Hi. I’m J.C. Bruce, journalist and author of a series of books recounting the misadventures of Alexander Strange whose weird news column is published by Tropic Press.
The six books chronicling Strange’s adventures are are, in sequence, THE STRANGE FILES, FLORIDA MAN, GET STRANGE, STRANGE CURRENTS, MISTER MANNERS, and STRANGE TIMING.
They are available as hardcovers, trade paperbacks and eBooks at all major online book retailers. Mister Manners is also now available as an audiobook.
Recently, STRANGE CURRENTS, GET STRANGE, and MISTER MANNERS received top honors in the Royal Palm Literary Awards for Best Mysteries published by a Florida author. MISTER MANNERS was also awarded by the Florida Authors and Publishers Association. And STRANGE TIMING is the Bronze Medal winner in the Florida Book Awards in the Popular Fiction category.
When I’m not busy deciphering Alex’s notes and publishing his stories, I write regularly about current affairs, news of the weird, arts, culture, politics,, books, movies–basically anything that strikes my fancy. Those posts appear here and on social media. I also capture the best of all that in my free newsletter. You should subscribe!
I first encountered Alexander Strange when we worked together at the Phoenix Daily Sun, which, sadly, like so many newspapers these days, has seen its shelf life expire. Alexander now lives in Naples, Florida aboard his fishing trawler, the Miss Demeanor. I live in a house.
I was the journalist-in-residence at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and, earlier in my newspaper career, I served as an editor, managing editor, or reporter at, among other places, the Naples Daily News, the Dayton Daily News, the Austin American-Statesman, the Longview News-Journal, the Mesa Tribune, the Miami Herald, the Palm Beach Post, the St. Petersburg Times (now the Tampa Bay Times) and the Tampa Times (now deceased). Once, I even served as the press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a congressman who ended up getting indicted and sent to prison.
This job hopping has allowed me to experience varied swaths of our great country, sometimes without flashing blue lights in the rear view mirror. (Next to the law of gravity, my favorite statute is the one about limitations.)
At various times along this journey, I nailed down a Master of Arts degree from Antioch University Midwest, a bachelor’s degree from St. Edward’s University, and I also served time at the University of South Florida.
A perpetual joiner, I’m a member of or have been a member of various professional organizations including the Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, Sisters in Crime, the American Society of News Editors, the Society of Professional Journalists, Investigative Reporters and Editors, and the Société pour L’étude des Nouvelles E’tranges et des Phénomènes Paranormaux. (I just made that last one up.)
I’m a former director of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize and a former director (and lecturer) for the Antioch Writers’ Workshop. I’ve served as a juror for the Pulitzer Prizes and the National Journalism Awards, and am a member of American MENSA, which I like to mention so you’ll think I’m smart. And last week I scored a word worth 134 points in Word Chums.
Tropic Press LLC publishes the online news site www.Tropic.Press and is the imprint for its book publishing division. Tropic Press is dedicated to free expression, fervently supports the First Amendment, and is an independent voice unaffiliated with any political party or movement.
The Tropic Press motto “Eat Darkness, Shed Light” is a shameless ripoff of the Washington Post’s “Democracy Dies in Darkness” because we share the sentiment that conducting public affairs in the open is the best insurance for the preservation of freedom. (Although we think our motto is more action oriented and less gloomy than the Post’s).
Tropic Press is based in Florida, and our focus is on news–both that of high import and the simply entertaining–relevant to readers in this subtropical region of the United States.
Correspondence may be address to us by either electronic or snail mail at:
or
Tropic Press
P.O. Box 110758
Naples, Florida 34108
Staff:
Publisher: Edwina Mahoney
Online Editor and columnist: J.C. Bruce
Managing Editor: Logan Bruce
Weird News Correspondent: Alexander Strange
Motherboard: Sandy Bruce
Design Director: Kacey Bruce
Special Contributors:
Garreth DePutron
Harold Ponitz
Elmore James
Maria J. Martinez
Assistant Copy Editor: Abigail Conwest
Security Consultant: Lester Rivers
Legal: Gwenn Giroux