Not a Blog

Pat Conroy Literary Center

June 16, 2016 at 12:06 am
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Pat Conroy was one of the great novelists of the last half-century.

Regular readers of this Not A Blog know what a huge fan of his work I am. No, he did not write science fiction or fantasy… but (surprise!) despite my love for our genre, I read a lot of stuff outside of it. And once I had sampled Pat Conroy, I read every book of his eagerly as soon as it came out. THE PRINCE OF TIDES is probably his masterpiece, but I loved BEACH MUSIC and THE LORDS OF DISCIPLINE and THE GREAT SANTINI and THE WATER IS WIDE as well. Oh, and his non-fiction memoir, MY LOSING SEASON, another engrossing read.

The movies based on his books were pretty damned good as well, even if the film version of THE PRINCE OF TIDES did omit… well… the prince of tides. SANTINI is the best of those. Amazing performance by Robert Duvall, once of the best of his career.

A couple of years ago, I had the honor of meeting Pat, and hosting him for an author event and booksigning at the Jean Cocteau Cinema. It was a rare privilege, and one I will always remember, and I can’t tell you how thrilled I was to learn that he’d read and enjoyed my own books.

Pat passed away in March… but his books will live on, and so will his memory.

In his memory, his family has now establishing a Pat Conroy Literary Center in his beloved home town of Beaufort, South Carolina. You can read about it here:

http://patconroyliterarycenter.org/

A worthy project, I think. I’ll be donating. I urge all of you who love good writing to do the same.

Jean Cocteau Cinema Presents Stephen Graham Jones #GRRMinion

May 1, 2016 at 8:59 pm
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Is it another post from Ogre Jenni instead of the famous George R.R. Martin? Why, yes! Yes, it is! I’m here to tell you about an exciting author event coming up at the Jean Cocteau Cinema in Santa Fe.

Jean Cocteau Cinema has the honor of hosting an interview, reading, Q&A, and book signing with Stephen Graham Jones on May 7th. One of our favorite journalists in Santa Fe, Lorene Mills, will interview Jones and moderate the audience Q&A. Jones will read excerpts from his latest novel (and lycanthropic masterpiece), Mongrels, which is described by author Benjamin Percy as existing “somewhere in the borderlands of literary and genre fiction, full of horror and humor and heart…” Lorene Mills says, "This book is a great read, as are his other unique and dazzling books."

Tickets are available here!

ABOUT THE BOOK:

He was born an outsider, like the rest of his family. Poor yet resilient, he lives in the shadows with his aunt Libby and uncle Darren, folk who stubbornly make their way in a society that does not understand or want them. They are mongrels, mixedblood, neither this nor that. The boy at the center of Mongrels must decide if he belongs on the road with his aunt and uncle, or if he fits with the people on the other side of the tracks.

For ten years, he and his family have lived a life of late-night exits and narrow escapes—always on the move across the South to stay one step ahead of the law. But the time is drawing near when Darren and Libby will finally know if their nephew is like them or not. And the close calls they’ve been running from for so long are catching up fast now. Everything is about to change.

A compelling and fascinating journey, Mongrels alternates between past and present to create an unforgettable portrait of a boy trying to understand his family and his place in a complex and unforgiving world. A smart and innovative story— funny, bloody, raw, and real—told in a rhythmic voice full of heart, Mongrels is a deeply moving, sometimes grisly, novel that illuminates the challenges and tender joys of a life beyond the ordinary in a bold and imaginative new way.

“With lupine tongue tucked well into cheek, Mongrels is at once an adolescent romp through the tangled woods of family history and a rich compendium of werewolf lore, old and new. Stephen Graham Jones gifts us with fun characters, imaginative set pieces, and an immersive tour of the flat-broke American South that spares no plastic orchid or cable-spool coffee table.” — Christopher Buehlman, author of The Lesser Dead.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Stephen Graham Jones is the author of fifteen novels and six story collections. He has received numerous awards including the NEA Fellowship in Fiction, the Texas Institute of Letters Jesse Jones Award for Fiction, the Independent Publishers Award for Multicultural Fiction, the This is Horror Award, as well as making Bloody Disgusting’s Top Ten Novels of the Year. Stephen was raised in West Texas. He now lives in Boulder, Colorado with his wife and children. He is a Blackfoot Native American, and he has been invited to speak at The Library of Congress Poetry and Literature Center for their “Spotlight on Native Writers.”

See you at the Cocteau!

—THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE MINIONS OF FEVRE RIVER—