River Fork: Delayed Release and Customer Info

Those of you who ordered, and already received River Fork – The Bear in the Storm, please contact me at jm@jmorise.com* See below for the why.

Why?

In March I announced April 2 as the release of my debut novel: River Fork – The Bear in the Storm.

Then I pushed it out to April 30 with a promise of a final review, update and submission to the publisher to meet the deadline.

surprised woman reading a book

Well that didn’t work out!

Hubby went to ER. His breathing was seriously comprimised. They admitted him to the hospital. He stayed a week. The problem—his heart.

During his stay at the hopital, I remained at his bedside 9 hours a day. A phalynx of doctors entered his room every other day with more info and concerns.

Of grave concern was his low red blood count—therefore, his O2 level was low.

The next task…replace Hubby’s Aortic valve. At this time, we are still waiting for his surgical procedure.

Back to my book: I cleverly saved a working copy as a .PDF file and imported it into my KOBO reader, which I brought to read while sitting on a small folding chair, cramped between the bathroom wall and Hubby’s wheeled tray where he ate and stored books to read.

First problem: constant interruptions, doctors appropriating my handy notepad where I made notes for planned edits to be execute once I returned home late in the evening.

Second problem: I was bushed, unable to focus, and missing Hubby’s presence in our now all-too-quiet house.

With my energy drained, my review was not good. I missed simple typos, a mispelled word, and a missing word. But among these, other salient details had been incorrectly represented. Perhaps only I noticed? Or would others notice too? All of this caught my attention while re-reading my paperback copy which arrived May 2nd.

I was apalled! How could this be! OMG!

So, the remedy*, find those customers who ordered their printed book between April 1 to May 3.

How?

If you are one of those lucky customers, you now own a collector’s item (and I appreciate your being one). However, for a remedy, please contact me at jm@jmorise.com . We’ll talk.

(The deadline to contact me regarding this issue is May 20, 2026)

J. M. Orise
Author

Note to those planning to order River Fork: The Bear in the Storm, for this interval of time in May only, there may be a short delay in delivery. I appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience.

River Fork: Delayed Release and Customer Info

Those of you who ordered, and already received River Fork – The Bear in the Storm, please contact me at jm@jmorise.com* See below for the why.

Why?

In March I announced April 2 as the release of my debut novel: River Fork – The Bear in the Storm.

Then I pushed it out to April 30 with a promise of a final review, update and submission to the publisher to meet the deadline.

surprised woman reading a book

Well that didn’t work out!

Hubby went to ER. His breathing was seriously comprimised. They admitted him to the hospital. He stayed a week. The problem—his heart.

During his stay at the hopital, I remained at his bedside 9 hours a day. A phalynx of doctors entered his room every other day with more info and concerns.

Of grave concern was his low red blood count—therefore, his O2 level was low.

The next task…replace Hubby’s Aortic valve. At this time, we are still waiting for his surgical procedure.

Back to my book: I cleverly saved a working copy as a .PDF file and imported it into my KOBO reader, which I brought to read while sitting on a small folding chair, cramped between the bathroom wall and Hubby’s wheeled tray where he ate and stored books to read.

First problem: constant interruptions, doctors appropriating my handy notepad where I made notes for planned edits to be execute once I returned home late in the evening.

Second problem: I was bushed, unable to focus, and missing Hubby’s presence in our now all-too-quiet house.

With my energy drained, my review was not good. I missed simple typos, a mispelled word, and a missing word. But among these, other salient details had been incorrectly represented. Perhaps only I noticed? Or would others notice too? All of this caught my attention while re-reading my paperback copy which arrived May 2nd.

I was apalled! How could this be! OMG!

So, the remedy*, find those customers who ordered their printed book between April 1 to May 3.

How?

If you are one of those lucky customers, you now own a collector’s item (and I appreciate your being one). However, for a remedy, please contact me at jm@jmorise.com . We’ll talk.

(The deadline to contact me regarding this issue is May 20, 2026)

J. M. Orise
Author

Note to those planning to order River Fork: The Bear in the Storm, for this interval of time in May only, there may be a short delay in delivery. I appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience.

Thawing From My Trip South Took a While!

We left Maine in January. Two months later than anticipated due to discovering a blockage in my heart, and dealing with all the craziness of that experience.

And we left a day later than planned due to an unanticipated snowfall—4 inches. Neighbor John who watches our property plowed us out! We weren’t exactly “Snowbound”—I read John Greenleaf Whittier’s poem when I was a teen. I believe 4 FEET and more is what he had in mind.

For our trip, I opted to wear cotton socks with my L.L.Bean loafers. Sure it was cold at home, but we were heading south after all. We’d be warm by dinner time!

We left early in the day in 9° F weather. It would be warm soon, we’d be in the truck until 9-10 PM, and arriving in the southern mountains, in Wilkes-Barre, PA! Warm country.

Driving at speeds of 65-70 mph, the truck’s heater could not compete with the incoming flow of cold air…(Hubby’s analysis). Late in the day, it was so cold, the heat barely warmed our feet. My feet, although jammed into the heat outlet were being cooled. Being a bit of a contortionist, I pulled one foot up to the seat to warm it, and switched to warm the other. The floor area was cold! When we swapped driver, I felt the heat move around my feet at the accelerator a tiny bit. As a passenger, Hubby’s feet got colder.

I determined something was plugging the airflow. Next time we swapped driver, I crouched down and dug into the passenger’s heater duct. I proudly displayed chewed up paper napkins and other fibers. How pervasive was this blockage? Who were the perpetrators? Mice? Squirrels?

I engaged the heater’s air blower to the max. Tissue paper and bits of filter netting, a part of the dash construction to filter dust and debris that might be lodged in the heater passageway to the dash and window air ducts, flew at Hubby and me. Chunks of paper snow! I pulled more and more fragments from the dash’s vent grillwork with tweezers I had packed in the back seat of the truck.

We got more heat!

We arrived to 11° degrees Farenheit in Wilkes-Barre! Warmer socks and shoes were packed and inaccessible in the bed of our truck. With feet nearly frozen we hustled to our room and cranked the thermostat to 73°.

This intense cold lasted for two days. Even with vents cleaned out, we barely got warm. On the third day, in southern North Carolina, it was warmer…in the 30s. I finally dug out my thick cotton socks and a second sweater.

We arrived at our Florida destination late that night, but it was too cold to spend a whole lot of time unpacking in the dark with a flashlight. However, I brought in all that should not be left out in the cold…well, it had been left out for a couple of days and nights… but how cruel can you be to your stuff? My stuff? I like my stuff.

The cold lasted for a few days after we arrived…in the 30s and 40s. Nearly a week later, we have 60° and low 70° weather.

Discomfort is soon forgotten when things get better.

Things are better.

Hope all is well with you all. Leave a comment below. Love to hear from you.

Oh, and keep warm, too.