BACK HOME FROM TEXAS--GREAT TIME!

Hi Folks,

It’s time to report on my two weeks in Texas! I’m a bit late on doing this as when I returned home a bunch of things happened. First, I had to decompress! Still doing that, but almost fully recovered.

And, then, my son-in-law, Ray Robinson notified me that he’s interested a financial group in Louisville to hopefully finance a short version of my novel, THE BITCH, which he hopes to enter at Cannes and Sundance in an effort to interest investors in the full-length version. He’s writing the screenplay now.

I’m also about to begin strategizing the promotion of my screenplay of THE GENUINE, IMITATION, PLASTIC KIDNAPPING with Voyage Media and producer John Crye. I’m very excited about the possibilities.

And, I needed to get back up to speed with my brilliant writing class—it’s a true labor of love to be able to work with such a group of extremely talented writers, each of whom are going to end up with publishable novels.

But… Texas was wonderful! And, I get to do it again next year.

First, I flew in to San Antonio a couple of days early, to stay with my good friend, novelist Marjorie Brody. She’d arranged an appearance in her home with her San Antonio Writer’s Group. We had about twenty-five writers appear and I had a fantastic time. Hopefully, we’ll get to do it again next year.

(Photo of Marjorie and me at WRW--taken by Gail Provost)

Then, Marjorie and I went on to the Oblate Renewal Center for the Writer’s Retreat Workshop  with Jason Sitzes and Gail Provost, where Marjorie was a participant and hosted the Early Morning Sessions and I was on the staff.

Marjorie leading a Morning Session.

What a gorgeous place!

Above, the back row at a class and below, presenter Carol Dougherty.

There, I met up again with fellow staffers and old friend Don Maass, and a guy I met in Oklahoma a couple of weeks before and recommended to Jason that he ask him to present at WRW—Richard Thomas, editor for Dark House Press and writer extraordinaire. I was anxious also to meet one of the members of our private online class who was attending—Connie Fulmer. Connie turned out to be as wonderful a person in real life as she is in cyberspace in our class, and I’m so darned proud of her—fellow staffer Carol Dougherty showed a movie and asked everyone to point out the inciting incident and Connie was the only one to nail it. Yes! Connie also had a major breakthrough in her writing while there and is already enrolled in next year’s WRW. It’s a life-altering experience for a great many of those who attend.

Don Maass teaching a class.

Richard was a huge hit with everyone and the more I get to hang with him, the more I know it’s gonna be good times whenever he’s in the vicinity. Just a great literary mind and a terrific person—the kind of guy you want to have beers with.

 

I also got to meet a young lady I’d met in the class I co-taught via Skype with Jenny Milchman for the New York Writer’s Workshop a couple of years ago, who came up and introduced herself with the name I’d given her in class—Apple. Her real name was Jacqui Wolf and she turned out to be one of my new best friends. Got to hang out with a bunch of new friends and old ones as well. Terrific people and writers such as Alexandra Marbach, Barbara Clarke, Camile Di Maio, Carol Dougherty, Diane LaCombe, Connie Fulmer, Ellan Otero, Joni Hahn, Katrina Stonoff, Larry Brill, Linda Moore, Linda Zimmerman, Lisa Pirc, Macaire Hill, Marilyn Tucker, Marjorie Brody, Mary Bowers, Matt Brock, Michalea Moore, Patty Mayeaux, Rick Bylina, Suanne Shafter and Wondra Chang.

Got to meet and hang out with Matt Brock, one of the presenters and an old friend of Jason’s. Matt teaches at the University of Tennessee and went to school at Ole Miss, where he took classes from and hung out with the likes of Barry Hannah! Man! Doesn’t get any better than that! And, he’s a fantastic writer and was the only other one besides me that smoked so we logged a lot of “bench time.” In fact, Wondra told me she had a visual image of me sitting on the bench outside the rooms, smoking, and that would appear in her novel… Can’t wait… maybe…

Matt Brock giving talks at WRW

Several of us got to go down to the Riverwalk and that’s always a fun time!

Katrina “Hurricane” Stonoff (I gave her the nickname and she was… a hurricane), did what no man or woman has ever done before—embarrassed me by singing to me in the cafeteria… I played it off, but she really did embarrass me. Now she knows… J I have wonderful memories of each and every person!

During the retreat, I rented a car and traveled to Austin for a day on May 16 to deliver my Thelma&Louise presentation to the Writer’s League of Texas  and there were about twenty-five people in attendance—a terrific group! I got to hang out with Rodney Sprott and when we were done, he took me to the oldest bar in the U.S. where they were filming a documentary and we had an adult beverage and really connected.

Giving my Thelma and Louise presentation

After the week at WRW, I got to go home with Jason and his beautiful fiancé, Lisa, to their home in Austin where I got to hang out with them and Lisa’s three terrific kids, 

 (Working with Jack on his batting stance and throwing mechanics)

and then, on Saturday, spent all day with Scott Montgomery at the BookPeople Bookstore https://mysterypeople.wordpress.com/ as a guest of his and Gale Albright, Vice-President of the Sisters in Crime, Heart of Texas chapter, sitting on a panel with fantastic writers Reavis Wortham and George Weir, and then doing a signing. I was totally surprised when one of the participants at WRW, Camille Di Maio, showed up with her husband. Camille has one of the most interesting stories of the century! She’d written a novel based on the Paul McCartney song, Eleanor Rigby, and during a concert she’d attended in San Antonio, McCartney brought her up on stage and read a page from her novel! Just a wonderful person and wonderful writer. Look for her book—it’s gonna be a mega seller when it comes out next year.

George Weir, Reavis Wortham, Scott Montgomery and moi...

After the signing, I got to go out with Scott and George Weir and his wife, Jason and Lisa, and a few other of the attendees for a bite to eat and some adult beverages and they all bit the bullet for me, sitting out in a misty rain so I could do my bit in keeping the tobacco industry flourishing… All I can say is I appreciate it but if anyone develops pneumonia it wasn’t my fault… I have an alibi…

Jason and Lisa took me to some really cool places and I got to eat some of the best BBQ I’ve ever had… since the last time I was in Texas. The weather wasn’t typical. During the two weeks I spent there, I saw the sun a total of about two hours… But, that was a good thing. Last year, it was hot, hot, hot and allergy season was in full bloom and I lost 25 pounds and came home half-dead. This year, I gained weight! (An ounce and a half, at least…)

It was just a wonderful couple of weeks and the best thing is I get to repeat it all next year. Plus, I’d suggested to Jason that he consider asking my hero Joe Lansdale to appear as a presenter and unless something changes, Joe will be there next year! I frickin’ can’t wait!

So much more happened that I just don’t have room to report on. Just an absolutely mind-blowing two weeks. If you can swing it, I’d recommend attending WRW. It’ll change your live. And, if you’re considering it, I wouldn’t wait long—they’re already filling up all the spots for next year.

Hope to see some of y’all there!

Blue skies,

Les

 Jason Sitzes and Camille Di Maio during a class.

The grotto at Oblate Renewal Center

Part of the audience at my T ^ Louise presentation.

More folks in class.

OWFI WAS AWESOME!

Hi folks,

Well, I’ve been home from Oklahoma City for a full day now and am pretty well decompressed and ready to talk about my experience there.

In short, it was WONDERFUL! I’ve been to a ton of writing conferences—some as an attendee and some as a presenter—and while just about every one of them was a great experience, not a one is any better than the OWFI (Oklahoma Writer’s Federation Inc.) annual event. This is such a “user-friendly” gathering and I enjoyed every single moment—from being allowed to get up and yak in front of everyone to the moments I spent in my “office” – the front of the hotel where I smoked and got to meet and chat with all kinds of people like “Goatboy” Frank Steele and his play writing partner Amy Shojai, to Vickey Kennedy to Becky Franklin to a whole bunch of people I wish I could name but would run out of room. I better explain the nickname I gave Frank Steele—“Goatboy”—before he visits me and I end up in a Ft. Wayne swamp with a .22 rattling around in my brainpan. Actually, I don’t think Frank would ever do that, but… During one of my talks, I did a Q&A and Frank asked me something from way back in the room and I couldn’t hear anything but one word—“goat.” So, naturally… He turned out to be one of my new best friends and we did our best to keep the tobacco industry running smoothly.

I’d been looking forward to the convention for many months, ever since my Forever Best Friend, Dawn Allen invited me to be the keynote speaker. My one regret during the event was that we never got to spend a lot of time together. She was busy organizing everything and putting our fires and I was busy… smoking…

In one respect, I don’t like doing these summaries. They’re like interviews where you’re asked to name your favorite writers and after you’re done and it’s gone to print, you think of ten others you wished you’d mentioned. I know right now I’m going to forget someone and then hate myself for not recognizing them. So, to whoever I leave out, please forgive me—it’s my Halfzeimer’s at work again! I don’t know how many were in attendance—I had thought 5-600 hundred and then saw something that said there were 1500, and I don’t know, but I think I got to interact with at least a thousand of them and each meeting was fantastic.

One guy I won’t forget is Lee Lofland. Lee and I have been online friends for a long, long time and I was anxious to meet him in person. Being—you know—from the criminal class while Lee is from the “enemy” class—a former cop. No surprises—we hit it off famously. Cops and outlaws aren’t all that different—it’s like that thin line that separates geniuses and idiots (criminals being the genius side, of course…)—we’re more alike than we’re different. We got to share a bunch of stories and I told him and meant it—that in my criminal days, it would have been an honor to have been cuffed by him… if he could catch me… Just a great, great guy.

Another guy was Doug (Dougy) Kelley, who was a hoot! Dude has some great stories about his pilot adventures, especially a few encounters he had with Bill Clinton. Dougy (he’s gonna hate that!) did so danged much to help me out. I wish he’d adopt me and give me a good home… Had great, great conversations with him and Carol Johnson who is drop-dead gorgeous and sooooo funny!

I met Richard Thomas in Chicago where it turned out we were on the same flight. What a great guy! Unfortunately, he had to leave early because of illness with his family, but I got to attend one of his talks and it was fantastic. We’re going to meet up again in a few days at the WRW event in San Antonio and should get a lot of face-to-face time there. A totally interesting and informative writer-dude!

Got to chat (not enough) with the lovely and charming Michelle Johnson—really a brilliant mind.

And, then, there’s H.B. Berlow… whose real name is “Hugh” which explains his use of initials. He became my New Best Friend… well, one of ‘em. We REALLY hit it off. I’m sorry I missed him just as I was leaving as Jack Lord emailed me to see if he could get his shirt back from him… If you look at the photos of Hughy and me, you’ll see why we hit it off so well—we both look like we belong on the post office wall… I don’t, but he does…

Natasha Hanova and Maria Veres were just two of the many people who really rocked and kept things running smoothly. And were just fun people to chat with.

Two of my best friends for years online made the drive from Kansas so we could meet in person and that was a super treat. Mike Klaassen and BR Stateham and his lovely wife. Didn’t get to spend nearly enough time with them. BR’s one of my favorite crime writers and Mike’s a writing teacher who is also an editor for Wikipedia. Years and years ago, he emailed me (I didn’t know who he was at that time) to tell me he’d taken the liberty of creating an Wikipedia entry for me and I didn’t know what to say at the time, except “thanks.” Then, when I told my teenaged son Mike about it, he proceeded to tell me that it was a really big deal and that I was so five minutes ago. Thanks, Mike—for doing the one thing that made my boy think I was something other than the guy who made him make his bed up in the morning…

Got to meet a bunch of heavyweights in the writing game. Folks like Mel Odom who has written over 200 books—what th’ hell? Does he ever sleep? Got to see my ol’ buddy Jodi Thompson who I met last year at the Dallas-Ft. Worth writer’s convention.

A bunch of other people I’ll always remember—folks like Eric Reitan to whom I introduced the subject of philosophy to and recommended some books he should try for an intro to the subject (that’s an inside joke, folks…), Tony LoPresti, Vinita Eggers, Holly Jahangiri, the two lovely ladies I sat with for awhile at the bar, a gorgeous redhead and beautiful blonde—sorry, ladies for not knowing your names! (Halfzeimer’s…), and just a host of wonderful, lovely, talented folks.

I will never forget the warm hospitality and the many friendships I forged in Oklahoma City. You are indeed, a gracious people and I love all of ya! I hope you’ll consider having me back some day. It truly was the best time I’ve ever had with all my clothes on.

(Back home, decompressing...)

Now. I have to go draw the bath and strew the rose petals… I missed our regular Friday night sesh with my lovely wife Eye Candy and have to make up for it. Which means I’ll have to spring for an extra two Bics…

And, again, I am truly sorry for the folks I forgot to mention and I know I have. Please know that you’re not forgotten in my heart!

Blue skies,

Les