Click here for coming events.

1991

May 25. Contract offered from Los Hombres Press, San Diego, to publish Rehearsing, Michael Craft’s first novel.

1993

January 30. Radio interview by Will LeDuc on WLIP, Kenosha, includes first public reading of Michael Craft’s fiction.

February 1. Rehearsing published. Book details.

February 17. Kenosha News feature by William E. Robbins announces publication of Rehearsing. Read interview.

February 19. Public reading, signing, and reception at Anderson Arts Center in Kenosha. Photos.

October 21. Reading and signing at Afterwords Bookstore, Milwaukee.

November 10. Glowing review in Wisconsin Light (Milwaukee) provides first non-local coverage of Rehearsing.

1994

May 1. Chicago-based Society of Midland Authors honors Rehearsing as a finalist for the organization’s Adult Fiction Award.

November 16. Reading at University of Wisconsin, Parkside, in Kenosha.

1995

November 26. Mitchell Waters of Curtis Brown Ltd., New York, offers to represent Michael Craft as his literary agent.

1996

January 23. Kensington Books, New York, offers contract for three installments of the Mark Manning mystery series.

May 10. Visiting New York, Michael Craft meets both his agent, Mitchell Waters (Curtis Brown Ltd.), and his editor, John Scognamiglio (Kensington Books).

1997

April 10. Preview reading of Flight Dreams at Carthage College, Kenosha.

May 1. Author’s first reviews from national sources. Booklist, Library Journal, Kirkus, and others praise first Mark Manning mystery, Flight Dreams.

May 7. Preview reading of Flight Dreams at University of Wisconsin, Parkside, in Kenosha.

May 28. Kenosha News feature by William E. Robbins announces publication of Flight Dreams. Read interview.

May 30. Radio interview by Gregory Berg on WGTD-FM, Wisconsin Public Radio. Reading from Flight Dreams.

May 31. Public reading, signing, and reception at Rhode Opera House in Kenosha. Photos.

June 1. Official publication date of first Mark Manning mystery, Flight Dreams. Book details.

June 8. Reading and signing at PrideFest, Milwaukee, sponsored by Afterwords Bookstore.

June 13. Radio interview by David McGrath on WLTQ-FM (ABC), Milwaukee.

July 9. Kenosha cable TV interview with Scott Barter.

August 10. Radio interview by Joanne Beauchamp on WLTQ-FM (ABC), Milwaukee. Reading from Flight Dreams.

1998

April 1. Preview reading of Eye Contact at University of Wisconsin, Parkside, in Kenosha.

June 1. Official publication date of second Mark Manning mystery, Eye Contact. Book details.

June 10. Kenosha News feature by William E. Robbins announces publication of Eye Contact. Read interview.

June 13. Signing at The Stars Our Destination bookstore, Chicago.

July 12. Radio interview by Joanne Beauchamp on WLTQ-FM (ABC), Milwaukee. Reading from Eye Contact.

July 27. Radio interview by Gregory Berg on WGTD-FM, Wisconsin Public Radio. Reading from Eye Contact.

July 31. Public reading and signing at Southport Book Center, Kenosha.

October 3. Public reading and signing at Afterwords Bookstore, Milwaukee. Photos.

1999

January 14. St. Martin’s Press, New York, offers contract for continuation of Mark Manning series in spring of 2000.

March 16. Author’s website, www.michaelcraft.com, goes online.

April 23. Kenosha News feature by William E. Robbins announces publication of Body Language. Read interview.

April 27. Preview reading of Body Language to Ten Percent Society at Carthage College, Kenosha. Photo.

May 4. Radio interview by Gregory Berg on WGTD-FM, Wisconsin Public Radio. Reading from Body Language.

May 7. Local launch of Body Language with public reading and signing at Southport Book Center, Kenosha, Wisconsin. Photos.

June 1. Official publication date of third Mark Manning mystery, Body Language. Book details.

June 3. Interview by Carl M. Szatmary in In Step, a Milwaukee-based gay newspaper.

June 8. Public reading and signing at Afterwords Bookstore, Milwaukee. Joint appearance with fellow gay-mystery writer Mark Richard Zubro. View photos. Visit Afterwords website.

June 11. Public reading and signing at Lynn's Bookroom, South Milwaukee, with reception at the adjacent CZ Flowers & Coffee. Photos.

June 22. Reading and speaking appearance at dinner meeting of the Desert Business Association, Palm Springs, California. Photos.

July 6. Radio interview by Dan Harmon on the "At Ten" program, WUWM-FM, NPR, Milwaukee. Reading from Body Language.

July 15. Radio interview by Alan Amberg and Honey West on LesBiGay Radio, Chicago. Simulcast on both WSBC 1240 AM and WCFJ 1470 AM.

August 16. Radio interview by Keith Orr on the "One In Ten" program, WFNX, 101.7 FM, Boston.

September 9. First meeting of English 304, advanced fiction-writing workshop conducted by the author at Carthage College, Kenosha, Wisconsin. Visit the Carthage website.

September 15. Traveling in New York, Michael Craft meets Keith Kahla, senior editor at St. Martin's Press, Michael's new publisher.

September 18. Public reading and signing at Barnes & Noble, 1441 W. Webster Avenue in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood. Joint appearance with fellow gay-mystery writer Mark Richard Zubro, cosponsored by Barnes & Noble and the Society of Midland Authors, Chicago. Photos.

October 1-3. Attended Bouchercon '99, the 30th World Mystery Convention, held at the Hilton Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

October 1. Bouchercon '99 panel participant: "Diversity in Mysteries," with fellow writers Kate Allen, Randye Lordon, Mark Richard Zubro and Katherine Forrest. Photos.

October 2. Participant: "Lethal Tea" at Afterwords Bookstore, Milwaukee. Reading, signing, and socializing with readers and fellow mystery writers Val McDermid and Mark Zubro, while attending Bouchercon '99. Photos.

October 9. Public reading and signing at Something Wicked Bookstore, 816 Church Street, Evanston, Illinois.

November 13. Panel participant: "Breakfast with the Authors," an annual event sponsored by Friends of the Racine Public Library. Meadowbrook Country Club, Racine, Wisconsin. Photo.

2000

April 10. Preview reading of Name Games at University of Wisconsin, Parkside, in Kenosha. Opening event of Out & About Week, sponsored by Parkside's Gay & Lesbian Organization.

April 12. Preview reading of Name Games at Carthage College, Kenosha, to Ten Percent Society and Allies Group as part of gay-awareness activites week.

April 25. Contract offered by Bruno Gmünder Verlag, Berlin, to publish German-language editions of two Mark Manning mysteries.

June 1. Official publication date of fourth Mark Manning mystery, Name Games, from Michael's new publisher, St. Martin's Press. Book details.

June 11. Kenosha News feature by William E. Robbins announces publication of Name Games. Read interview.

June 15. Public reading and signing of Name Games at Afterwords Bookstore, Milwaukee. Joint appearance with fellow gay-mystery writer Mark Richard Zubro. Photos.

June 16. Local launch of Name Games with public reading and signing at Southport Book Center, Kenosha, Wisconsin. Photos.

July 1. Public reading and signing of Name Games at Q Trading Company, Palm Springs, California. Photos.

September 11. Radio interview by Dan Harmon on the "At Ten" program, WUWM-FM, NPR, Milwaukee.

October 1.
Flight Dreams is published in German as Bei Nachruf Mord ("Murder by Obituary") by Bruno Gmünder Verlag. See cover. To see details of the translated edition on Amazon's German website, click here.

October 6. Entertainment Weekly, in an issue dedicated to a special report on gay talent, lists Michael Craft among “101 movers and shakers in Hollywood’s gay talent surge.” Michael is described as one of the “top novelists in the cultishly popular gay mystery genre.” The story notes, “These achievers are the pride of the entertainment industry,” and the list of 101 includes such high-profile figures as Rupert Everett, Ellen DeGeneres, George Michael, and Sir Ian McKellen. The EW cover story gives Michael his first national, mainstream press notice.

2001

February 1. Lambda Literary Foundation honors Name Games as a finalist for its 2001 Lammy Award as Best Gay Mystery published in 2000. First of Michael's books to achieve finalist status for a national award.

April 1. Dollhouse Miniatures magazine publishes a six-page feature in its May issue describing how the plot of Name Games was inspired by Michael's partner Leon, an avid miniature-interiors hobbyist. Article includes a full-page excerpt from the novel. Editor Candice St. Jacques praises Michael's "classic Agatha Christie-esque plot structures, gracefully accessible style, and tendency to be more romantic than titillating."

April 18. Name Games is published in German as Wahlgeheimnisse ("Election Secrets") by Bruno Gmünder Verlag, Berlin. To see details of the translated edition on Amazon's German website, click here.

April 20. Live interview with Marvin Jenkins at Triangle Broadcasting in Palm Springs, California, syndicated nationally to gay and lesbian radio stations.

April 21. Taping of television interview in Palm Desert, California, for later broadcast on Triangle Broadcasting's new gay-interest cable channel.

May 4. Kenosha News feature by William E. Robbins announces publication of Boy Toy. Read interview.

May 12. Interview feature by David Barton in the Sacramento Bee.

May 12. Public reading and signing of Boy Toy at The Open Book, Ltd. in Sacramento, California. Photos.

May 19. Local launch of Boy Toy with public reading and signing at Southport Book Center, Kenosha, Wisconsin. Photos.

May 23. Public reading and signing of Boy Toy at Outwords Books (formerly Afterwords), Milwaukee.

May 31. As a finalist in the Best Gay Mystery category, Michael attends banquet of the Lambda Literary Foundation, held in Chicago during BookExpo. Photos.

June 4. Official publication date of Boy Toy, the fifth Mark Manning mystery, from St. Martin's Press. Book details.

June 5. Radio interview with Gregory Berg on WGTD-FM, Wisconsin Public Radio. Fifty-minute broadcast includes reading from Boy Toy.

June 7. Interview feature by Jim Quinlan in Gay & Lesbian Times, Palm Springs.

June 19. The Advocate, the national gay newsmagazine, contains its first editorial reference to Michael in a story by Etelka Lehoczky exploring the popularity of gay and lesbian myteries. Feature includes photo and friendly squibs.

June 29. Interview feature by Graig Lawver in The Bottom Line, Palm Springs.

July 1. Public reading and signing of Boy Toy at Q Trading Company in Palm Springs, California.

July 7. Public reading and signing of Boy Toy at A Different Light bookstore in West Hollywood, California. Photos.

July 8. Public reading and signing of Boy Toy at Different Drummer Books in Laguna Beach, California.

August 1. Palm Springs Life magazine runs preview excerpt from Desert Autumn in its "special summer reading issue." Stewart Weiner, editor-in-chief, predicts that the new Claire Gray series is "sure to land squarely on the best-seller charts."

October 14. Open discussion and reading at monthly meeting of Kenosha, Wisconsin, PFLAG group (Parents, Family, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) held at St. Mary's Lutheran Church, 2001 80th Street in Kenosha.

October 19-21. Attended Lambda Literary Festival 4, a gay and lesbian literary conference sponsored by Lambda Literary Foundation, held in San Francisco.

February 17. Luncheon appearance with Round Table West, the largest book-and-author club in America, at the La Quinta Club and Resort in La Quinta, California. Photos.

March 20. Interview by Gregg Shapiro, "Crafting a Mystery," appears in Gay & Lesbian Times, a San Diego newsmagazine. Read interview.

April 12. Author appearance, signing Desert Winter at Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Palm Desert, California.

May 12. Radio interview on "VJ's Corner" with VJ Hume on KWXY-AM, Palm Springs, California.

May 19, 20. Auditions for Photo Flash, Michael Craft's first stage play, directed by the author and produced by Lakeside Players, the community theater of Kenosha, Wisconsin.

June 4. Reading from and discussing Desert Winter with the Kenosha (Wisconsin) Country Club book club. Photos.

August 10. Rehearsals for Photo Flash begin.

September 1. Michael's home office/library featured with photos and interview as the "Habitat" page in Instinct magazine, one of the nation's largest gay-interest monthlies. Interviewer Christian Reyes writes, "If you haven't picked up one of Michael Craft's Mark Manning mysteries yet, you're missing out. His books have been nominated for his share of Lambda literary awards; what's more impressive is that they're actually good reads—light on the camp factor and with just the right amount of bizarre intrigue and sexual tension."

September 15. Dan Harmon interviews Michael on the "At Ten" program, WUWM-FM, NPR, Milwaukee. Discussion updates Michael's writing career and focuses on his first play, Photo Flash. Half-hour segment airs twice Monday on 89.7 FM at 10 am and 10 pm.

September 18. Gregory Berg interviews Michael on "The Morning Program," WGTD-FM, Wisconsin Public Radio. Focusing on Michael's new play, Photo Flash, the discussion also includes Alice Anne Conner, who plays the central role of Claire Gray in the premiere production. Berg says of Photo Flash, "It's a great play, a wonderful work. I was on the edge of my seat at the end."

September 19 - October 4. Premiere production Michael Craft's first play, Photo Flash, a full-length mystery in two acts, presented by Lakeside Players at the Rhode Opera House, 514 56th Street, Kenosha, Wisconsin. Production photos.

October 16-19. Attended and participated in Bouchercon 2003, the 34th World Mystery Convention, held at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

October 18. Bouchercon 2003 panel moderator: "Different Voices," with fellow mystery writers Kit Ehrman, Parnell Hall, Jonathan Santlofer, and Susan Slater. Photo.

2004

February 27. Gregory Berg interviews Michael on "The Morning Program," WGTD-FM, Wisconsin Public Radio. Michael reads an excerpt from Desert Spring and discusses relationship of the novel to his play, Photo Flash.

February 29. Local launch of Desert Spring with reading and signing at the Kenosha Public Museum.

March 1. Official publication date of third Claire Gray mystery, Desert Spring, from St. Martin's Press. This novel is based on the author's play, Photo Flash, first produced the previous fall.

August 1. Scheduled publication date of seventh Mark Manning mystery, Bitch Slap, from St. Martin's Press.

August 17. Public reading and signing of Bitch Slap at Outwords Bookstore in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Joint appearance with fellow mystery writer Mark Richard Zubro.

2005

August 1. Official publication date of fourth Claire Gray mystery, Desert Summer, from St. Martin's Press.

September 23 - 27. Pattie Daly Caruso interviews Michael on "Valley Views," Time Warner TV10, Palm Springs CA. Six-minute segment airs seven times.

2006

July1. Michael is prominently featured in a roundup of "Desert Authors" by Jodie Parr in the July issue of Desert Magazine, Palm Springs CA.

November 21. Michael discusses his work and reads from Desert Summer at the monthly luncheon meeting of the Palm Springs Branch of the National League of American Pen Women, Desert Falls Country Club, Palm Desert CA.

2007

June 24. Conferment of graduate degree, Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, from Antioch University, Los Angeles. Photos.

2008

January 16. Michael is co-featured with fellow author Thom Racina in a discussion of writing novels set in Palm Springs. Oliphant Auditorium on the Palm Desert campus of California State University, San Bernardino.

December 4 - 21. Michael's play Photo Flash is presented by the Joslyn Players in the Arthur Newman Theatre at the Joslyn Center, 73750 Catalina Way, Palm Desert, CA 92260, with Michael himself appearing in the role of Grant Knoll.


2010

COMING EVENTS
Please check back soon.