March26
Border collies amaze me. Jillie, our BC, spent the day at the vet’s having a new tear duct punctured in her perenially runny right eye. Now she’s back at home recovering from anesthesia — and chasing squirrels! First dog I’ve ever had who felt that hearty after being under.
I just finished stapling handouts for Saturday’s appearance at the Great Falls (Montana) Library. The topic: Getting Published. The four years I spent on Saving Gracie taught me beaucoup about the publishing biz and I’d like to pass along what I learned. For example, who knew that, for debut authors, the best season of the year to come out with a book is spring?
My talk begins at 10:15 a.m. Copies of Gracie will also be available. Hope to see you there!
Here’s the story that ran in today’s Tribune about the event.
‘Mystery, History And More’ Is The Theme Of This Year’s Festival Of The Book Which Kicks Off Tonight | Greatfallstribune.Com
Everybody loves a little mystery.
That’s the idea behind this year’s Festival of the Book in Great Falls.
Jude Smith, organizer of the event for the Great Falls Public Library, said the goal of the festival this year is to extend the reach to a more mainstream audience than in years past.
“I could look at the circulation statistics at the library, and I’m sure mystery is one of most popular genres. That’s kind of the core of the festival,” Smith said. “People love history as well, and the rest is icing on the cake.”
The theme of the event, then, is “Mystery, History and More.”
On Saturday mystery fans can indulge in their passion with several local authors.
Ellen Baumler will present “Shadows, Spooks, Spiders, Specters & Spirited Places,” at 11:30 a.m.
Montana mystery novelists Neil McMahon, Peter Bowen and Lisa McClendon will give readings of their latest books at 1:30 p.m. Byron and Kay McCallister, authors of the Nudist Mystery Series, will give a presentation called, “The Nudist Mystery Series Fully Clothed,” at 4:15 p.m.
As for the rest of the festival, Smith said she placed more importance on offering a variety of topics than fitting them all into one strict theme.
“I’m happy with my lineup,” Smith said. “I believe that there’s something for everyone. Carol Bradley is coming and her book was reviewed in People Magazine where they gave it a gold star so that’s pretty significant. We have Montana mystery writers for people who love mysteries, and we have Brian McNamee, who’s an adventurer and can be pretty mysterious as well.”
The festival also will extend beyond the library for the first time this year with two writing seminars at the University of Great Falls on Saturday.
Aaron Parrett, a writer and musician who teaches literature and philosophy at UGF, will present “Writing Flash Fiction.” Joe Simonsen, an assistant professor of English at UGF and poetry writer, will present “Writing Poetry” at Sullivan Hall Room 104 on campus as well. Both seminars are at 2 p.m. and cost $10.
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Smith said by partnering with UGF she sought to extend the festival beyond just the library, much like other communities such as Helena and Missoula do each year.
“It’s something happening simultaneously off site to make it more of a community event,” Smith said. “I love that it’s here at the library — it seems natural. But when you go to other communities, they’ve got the library, a school and local business all pitching in, so I love that we’re doing that.”
For poetry lovers, there will be time to take in Henry Real Bird’s workshop, “Poetry Demystified,” at 12:45 p.m. at the library, before Simonsen’s 2 p.m. workshop at UGF.
Real Bird was born and raised on the Crow Indian Reservation and is a rancher and teacher who raises horses in the Wolf Teeth Mountains. He is the third Poet Laureate of Montana.
Today, literature and music will come together as Jennifer Smith, the principle viola of the String Quartet of the Rockies and writer Scott Friskics present “Musings on Bach in the Backcountry.” Their presentation takes place at 7 p.m.
Smith said the two made their presentation late last year and that it was very well received.
“I know people who attended it at the Central Christian Church last year really enjoyed it,” Smith said.
The two went into the Bob Marshall Wilderness and spent two weeks in the backcountry. While there, they stayed in a cabin and developed a creative endeavor complete with a slide show. During the presentation, they interact with each other. Frisckics will read a passage and then Jennifer will play something with her instrument, Smith said.
Along the same lines, Brian McNamee, a former United States Marine Corps Officer who lives in Helena, will offer a workshop called “Borneo and Back: Travel and Adventure Writing with Film Highlights.”
McNamee’s first book, “With Pythons & Head-Hunters in Borneo: The Quest for Mount Tiban,” chronicles his journeys deep in the heart of Borneo. His workshop will take place at 3 p.m. Saturday.
Finally, while her book may not be written as a mystery, Carol Bradley will give interested participants a guide to what can seem to be one of the most mystifying processes for writers — getting published.
Bradley is a former Great Falls Tribune reporter who studied animal law as a 2004 Nieman Fellow at Harvard. The idea of her book was inspired by the Camp Collie case she covered for the Tribune in 2002. A tractor-trailer packed with neglected collies was discovered as it passed through the border station near Shelby. Local residents wound up caring for the 180 collies for nine months until their owners were convicted of multiple counts of animal cruelty, and the dogs were finally free to be adopted out to new homes.
Bradley’s book, “Saving Gracie: How One Dog escaped the Shadowy World of American Puppy Mills,” chronicles one of the largest puppy mill busts in United States history, including Gracie, the dog who was rescued from that mill. Her workshop is at 10:15 a.m. Saturday.
For more information on any of the workshops and presentations to take place this weekend, contact the Great Falls Public Library at 453-0349.
