehler Books on October 25, 2020 (ISBN 9781646631452, 300 pgs). The novel tells that for ten years, the partially completed sailboat Jack Merkel started building with his wife and son sits gathering dust, until his lingering sorrow drives him to finish it alone. Enter a young hoodlum who breaks into the marina and seriously damages the boat for no apparent reason but misplaced rage. When the county sheriff arrives with the boy, the aging mariner sees a lost soul, and begs the sheriff and judge to release the boy into his custody to work off his punishment. Woven through the tranquility and bliss of sailing fair winds and gentle seas, A Mariner’s Tale is a story wrapped in the question that everyone, not just sailors, asks themselves: “There is where I yearn to be. How do I navigate my course to get there?”
Joe Palmer completed a book tour in 2020, with both live and virtual stops across the southeast, including at the Amelia Musical Playhouse in Joe’s hometown of Fernandina Beach, Florida. He also made a special guest appearance as a panelist at the Pat Conroy Literary Festival in Beaufort, SC.
A native of Waycross, Georgia and 30-year resident of Fernandina Beach, Florida, Palmer is an award-winning former newspaper reporter and longtime columnist whose folksy column, Cup of Joe, ran for ten years in the Fernandina Beach News-Leader with a large and enthusiastic following. He’s written investigative reporting and feature stories for the Bradenton Herald, Macon Telegraph and News and the Florida Times-Union. A Navy veteran and medical corpsman, he went on to work as a surgeon’s assistant at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Jacksonville, Florida while attending college for his BA in English and Literature at the University of North Florida. He parlayed his newspaper investigative experience into a twenty-year career as an investigator for the Federal Public Defender’s Office, from which he retired in 2012. A Mariner’s Tale is his first novel. He’s currently writing his second novel. A sailor, he got the idea for his debut novel while working on an antique sailboat he and his wife painstakingly restored. He’s actively involved in local theatre, and will appear in a production of Scrooge at the Amelia Musical Playhouse in December. He lives in Fernandina Beach with his wife, Pam and a huge Great Dane named Harley. Visit https://joepalmerauthor.com/ for more information on the author.
Peterson Hall is located at 100 West College Park Drive in Douglas, Ga. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Elaine Stephens, South Georgia State College Associate Professor of English at elaine.stephens@sgsc.edu.

Meet & Greet/Book Signing
2022-02-26 13:30 - 15:00 UTC | FL
After or before doing your shopping, stop by the coffee area at the front of the store for a meet and greet with the author, and buy a signed copy of his book, A Mariner’s Tale

National Independent Bookstore Day
2022-04-30 | FL
I’ll be celebrating the day at Main Street Reads, Summerville, SC with other authors this Saturday. Come see me if you’re in the area

A Mariner's Tale at Pinecones & Pages Literary Festival!
2022-05-14 10:00 - 19:00 UTC | FL
Pinecones & Pages is a literary festival in Boone, North Carolina where the books come to life as the characters appear and interact with each author and audience.
It all takes place on Saturday, May 14th, 2022 and I’m thrilled to announce that A Mariner’s Tale will be included in an amazing lineup that includes Jeremy Jones, Robert Gwaltney and more!

Black Friday at San Marco Bookstore in Jacksonville, FL
2022-11-25 10:00 - 12:00 UTC | San Marco Books and More, 1971 San Marco Blvd, Jacksonville, FL, 32207, United States
I’ll be at San Marco Bookstore in Jacksonville on Black Friday, November 25 from 10 am – 12 pm signing copies of A Mariner’s Tale, which was recently optioned for a motion picture. If you’re in the area, stop in and see me and buy a copy. Books make great Christmas gift, too.

Library Talk
2023-09-12 18:00 - 19:00 UTC | Yulee Public Library, 76346 William Burgess Blvd, Yulee, FL, 32097, United States
Please join me for an author talk at the Yulee Library. We’ll be talking about my novel, A Mariner’s Tale, the movie option on it, the writing process and a bit about the genre of Southern Fiction.

Amelia Island History Museum
2023-09-12 18:00 - 19:00 UTC | FL
Please join me for an author and book talk at this historic site. It’ll be lots of fun.

Susie L. McMahon's Virtual Book Club Interview
2025-06-10 19:00 - 20:00 UTC | FL
Susie will be interviewing me interviewing me in a virtual discussion about my debut novel, A Mariner’s Tale, for her nearly 800-member book club. After the interview, Susie will put it on YouTube.

Yulee Book Club Meeting
2025-07-18 11:00 - 12:00 UTC | Nassau County Public Library, Yulee branch
I will be joining members of the Yulee Book Club on Friday, July 18, for a lively discussion about my novel, A Mariner’s Tale. This event will take place in the library at the Yulee branch of the Nassau County Public Library on State Road 200.

Clewiston Book Club and Library Event
2025-10-22 17:30 - 19:00 UTC | Clewison Public Library, 120 W Osceola Ave, Clewiston, FL, 33440, United States
