January 19, 2024 - SLATE rose to the SEMIFINALIST round of the 2023 Dante Rossetti Book Awards, a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards.

December 19, 2023 - SLATE was SHORTLISTED for the 2023 Dante Rossetti Book Awards, a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards.

October 21, 2023 - SLATE was 2nd runner-up for BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 (all genres) (Florida Writers Assn.).

October 21, 2023 - SLATE won the ROYAL PALM LITERARY AWARD 2023 for Best Young Adult/New Adult novel (Florida Writers Assn.).

October 11, 2023 - SLATE was LONGLISTED for the 2023 Dante Rossetti Book Awards, a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards.

September 1, 2023 - SLATE became a FINALIST for a Royal Palm Literary Award!

July 26, 2023 - SLATE made it to the Semi-Final round of the Royal Palm Literary Awards sponsored by he Florida Writer’s Association.

June 6, 2023 - My short story, “The Secret Garden” was selected to appear as number 9 in the TOP TEN pieces (out of over 220) accepted for publication in Collection 15, Secrets, the 2023 Florida Writers Association anthology.

May 21, 2023 - My short story, “The Secret Garden” was accepted for publication in Collection 15, Secrets, the 2023 Florida Writers Association anthology.

May 21, 2023 - published The E.T. Madigan Mystery Series of 3 books as an Ebook box set.

February 2023 - joined the board of the Florida Treasure Coast Chapter of Sisters in Crime (Treasure Coast Sleuths) as Vice President.

September 1, 2021 - Issued First Newsletter “News, Notes & Novelties From Joan Wright Mularz, Mystery Author” to subscribers.

August 31, 2021 - Author Interview on Tart Words Podcast about SLATE.

August 28, 2021 - PAPERBACK EDITION OF SLATE PUBLISHED!

August 11, 2021 - EBOOK EDITION OF SLATE PUBLISHED!

August 11, 2021 - Kirkus Reviews: SLATE - A teenager faces a stalker menacing him and his rock star parents in this YA mystery.

Slate Volkov’s junior year at a Manhattan private academy is off to a bad start. He’s getting vaguely ominous texts from an anonymous “R” and spots a stranger following him. These threats soon name Slate’s parents—famous Russian rockers who can’t get United States citizenship until their American-born son is old enough to sponsor them. When his parents, headed back to their home country with their band mates, are in a car accident, there’s a chance the mishap was actually a deliberate attempt on their lives. As Slate struggles to identify as well as evade the “perv” incessantly stalking him, he learns that Russian thugs have been intimidating Galina Minkin, his motherly, full-time guardian in New York. As the new school year pushes on, he balances a semesterlong project with his amateur but potentially dangerous investigation. Luckily, new pals at the academy, along with his trustworthy best friend, John “Dash” Dasher, lend support as Slate fights to keep himself and his family safe. Mularz’s engaging tale moves at a steady clip, hitting the ground running as Slate receives an unnerving, cryptic text. But the teens’ compelling personal dramas take precedence over the mystery. Slate’s parents spend more time partying hard than with their only child, while Dash’s father, also a celebrity musician, seems even more neglectful. Furthermore, Slate’s fellow students include one who resents his wealth and privilege and another whose father may be abusing him. Still, it’s fun to watch Slate piece together certain clues, which he manages to do without putting himself or his friends in too much peril. Ample scenes pairing Slate and Dash make this a mostly lighthearted offering, as their version of rebelling against famous parents is jamming in their two-man country-music band.

An appealing young hero leads an indelible cast in this entertaining thriller.

April 3, 2021 - Book Contract Signed with Taylor & Seale Publishing, LLC for my book Slate-A Band of Friends Mystery.

March 8, 2021 - Author Interview on Tart Words Podcast about the E.T. Madigan series. https://www.tartwords.com/?ck_subscriber_id=760431233

June 9, 2020 - Bethlehem Writers’ Roundtable - My short story, “Rosie and Flame” was a semi-finalist for the 2020 Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award.

May 2, 2020 - Featured Author on Victoria l.K. Williams’ “Pen in Hand, Words on Page” https://victorialkwilliams.blog/2020/05/02/meet-joan-wright-mularz/

March 25, 2020 - Roll-A-Prompt Podcast Author Guest - Mystery Edition - 4 Authors Roll Prompts and Write Live - https://youtu.be/_N-RBQwBmM0 - https://bookscubed.podbean.com/.../live-prompts-with.../

May 31, 2019- Bethlehem Writers’ Roundtable - My short story, “Sonar and Turt” was a semi-finalist for the 2019 Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award.

November 27, 2018 - Independent Publishers of New England Book Awards - Finalist for Best Young Adult Book: Maine Roots Run Deep

November 10, 2018 - “Whittier Than Thou” Anthology - My short story, "Barbara Screechie" was chosen for the Anthology Whittier Than Thou: Wit and Whimsy inspired by the Life and Works of John Greenleaf Whittier (edited by David Goudsward). https://www.amazon.com/Wittier-Than-Thou-inspired-Greenleaf-ebook/dp/B07XZCDF8M/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Wittier+Than+Thou&qid=1629666075&s=books&sr=1-1

December 4, 2017 - “THE COLOR OF THE MAINE COAST IS…” PUBLISHED!

December 3, 2017 - “THE COLOR OF WESTERN MAINE IS…” PUBLISHED!

November 14, 2017 - “MAINE ROOTS RUN DEEP” PUBLISHED!

November 7, 2017 - “Out of the Fog” interview - Author Connie Johnson Hambley's blog, "Out of the Fog," has been named one of the top 50 mystery blogs and I was honored and thrilled to have my E.T. Madigan Mysteries highlighted there. https://cjhambleyblog.blogspot.co

November 6, 2017 - KIRKUS REVIEWS: Maine Roots Run Deep - In the latest installment of Mularz’s (White Flutters in Munich, 2015, etc.) middle-grade series, a young girl’s cryptic, psychic dreams suggest a mystery to solve. Andrew Madigan’s archaeological assignments have taken his family from Italy to Germany, but then he takes a sabbatical, which means spending a year in Maine with his parents. Fifteen-year-old Ellen had to leave friends behind in Europe, but she continues to have the unusual dreams that she had there; twice before they’ve revealed clues in the past for her to investigate. At her grandparents’ house, she has a new dream before school starts, about a young Native American girl named Katetin and the hardships that she and her Abenaki tribe endured. Ellen doesn’t immediately know what mystery the dream is revealing, but she’s certain that there is one. In school, she tries to befriend the unpopular Gwen Hardwick and is quickly besotted with muscular, French-accented Laurent Fletcher. But Gwen is harboring a family secret that causes her to reject Ellen’s efforts to get close, and it seems that Laurent already has a girlfriend—maybe. Meanwhile, Ellen’s dreams about Katetin and her lineage inch toward the present day. Months pass, with instances of happiness and tragedy, but Ellen remains determined to solve the puzzle—if she can figure out what the pieces are. Mularz makes sure that her recurring protagonist’s most remarkable quality isn’t her psychic gift, but her empathy: Ellen is miserable when Gwen has problems at home, and she shares others’ happiness—even mean-girl Becca’s, who never masks her disdain for Ellen. Although it’s fun to watch the protagonist decipher her dreams, the mystery remains elusive, and each step in the solution generally entails simply waiting for the next dream to occur. There is, however, a thorough resolution to the story by the end. Ellen’s narration exudes sincerity, as when she describes a snowy winter: “I feel like I inhabit a cold, dark world, lit by electricity and warmed by burning wood.” A bittersweet ending leaves room for a fourth outing in the series.

“A winsome tale of a girl whose paranormal gift is only one of the traits that makes her exceptional. “

June 21, 2017

May 22, 2017 - Bethlehem Writers Roundtable - My short story, "The Souk" was named a finalist for the 2017 Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award.

November 30, 2016 - “Judge, 24th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards” - White Flutters in Munich - Book Critique "Ellen is a likeable character and well-rounded. The plot is interesting and creative. The surprise at the end came unexpectedly." - In 3 out of 6 categories (Voice and Writing Style, Character Appeal and Development, Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar), it was rated "5" (Outstanding.)

August 28, 2016 - “ISLAND TIMES” PUBLISHED!

February 6, 2016 - “WHAT I LIKE ABOUT MY FRIENDS” PUBLISHED!

November 1, 2015 - KIRKUS REVIEWS: White Flutters In Munich - The Madigan family relocates to Munich, where another long-buried mystery awaits them in the second of a series aimed at preteen readers. Fourteen-year-old Ellen Madigan senses there’s a mystery to be solved as soon as she enters the house her family has rented for the year in Munich. Ellen is learning to trust her psychic ability, awakened in her previous adventure, which connects her to people from the past. New readers to the series shouldn’t worry; Mularz (Upheavals at Cuma, 2014) gives enough background information to keep them from feeling lost. Ellen soon learns that two young women died in the basement of the house during a bombing raid in World War II. But when she begins dreaming of one of the women, Liesi Falke, Ellen senses there is more to her story. With the help of Basti Hofstetter, the handsome boy next door, Ellen discovers that Liesi and her friend were medical students helping transport young children to the countryside, out of the reach of the Nazis. The two girls faked their deaths to escape Germany, but there the trail goes cold. As she tracks down clues to their fates, Ellen immerses herself in local culture, learning the language and trying new foods and traditions. Mularz sensitively addresses Germany’s Nazi history, emphasizing the complicated feelings of present-day Germans about their past. “Hitler haunts us,” Basti tells Ellen. Ellen’s dreams depict Nazi Germany and reveal a little-known aspect of the resistance movement. While she unravels the historical mystery, Ellen juggles her growing crush on Basti and her desire to become more independent. A confident girl who loves science, Ellen is a terrific role model, but her natural doubts and insecurities also make her relatable. Occasionally, her psychic abilities too conveniently reveal the next clue, but a hefty amount of old-fashioned detective work provides balance. Digging into family secrets proves surprisingly suspenseful, and the end packs a satisfying emotional punch.

“A captivating read infused with a sense of history and culture.”

November 1, 2015 - “WHITE FLUTTERS IN MUNICH” PUBLISHED!

July 29, 2015 - Had a table at my first Book Fair—The New England Authors Expo at the Danversport Yacht Club in Danvers, Massachusetts.

February 23, 2015 - “DOWN WEST…THE OTHER MAINE” PUBLISHED!

September 20, 2014 - Gave a presentation about my first book, “Upheavals At Cuma” at the Buttonwoods Museum. It was part of the “Tween, Teens, and Graphic Novels” session of the New England Authors’ Series of the Haverhill, Massachusetts Historical Society.

July 3, 2014 - “UPHEAVALS AT CUMA” PUBLISHED!