The Dahlonega Edition, March 2016

Literary Events … In Like a Lamb

Spring is right around the corner, March 20 to be exact. And like all the flowers and greenery, literary events will be popping up everywhere.

I’ll be attending several, starting with the Dahlonega (Ga.) Literary Festival on March 12. I’m on a panel with regional writers discussing intense scenarios that Saturday. Joining me will be Mike Brown, Evan Guilford-Blake, Jim Henninger, J. Frank James, Ron Miller and Carol Williams.

I’m really looking forward to this event in the scenic north Georgia Mountains, only a couple of hours from Chattanooga and even less from the Atlanta area. Our panel discussion ought to be … intense.

So allow me to introduce you to my fellow panelists. Their full bios can be found at the festival’s website. Click here if you’d like to see the complete lineup.

Michael K. Brown’s novels explore the universal human condition with a Southern accent. He is the author of three novels: Promise of Silver, Promise of the Hills, and Somewhere a River. For the latter, he was named the 2015 Georgia Author of the Year in literary fiction by the Georgia Writers Association.

Evan Guilford-Blake writes plays, prose and poetry for adults and children. His books include the adult novels Noir(ish) and Animation, the short story collections American Blues (runner-up in the 2015 Georgia Author of the Year short story competition) and Love and Loss and Love, and the middle-grade novel The Bluebird Prince.

Jim Henninger works as a Field Representative in the insurance industry. He lives with his dog in Cumming, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. He has two adult children, Jamie and Evan, who reside in Cumming, Georgia and Chicago, Illinois respectively. Recording a Kill is his first novel, and it is dedicated to his late wife, Linda Montgomery Henninger, who believed in him and encouraged him to pursue his passion to write.

J. Frank James (Jim Johnson) began a career in writing while pursuing his degrees in Journalism and Advertising from the University of Florida. While attending school, he worked for the Gainesville Sun as a reporter, photographer, and plate maker. Subsequently, Jim went on to attend law school and obtained a Doctorate of Law. It wasn’t until later in life that Jim’s journalism skills would again serve him well as he began to write his books.

Ron Miller was born in East Tennessee in the middle of the last century … actually a couple of years left of that. He moved to Lake City, Florida at the age of eight and grew up there. His first book, Horse Bones, 12 Tales of Secrets, Ghosts and Legends, a book of campfire tales for middle readers, are stories reflecting his growing up years in this sleepy North Florida town. Callie Kinser of Brush Creek is a novel that reflects his family’s Tennessee roots.

Writer and artist Carol M. Williams is the author of the novel Burning Down The Country House, a story set in Jamaica. An alumnus of Bethlehem Moravian College, Jamaica; she studied English Literature before entering the classroom as an educator. Carol is committed to promoting childhood literacy and helping disadvantaged children experience safe, healthy, and spiritually fulfilled lives.

Upcoming writing events: Also in March we have the First Friday Art Crawl (March 5); I’ll be attending the Southern Literary Festival at MTSU (March 24-26) thanks to the Nashville Meetups; and the Authors Circle has a booth at Mule Day in Columbia (March 31-April 3). I will update the column later with fellow authors attending the Mule Day signing event once we get everyone confirmed.

April will be an extremely busy month. Up first is a trip to the Outer Banks Retreat sponsored by the SE chapter of Mystery Writers of America, then I’m back home for the Nashville Film Festival screenwriters conference (April 20-22) and the Franklin Main Street Festival on April 23-24. The latter is always a fun event, sharing the Authors Circle booth with a dozen or so of my writing buddies. …

May kicks off with a literary event at Donelson Branch Library on the 7th from 10 a.m.-noon. I will be moderating a panel discussion with fellow authors Jaden Terrell, Iscah , John Neely Davis and Blake Fontenay. Admission is free and the public is invited. … I will close out the month by attending my first Indianapolis 500. While there, I will do a signing at Indy Reads Books on May 28 from noon-3 p.m. That will be a blast.

Screen scene: You are cordially invited (hint, hint) to watch the Nashville TV show when it returns from its winter hiatus on March 16. … The Tennessee Screenwriting Association meets each Wednesday at Watkins College of Art, Design & Film at 7 p.m. If you have a story to tell, please join us/

As always, thanks for reading.

Tom Wood, author

The Dahlonega Edition, March 2016

Literary Events … In Like a Lamb

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