Devorah Fox's Blog, page 41

Coming attractions

Coming attractions. (Just like in the movie theater only this is for a new book.) The Naked Came the Sharks trailer alone is worth an Academy Award for original score, “Song of the Ocean,” by Kelly Brown and the Bad Monkeys. Thank you, Alan White, for helping to make this trailer ROCK!  http://youtu.be/KzXj0bxyxnw

A modern twist to a classic tale

It’s said that there are no new stories, just new ways of telling them. That can even be said of a popular Christmas story, Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol.” It’s the story of bitter and miserly Ebenezer Scrooge and his ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation resulting from supernatural visits by Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. Dickens mined his own childhood for the story but he also called on various Christmas stories and fairy tales that were familiar to his Victorian-era readers.
Since its original publication the story has been retold in many different forms including film, opera, ballet, a Broadway musical, a pantomime and an orchestral composition. Other authors including Louisa May Alcott and Horatio Alger wrote “spin-offs.” as did Dickens himself. It was adapted for the stage almost immediately. It was even pirated by another publisher whom Dickens sued. Dickens won the suit but failed to collect and then had to pay legal costs out of his own pocket.

The Port Aransas Community Theater is offering yet another take on the popular story. The stage presentation “Ebby Scrooge” offers yet another telling of Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol” story, this time with a very modern twist. Restaurant owner Ebby Scrooge is as mean and greedy as her distant relative, Dickens’s Ebenezer. There’s also a long-suffering employee in the form of Mrs. Cratchit, and Ebby’s dead partner Marla who comes to haunt her.

Salle Ellis of Bandera, a long-time community theater participant who has been involved in various theaters and productions for many years, is the director.

The cast Includes Pam Henderson as Ebby Scrooge; Victoria Stiewig as Roberta Crachet; Rick Adams as John Crachet; Marion Fersing and Kelly Stringer as the “Sisters of Suffering Charity,” D.C. Cooper and Jim Rafferty as the Ghosts of Christmas Past And Christmas Future, along with Peggy Srader, costumed out in forks and spoons, as Marla, the Ghost of Ebby’s old business partner. Young thespians are also in the cast as carolers.

The play will hit the boards on Dec. 5, 6, and 7 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 8 at 2:30 p.m. at the Port Aransas Community Theater. Prices are  $7.00 for adults and $5.00 for children.

I’m especially looking forward to it because I know it’s the theatrical debut for D. C. “Chip” Cooper who’s playing the Ghost of Christmas Past. It’s exciting when anyone has a “first.” I think it takes a lot of gumption to exercise untested muscles live in front of an audience, so don’t be surprised if I stand up and start a wave.

For more information about The Port Aransas Community Theater and all its productions visit the Web site at http://portaransascommunitytheatre.com/. Call 361-749-6036 or stop by 2327 State Highway 361. I’ll see you there.

Fantasies and fantastic deals

The King gets around. No, not that king, King Bewilliam of The Lost King and The King’s Ransom.
Today he got a mention on Alesha Escobar’s blog. Check out the Holiday ebook Deals and grab up some great reads for a pittance, even free, an even more pitiful pittance.

And the charming if bewildered king and his adventures were featured as part of Chick Lit Week by the readers and writers of the Masquerade Crew. When you read my thoughts on “What Makes It a Fantasy?” you’ll see that King Bewilliam isn’t the only one who’s sometimes bewildered. Thank you, Crew.

Magic meets espionage

I am delighted to bring you exciting news from my friend, author Alesha Escobar. She’s running a special promotion to celebrate the release of her third book in her Gray Tower trilogy.
Set during World War II, the series combines magic with espionage. Lest you think that’s a bit too fanciful to believed, the stories are inspired by little known (at least to me) historical events. I rooted for the plucky heroine Isabella all through The Tower’s Alchemist.  Committed to her goal of using her special talents to vanquish the bad guys despite the personal costs, she returned to fight Nazis and unexpected enemies in The Dark Rift. I’ve just started reading Book #3, Circadian Circle, which takes off like a rocket.

Here’s a great way to get acquainted with this distinctive, thrilling and fascinating series: enter the giveaway. Prizes include copies of the books and some really neat “swag.”

As Fall advances toward Winter, the nights are getting longer and dark. Liven yours up with some really great reads.

Make someone happy

How can you make a whole bunch of people happy with one simple act? Buy a book at the Local Author Book Sale, Saturday, Nov. 9 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Neyland Library (formerly the Parkdale Public Library).
The event was organized by library board member Sue Donahoe. “We hope this will be the first step in building a strong connection between the Library and the local writing community.”
Sue is herself a writer with the mission of promoting the independent musician, author, and artist. She and her late husband, Mike Donahoe, owned Local Flavor, a tiny shop in Austin that sold only local things, and for five years Sue wrote about the exploding music scene for magazines in 3 countries. After moving to Corpus Christi Sue helped to open Surf Club Records, a sister business to the Executive Surf Club and she and Brad Lomax co-founded The South Texas Music Walk of Fame. Sue’s book, “Never Heard of ‘Em, Austin’s Music Explosion, 1994 – 2000” was released in 2011.

In addition to being on the library board, Sue has a family connection to the facility:  Anita T and William Neyland were her late husband’s parents.

So, who are all those people you’re going to make happy by attending the sale?

First, there’s you. You’ll find all kinds of books to choose from. Books about our region’s history, about Texas music, about being a Jew in Egypt and about growing up in Alaska will be available. Two different authors will sell collections of stories based on Korean folk tales and Native American legends. Fiction and non-fiction, romance, dragons and mystics – authors in our area write about it all! The authors are right there to answer them. Curious about writing or publishing in general? Feel free to ask away.

Second, there’s the person for whom you buy a book as a gift. Introduce your friend to one of your favorite authors or help your friend discover a new favorite. Don’t forget to ask the book sale authors to inscribe the book to your friend to personalize that gift and make it extra special.

You’ll make the authors happy. Take it from me; writing’s a fairly solitary exercise. Oh, sure, we can write in a coffeehouse, bookstore, library or other public place. For the most part though it’s just we writers alone with our ideas for hours, days, weeks, months, even years. Meeting our readers at events like this and getting a little pat on the back now and then keeps us going. So does actually selling copies of our book. Many of us are working writers and this is how we make a living.

Last, you’ll make library patrons happy because the authors are donating 30% of the proceeds of their sales to the library to help fund many of the exciting and educational programs held in libraries all over town throughout the year. Newly confirmed Director of Corpus Christi Libraries Laura Garcia is thrilled about the authors’ donation of sales to the library. “This kind of support makes it easier to bring future programs to Corpus Christi that will help these authors and others as well.” Future possible programs include workshops, contests, and classes.

Here are just a few of the authors you’ll meet:

Sue Hastings, co-author of “ARANSAS: The Life of a Texas Coastal County,” spent every summer vacation in Rockport from infancy until 1986, when she moved there full time. The Rockport Center for the Arts commissioned the writing of the history, which was published in 1997.  Ms. Hastings has written for Texas Parks and Wildlife and Texas Highways magazines, and for several years she had a “slot” on the “Corpus Christi Caller-Times’ Feedback” column.  She now lives in Corpus Christi, with frequent trips to Rockport for her continuing interest in, and support of, its historical preservation.

Kathryn Black Morrow is an historian, author and researcher. Her first book, “Guide to the Texas Slave Trade Series, 1818-1886,” published in 2006, brought to light more than 200 previously unpublished original Texas documents. Her second book, “Defender of America’s Gulf Coast; A History of Ellington Field, Texas 1917-2007,” published in 2007, documented the extraordinary role a local air field played in aviation history from the first World War to the Space Age. Her third book, titled “Meant to Fly; the Career of Captain A.J. High, Pilot for Trans-Texas Airways,” which came out in October, 2008, is a history of Trans-Texas Airways, and Texas International Airlines, through the memoirs of Capt. A.J. High, who was one of the first sixteen pilots hired by TTA in 1947. A native Houstonian, Kathryn began her career as a professional historical and genealogical researcher at the North Carolina Department of Archives and History in Raleigh in 1969, and now has more than forty years of experience in academic research, family research and historical documentation. Kathryn and her husband Michael now live in Rockport.

Heather Johnson Miller lived for two years in Perryville, an Aleutian village on the Alaskan peninsula, in 1961 to 1963 while her own parents were teachers there.  She wrote “Lost in Alaska:  A Texas Girl and an Aleut Boy” and “My People or Myself ,” published by the Council for Indian Education because she wants to preserve the unique culture and customs of the Aleut people. “Lost in Alaska,” a story about a young girl whose life is turned upside down when her Texan parent take teaching jobs in an Alaskan Aleut village, is suited for readers in grades 3 to 6. “My People or Myself” is a young adult story about three different people who must come to terms with important events in their lives.

I’ll be there too. In addition to the “Dee-Scoveries” column that I’ve written for “The Island Moon” newspaper for over three years, I’ve written for television, radio, magazines and various blogs plus two novels. “The Lost King” and “The King’s Ransom” are Books One and Two of “The Bewildering Adventures of King Bewilliam,” a five-star literary fantasy series. I’m working on Book Three, “The King’s Redress,” and I’ll be previewing my newest work, “Naked Came the Sharks,” a contemporary thriller set in the Texas Coastal Bend that’s slated for a release this winter.

For information about the Neyland Local Authors Book Sale, visit the Web site at http://cclibraries.com or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/neylandlibrary. Call Michelle Balis or Jeanie Garza at Nelyand Library, (361) 826-2370. or send an email to library@cclibraries.com. Or, stop by 1230 Carmel Parkway in Corpus Christi, behind Sutherlands. Regular hours for the library are Monday through Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. I’ll see you there.

 

Academy Award moments

OK, learning that my novels are available for sale in the grocery store was for me like getting an Academy Award. But here’s Alice Marks with a true “Academy Award moment.”  She’s been inducted into the White Castle Cravers Hall of Fame for writing the winning essay.
7,645 people have tried for the Hall since 2001 but only 170 have been inducted and I’m proud to say that Alice is one of them. She was flown to White Castle headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, and feted with a banquet.

Read the winning story here.

A dream come true

I am giddy, and delighted to report that The Lost King and The King’s Ransom are now available at the Family Center IGA in Port Aransas.
As a writer I’ve had this dream that you could buy my books at the grocery store. For an author this is tantamount to fantasizing about giving an Academy Award acceptance speech. Now my dream has come true.

I’ve often told people that you can get everything you need and most of what you want at the IGA. Now that’s truer than ever. So for the perfect Port A day, stop into the IGA and pick up those essentials: milk, eggs, beer, chips, bait, something to put on the grill and a good book to read while you wait for the fish to bite or dinner to cook.

Light-bulb moments

When you were a little kid thinking about what you wanted to be when you grew up, didn’t you imagine yourself as a golf cart transportation mogul?
Neither did Dalton “Bron” Doyle, yet today he rents out 50 of the little vehicles from Bron’s Beach Carts in Port Aransas and is aiming for 85. How did this happen?

It isn’t so much a case study in laborious business planning as it is a story of getting an idea and running with it. In 2010, Bron was in Dallas, working for his sister. The Dallas Cowboys had a new stadium with acres of parking and that gave Bron an idea: he’d shuttle people around the large parking lot in a golf cart for tips. This proved to be a popular service so he expanded it to working events. He expanded further into new territory and worked the Houston rodeo and cook-offs.

At Spring Break he surfed Google, seeking out more events where he could ferry people around in golf carts. He happened on a report about the ordinance that had just passed in Port Aransas making the city one of the few in Texas where golf carts could be operated on city streets. It was another light-bulb moment for Bron. At first he thought to provide the same shuttle service that he already had but decided instead to buy golf carts and rent them to people to drive themselves.

He started with eight carts. Every single rental was important to the young business so Bron would deliver the carts to the renters and bike back to his small rental lot. For the Harvest Moon Regatta that year he rented out four carts. By 2013 he was looking at renting out ten times that many to the HMR sailors. On a Saturday in season, Bron’s Beach Carts can manage to rent out every one of its 50 carts and Bron is planning to enlarge his fleet.

A supportive golf cart dealer in Corpus Christi who gave good terms helped Bron’s business to flourish. Bron also got help from the landlord Cindy Johnson from whom he rents lot space. A handshake deal enabled him to move from his small spot to his current larger location on G Street. Her faith in him was justified as his business has not only prospered, it’s grown. Bron’s Beach Carts enjoys a lot of repeat business and he now has a sno cone stand too.

Now full time in Port Aransas, Bron is here to stay. “Port Aransas is growing,” he says. “It’s a great place where you have a marina and the beach and restaurants and shops. And it’s a unique experience to see that all from a golf cart. It’s part of the lifestyle. It’s how to enjoy Port A.”

I got a chance to check that out for myself the Saturday of the Port Aransas Art Center ArtAbout. On a beautiful sunny October day with Chamber-of-Commerce weather I went from gallery to art studio in one of Bron’s Beach Carts. My friends and I attracted lots of waves and smiles. It’s hard not to smile at a bunch of happy people wheeling around town in a colorful beach cart. Admittedly some of the amused looks we got may have been due to the fact that we were all dressed up like knights and ladies from some medieval court. Why were we riding around Port Aransas in gowns and chain mail? Well, it was the ArtAbout and I’m an artist. I couldn’t very well take the art walk to my books so with a little help from my friends I brought “The Lost King” and “The King’s Ransom” to the art walk.

By the way, I’ll start writing “The King’s Redress,” Book Three in the series, next month during National Novel Writing Month 2013. You can find out more about National Novel Writing month at the Web site at www.nanowrimo.org and for more information about my novels, visit my author page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DevorahFoxAuthor.

For more information about Bron’s Beach Carts, visit the Web site at www. bronsbeachcarts.com or find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Beachcartren.... Call 361-290-7143 or send an email to brondoyle@yahoo.com. Or, stop by 314 E. Ave. G. They’re open every day in summer from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. the rest of the year. I’ll see you there.

 

Check it out

Check out The King’s Ransom. Really, you can check it out.
I’m proud to announce that along with The Lost King, The King’s Ransom is now available in the Ellis Memorial Library in Port Aransas. Thanks to the kind and thoughtful person (who at the moment is anonymous) who donated a copy so that others may enjoy it.

My goal is to write enough books to fill a shelf in the library. Maybe an entire bookcase. I’ll start Book Three of The Bewildering Adventures of King Bewilliam next month as my project for National Novel Writing Month 2013.

Get ready for the ArtAbout

The Port Aransas ArtAbout will be Oct. 19. This is one of my favorite community events. Check out my stories in the October issue of TexasNOW magazine for details and plan to attend.
Look for me on the art walk. I’ll be the one in the tiara with medieval knights-in-armor and ladies by my side. Port A dragons, beware! The knights are armed and ready to defend against attacks.