What an honor to be a preliminary judge in The Apparitionist contest! Thanks to Tryon Arts and Crafts School, I get to read a whole slew of wonderful scary stories to help whittle down the list of nominees for the head judge. I have to say I am impressed so far with the quality of the entries. I’m so glad I don’t have to select the winners.
Congratulations to the writers of these stories:
That’s me back there holding up the outhouse. For this shoot, we drove to Lone Pine, California, known for its unique scenery and a favorite filming location since the 1920s. We stayed overnight in what was then the only motel in town. I watched the spiders on the ceiling all night. It was May of 1986.
Fast forward to July of 1998, when I shot a commercial in Lone Pine (ironically, for a Ford truck) and enjoyed a lovely new hotel. I skipped dinner and soaked in the pool to cool off at night. We broke a heat record during the shoot.
What an amazing summer I’ve had! It’s no secret that I love this little town, tucked into the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. The folks in Tryon embrace art and artists like nowhere else I know, and I was so lucky to release my book while I was here for the summer.
I head back to Phoenix tomorrow, but will return when I can to this magical little spot.
At my Author Chat at Lanier Library in Tryon.
Enjoy this Kindle special August 31-September 7. Also on sale in the UK. (Cake not included.)
Actress Caroline Fogerty performed my story “The Food Prude” at the House of Blues in Los Angeles. I was so proud!
I’ll be signing at my brother’s art gallery in Asheville on Saturday, August 25th, from noon until 2 p.m. He painted the portrait of Nathan and designed the book cover.
This is one of many things I love about the community I live in (or at least spend my summers in). Every Friday, Details hosts a casual drop-in for local artists and friends on the front porch. We chat, drink coffee and share upcoming events so we can spread the word and support each other. Come to 22349 Asheville Hwy. in Landrum, SC (next door to Harvest House restaurant) from 10-12. Tomorrow, August 10, our host Toby Wolter has invited me to read from my new book.
I had a great day at The Bookshelf, an adorable indie book store in Tryon, NC, where I signed books and caught up with friends for the afternoon. I have to brag about my talented brother Corey McNabb who painted the portrait of Nathan (my main character) behind me and created my book cover from the painting. He’s also a talented jewelry designer, and I’m wearing his earrings, necklace and bracelets, all made from guitar strings. He repurposes all kinds of things to make beautiful wearable art. Check out his work at Rejewelenate.
I read last night at the Literary Open Stage in Tryon, North Carolina, where I’m spending my summer. I shared a chapter from my new book and read a personal essay I wrote recently about fanfiction. I spotted a young woman in the front row with a knowing smile, and sure enough, she’s a fanfiction reader. (I hope I convinced her to become a fanfiction writer as well.) Quite a few people asked me about fanfiction after the readings, so I might have recruited a few new readers.
