Joan Merrill — Writer and Producer

Bruce Crowther
You will notice that this website includes quite a few comments by Bruce Crowther. That's because, I am honored to say, he was a great supporter of my work. He wrote positive reviews of all my books. He posted announcements of my forthcoming WETF radio shows on the Songbirds online forum and listened to all the copies of the shows I sent him.

We first connected when he reviewed my first novel for Jazz Journal. He inquired about the publisher I was using - Amazon’s self-publishing service. He liked it so much that he subsequently published 48 books with them, some new (the Harlem series) and some old.

We began corresponding by email at least once a week until summer of last year (2023) when he suddenly went silent. I discovered through the British consulate in Malaga, Spain, where he lived, that he had died peacefully in his home in August.

Needless to say, I will miss our conversations, but more than that, I will be forever grateful for his unwavering support of my work.

I'm reminded of the story about a musician - I forget which one - who said he never knew his songs were any good until he heard Ella sing them. Well, I can say I never thought my books were any good until I read a review by Bruce Crowther.