BooksAlive fuels friendships

Terra Elan McVoy signs for a fan at the 2013 Books Alive.

PANAMA CITY — If not for BooksAlive, I would have fewer friends.

There, I said it. And it’s true.

I’m not sure how the equation balances — whether I gained the friends because they saw me at the event and jumped to the (however erroneous) conclusion that I must be as clever and interesting as they are since I was there, or what.

I do know that many people who were acquaintances in the area became warm friends after we crossed paths there, and others who were complete strangers before the event I can now count as cherished friends.

That’s kind of cool, considering how solitary and personal an endeavor reading or writing is.

BooksAlive 2014, an event organized by the Bay County Public Library, will be at the FSU-Panama City campus next weekend, with free workshops and sessions led by featured authors throughout the day Feb. 1. Pat Conroy, author of the new book, “The Death of Santini,” is the keynote speaker at the (sold-out) luncheon.

But that one day of workshops and sessions isn’t all the visiting authors will be doing. Several will go into local schools the day prior to speak with students, encourage their reading and reveal a wider world. Bill Roorbach, for instance, will visit my Education Encore class and Arnold High School, speaking with seniors of one stripe in the morning and another in the afternoon.

Authors Cynthia Graubart, Patti Callahan Henry and Cassandra King will be the guests at a luncheon Jan. 31 at Triple J Steakhouse in Panama City Beach. Designed as a fun, informal gathering, seating is limited to 40 (reservations are required); tickets are $15; email mgfenimore@me.com  for a reservation. The authors will talk about their books and lives, answer questions from the audience, and will sign copies of their work, which will be available for sale.

“It’s a reader’s best opportunity to make friends on the literary landscape,” Kathie Bennett said to me in a phone call this week. She’s a literary publicist representing many of the authors coming to the event, as well as the daughter of Gerry and Barbara Clemons of Panama City — and I count her as a friend, too.

Barbara Clemons was a great supporter of BooksAlive. One year at a pre-event gathering for volunteers and authors to get acquainted, she called me over to introduce me to Michael Morris, the Birmingham-based author originally from Perry. I’ve been reading his work ever since.

A few years later, not knowing we knew each other, Kathie tried to introduce us and he told her we were cousins. It wasn’t true, but it was worth it for the look she gave us.

“I’ve seen many relationships born at Books Alive,” Kathie said. “It’s not just a book festival — and I attend many book festivals. It’s a time when these writers really connect with readers on a much more personal way, becoming an instant community of writers and readers.”

Peace.

(This was my Undercurrents column for PanamaCity.com and The News Herald for Jan. 24.)

Youthful energy drives the universe

Coraline, Lucy and Gillian work on watercolor projects at Floriopolis.

PANAMA CITY — On three separate occasions in a week’s time, I was reminded how the universe demands a constant influx of energy to keep entropy at bay.

That is, this old man got to see youthful enthusiasm and creativity in action, and basked in the promise of a bright future they represent.

One afternoon, I sat for an interview by three Rutherford High School students, Sarah Khan, Sarah Huerta and Aria Delmar, all 14. They were working on a class project dealing, in part, with a court case in which high school students had purchased an ad in their school paper, but it was rejected for publication because it was against the school’s pro-abstinence stance.

They wanted to ask me about similar cases I had covered for The News Herald during my time as the paper’s education reporter. They asked good questions, including raising references to pledges of journalism ethics. And they forced me to dust off some faded brain cells.

They also joked that part of their presentation would involve a student complaining about how difficult it is to work with the equipment in the classroom — only to “travel back in time” to see how it was done in the days of paste-up page design.

I could almost smell the aroma of hot wax, evoking memories of journalism school and my first newspaper job.

Another day, I visited Floriopolis, the new arts center in St. Andrews, during an after school class for elementary school-age children.

The trio of Coraline, Lucy and Gillian drew clouds and painted watercolor skies. They sprinkled salt on one of the projects. Gillian quite excitedly showed her father her work when he came to pick her up.

I pictured masterpieces hung on a refrigerator door with Panama City Beach magnets, and times past when plastic totes filled with similar art with my children’s names on them.

It was pouring rain the night I visited Aerial Dance Panama City (see next Friday’s edition for the full story), where Melissa St. Clair and her daughter, Gabrielle, were taking a class — learning to climb silk strands and loop them over their limbs to hang suspended in the air.

“You feel it later,” Melissa said as she watched Gabrielle flip and stretch. “I’m envious of her. It’s much easier for her.”

For a second, I connected her statement to what the Rutherford students had said to me about the “time travel” portion of their presentation. It wasn’t the same thing, of course: Melissa was talking about how her daughter’s youth, energy and flexibility made this particular activity easier for her, while the high school students were referencing how the switch from manual labor to digital labor makes activities seem easier today (though we’re expected to accomplish so much more as a result).

Leaving the studio, I heard thunder rumble in the night, the residue of wild energy released in the chaos of the storm. And I thought how, when we were young, we thought we had it tough — but it doesn’t get easier. Not really. You will always need to pour your energy into molding your future. You might think it’s tough now, but you’ll really feel it later.

Peace.

(This was my Undercurrents column for PanamaCity.com and The News Herald for Jan. 17.)

This arrived in the mail yesterday

Which means it is now a thing in the real world.

Here it is on Kindle (ebook)<<

Here it is from CreateSpace (softcover)<<

Education Encore session approaches

My students in a 2011 class.

PANAMA CITY — I have had the pleasure — and the challenge — of teaching a writing course for the Education Encore program at Gulf Coast State College for the past few years, helping students ranging in age from 30 to 80 and in writing experience from beginner to retired journalist explore their way with words.

The new session begins Jan. 24, and continues for six consecutive Fridays. Registration is Jan. 17, starting at 8 a.m. in the Student Union East Conference Center on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors will open at 7 a.m. The fee for Panama City participants is $88, which includes four classes on each of the six Fridays.

(Classes are also offered at the GCSC Port St. Joe campus, at a fee of $66, which includes three classes each Wednesday for six weeks.)

“The goal of Education Encore is to provide a learning environment that is fun, lively and offers diversity, insight and wisdom — in which adults explore new ideas,” said Jim Barr, coordinator of Education Partnerships. “If you have been to college, this is an opportunity to re-live the college experience. If you have not attended college, this is an opportunity to live the college experience. Just as exercising the body keeps one physically fit, exercising the mind keeps one mentally fit.”

The program’s enrollment spiked in the spring session of 2013 with a record 525 enrollees, Barr said.

Many of the courses evolved from suggestions by students; each semester, GCSC surveys participants to learn what worked and what should be added or changed next time. As a result, courses are diverse, including bridge, digital image editing, drawing, farming, watercolor painting, digital photography, jewelry, learning to use new tablet and laptop technology, car maintenance, zumba, politics, religions, the Bill of Rights, ancient histories, linguistics, financial planning, local marine biology, acrylics, yoga, line dance, film discussion, conflict resolution, a capella harmony, tai chi, storytelling, local history and many more.

Students can choose among 10 or more classes in each of four 75-minute instructional periods. The schedule includes an hour-long lunch break, but even that can be educational.

“While eating lunch, (the students) have the opportunity to participate in what we call ‘lunch-and-learn’ sessions,” Barr told The News Herald. “They’re special programs for students during that hour with speakers on specialized topics of interest to this age group.”

To browse the selection of classes offered, visit GulfCoast.edu/EducationEncore; for more information call   the Corporate College registration desk at 872-3823 or e-mail Jim Barr at jbarr@gulfcoast.edu.

Since 1991, Education Encore has offered non-credit enrichment classes for adults under the motto, “No Stress! No Tests! No Grades! Just Fun!” — although I have been known to send students home with homework.

Peace. 

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(Above is my column for this week at PanamaCity.com)

I will be teaching a class called "Writing/Life," which I'm really looking forward to. I generally teach a creative writing/short fiction course, but this time I'm making it personal. We'll still be crafting short stories, but we'll be talking about the bigger picture. Why we write. What it means in our lives.

Where I Am Online and Why

My website got a makeover this year. It is here<< and it has lots of great info about all of my books, book trailers and more.

This << is my author profile page at Amazon, which lists all my books you can get through that source. I'm pretty happy to be there, and will be releasing more new books and products through this venue in the near future.

I tweet about anything I see that interests me here: Twitter.com/midnightonmars. I also have a twitter account for "official" use on News Herald websites, but I seldom use it. (I also have a third twitter account that seemed funny at the time, but I never go there any more. Don't go there.)

This where I lurk on Tumblr, reposting things that are cool, make me grin, or relate to my writing. Also lots of Doctor Who, Doctor Strange, Wonder Woman and Star Trek, which is what the Internet was invented for.

Facebook continues to be an obsession. I have this page for my fans, this page for my new book (Dragon Rising) and its subsequent series, this page for my recent zombie short story collection (Tales of the Awakening Dead) and its subsequent series, this page I participate on for the sake of Graphic Knowledge.

Speaking of Graphic Knowledge, you can download the app (and a free trial issue) here<< and you can check out our website and blog here<< where we talk about comics and geek culture.

My weekly columns for PanamaCity.com and The News Herald can be found by looking for any Undercurrents titles here<< (Some of these are rewritten/repurposed items from this blog, or vice versa.)

Here's my FourSquare page.

My Instagram.

My Linked-In. (Whatever that is.)

I'm on GoodReads, though God knows what good it is.

I still have a MySpace, though I seldom even visit there.

You can check out some of my self-published stuff in my "author spotlight" page at Lulu. (While you're there, click some review buttons. I'd appreciate it.)

I have a YouTube account as well. There's no telling what you'll find there, as it has been used for book trailers, News Herald work, home videos, short films and so forth.

I'm probably other places online also, but just can't recall it right now. If I've forgotten something, feel free to point out my pathetic memory in the comments.

Peace.

The Story behind 'Dragon Rising'

Cover by Jayson Kretzer

I have a new book available through Kindle and soon in print via Amazon's CreateSpace. "Dragon Rising" is the first of a projected series about The Shadow War, and like many of my recent works, it has been incubating for decades. I wrote the initial outline for the story in the early 1990s, when it seemed like there would never be new additions to the Star Wars trilogy, and I wanted a space opera-type story.

The first real work on it came in the latter 1990s, as Phantom Menace hyperbole began to take over the geek world in anticipation of the first prequel to Star Wars. I wrote it with my children in mind, who were at the time not yet in their teens; I made the protagonist, Kit Tanner, a 15-year-old from a backwater world and set him in dangerous situations that he had to think his way out of, and be brave, and be true.

A few years ago, I set about updating the novella I wrote for them and tried submitting it to various publishers. I even rewrote it to appeal to the Christian market at one point, pumping up the philosophical aspects and religious questions, as well as Kit's faith. Still no nibbles. In this most recent rewrite, I believe I kept the best of both versions. You be the judge (please, I'd love to read your reviews at Amazon.com!).

A funny thing happened on the way to publication, however. I asked my friend, Jayson Kretzer (creator of the Wannabe Heroes comic) to do a cover for the book. When he sent me the early version, uncolored, I had to ask him who one of the characters was. He identified the female as "Oracle," a robot or "mech" in the story. I replied that Oracle was never described as female, and in fact was referred to as "it" throughout the narrative; he said when he read the character's dialogue he "heard" a woman's voice. He offered to change the art, but his response made me rethink some of the passages in the story. It became clear to me that Oracle was in many ways a maternal care-giving and peacemaking figure that was missing from the story at that point, and I wondered how Kit was react to Oracle differently if "it" had the outer aspect and voice of a "she." So, another rewrite took place, one that is still having ripple effects on the subsequent storyline. We retained his interpretation, which informed (and in ways, transformed) the story.

That's what happens when you collaborate.

Dragon Rising will be followed later this year by Dragon Rampant, as the Shadow War breaks out in earnest. I also have in mind to do a sort of Federal Encyclopedia, with technical and historical info about the universe in which Kit Tanner lives. After Dragon Rampant, if there's clamor for further adventures, I anticipate a third tale, and more to follow.

I hope you'll read Dragon Rising, or read it to your kids, or buy it for some youngster you know. Let me know what worked for you, what you want more of, or less of. I'm working on the first sequel now, and your feedback would be invaluable. Collaborate in the Shadow War, if you dare to challenge the Dragon.

Peace.

Having a ball at New Year’s time

PANAMA CITY BEACH — There was a span of time during which we ushered in each new year with fireworks and a house full of kids. The open house reverberated inside and out, a statement to the energy and optimism of youth — as well as the influence of junk food, parlor games and comedy films.

New Year’s Eve has been quieter in recent years, a statement to the truism of the empty nest (though ours is not quite empty yet). Life goes on, kids grow up, and friends move in different directions — sometimes to far-flung cities, where they create their own annual traditions.

In anticipation of another quiet New Year’s Eve, and recognizing our lack of available fireworks, we have talked about going out to the Pier Park celebration this year, which would be our first visit to that particular madding crowd.

(Note that this was written a couple of days before the event, though it publishes a couple of days after it. Maybe you saw us there. Maybe we didn’t make it. If we did, I’ll let you know about it next week.)

It’s the sixth time Pier Park has held a New Year’s Eve event, and this year the fireworks will illuminate a second phase of the mall’s development, rising in a skeleton of steel on the north shoulder of U.S. 98. By this time next year, that part of Panama City Beach will be twice as bustling as it is today.

Little wonder that it looks like the city’s growing up, too, according to a friend who grew up here but recently moved to the Northwest. The old “tourist traps” have been replaced by an upside-down amusement center and a “beached” ocean liner, and the strip plazas by an open-air mall that is expanding even as we speak.

At least the beach is still accessible — and with the sunny weather we’ve had recently, it has been welcoming. I’ve seen people walking the shore, para-surfing and more.

Sunday, I was setting up a smoker grill in my front yard as out-of-state neighbors visiting for the holiday walked their pooch. I asked how their Christmas was, and they threw their hands in the air to indicate the blue sky and warm sunshine.

“It’s 20 degrees back home,” one of them said, and that was answer enough.

I suggested that, if they really wanted to make the folks back home jealous, they could always go to the beach and make sand angels — that’s what my daughter wanted to do on Christmas day.

I reflected then that we are ending 2013 with more sunny days than rainy ones, more grins than tears. We have made new friends, begun new traditions (and carried on a few of the old ones). I hope that, for each of us, the new year brings more of the same, as well as plenty of pleasant surprises.

Happy New Year!

Share Your Thoughts:

What are your hopes and aspirations for 2014? What memories of 2013 will you carry like treasures into the new year and beyond?