Book ‘Em! by p.m. terrell

by p.m. terrell, @BookEmNC

I’ve wondered lately why I’ve had no time to blog. Then the reason occurred to me: I’m organizing a Writer’s Conference and Book Fair.

The Book ‘Em conference scheduled for February 25, 2012 is the tenth one and the first to be held in Lumberton, North Carolina. It’s shaping up to be our largest, most successful one to date. And that isn’t by accident. It’s the result of hundreds of hours by dozens of volunteers.

Laying the Groundwork: I began lining up community support several years ago for Book ‘Em North Carolina, an event to raise funds for literacy programs in Robeson County. We gathered support from the City of Lumberton (always important to get local leaders involved), the Lumberton Area Visitors Bureau (instrumental for publicity efforts), area businesses (sponsorships), civic groups (volunteers), schools (school-age attendance and volunteers with boundless energy), non-profits (to whom the literacy funds will go), among others. When we were offered Robeson Community College for the location, we were ready to get started.

Lining Up the Authors: We began contacting authors in March 2011. Two librarians, Katie Huneycutt and Lisa Matthews, helped me email authors and post blogs to raise awareness of the Book ‘Em event. Thanks to Katie, we lined up two New York Times best-selling authors as headliners: Carla Neggers and Michael Palmer (necessary to attract large crowds). I developed our website, posting every author’s picture, bio and links as they registered. Over time, I added dozens of informational pages.

Sponsorships: We solicited businesses for sponsorships, instrumental for promoting and marketing the event. We lined up pillars of the community, including University of North Carolina, Southeastern Regional Medical Center, BB&T and a host of businesses who donated $250 to $2,000 apiece. We secured grants from the Lumberton Area Visitor’s Center to cover promotional efforts and Kiwanis Club of Lumberton, who provided money to buy children’s books to give away.

Publicity: We began periodic press releases in the spring, which were picked up by mainstream and Internet media. We obtained media sponsors, including Lumberton Magazine and Robeson Living Magazine, and have been working steadily with newspapers, television and radio stations. We secured billboards around the state, which will roll out after the holidays. Our big promotional campaign begins January 2. Brochures are in all the NC Welcome Centers on I-95 and with local businesses; flyers will be distributed with all Lumberton utility bills; and our full Talks Schedule will be published in the January edition of Lumberton Magazine.

Logistics: The conference and book fair features more than 75 authors selling and signing their books, which means we must have tables and adequate space not only for the authors but for traffic flow. We’ve divided two buildings into fiction, non-fiction, young adult and a special Children’s Corner, meticulously measuring hallways and classrooms. We will have five sets of talks going on simultaneously: five publishers have joined us for the Writer’s Conference, and there will be panel discussions and solo talks for every genre – plus readings for small children. Each talk requires a moderator; each hallway and conference room requires a Team Captain and host of volunteers. There will be an Author’s Lounge and the college cafeteria will be open for attendees, requiring a Food Committee. We’ll have greeters, music in the cafeteria, events in the Children’s Corner, raffle tickets, and centralized cash registers, each requiring a team of volunteers.

Contests: We kicked off short story contests throughout the Robeson County Public School System and Robeson Community College. Entries will be judged by faculty and finalists will be decided by published authors. Winners will be announced at Book ‘Em.

Afterward: When the event is over, our work is not: we’ll clean up the space used, reconcile all the funds received, pay authors and publishers their portion of the book sales, award the non-profits funding for literacy efforts, and donate remaining books to literacy groups.

Then we start the whole process over.

Book ‘Em North Carolina will be held on the last Saturday of each February in Lumberton, NC. The event is FREE and open to the public; doors open at 9:30 am on February 25, 2012. A portion of every book sale will be donated to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library of Robeson County, Communities In Schools, and Friends of the Robeson County Public Library for literacy campaigns for all ages. The Book ‘Em Foundation was founded by author p.m.terrell, who wrote this blog, and Police Officer Mark Kearney, to raise awareness of the link between high crime rates and high illiteracy rates.

Thanks, p.m.! I’m going to be at the Book ‘Em, North Carolina conference, too—along with L. Diane Wolfe and Alex Cavanaugh. If you’re in the area, hope you’ll drop by. :) ~~Elizabeth

Weather Can Be Murder—by p.m.terrell

I left Mississippi a day early. I thought I could get ahead of the approaching monster storm, but instead I found myself driving through Alabama between tornadoes. I knew the road well; my book tours had taken me along this route at least twice a year. But the road became unrecognizable as the sky turned black in the middle of the day and the rain pelted my windows in a sideways stream that screamed of the high and dangerous winds. The light poles that had illuminated the Interstate on past trips now collapsed like wet spaghetti, their warped bodies turning the right lane into an obstacle course.

My desperation propelled me forward, just like the characters in my books. I knew if I stopped, the next tornado approaching from behind would find me there, alone and vulnerable along the highway. My only hope was to drive faster than it was travelling, to come out on the other side, where I knew the sun was still shining and the roads were passable.

The weather had become an antagonist, just like it had in my books.

Weather can set the stage for any emotion. A snowstorm can isolate the characters from the outside world, making them prime for a romance—or a murder. A hurricane can be the catalyst for an adventure: a ship blown off course, a protagonist fighting to survive and even triumph, a family forced to overcome their personal grievances and help one another. Even a driving rainstorm can interrupt telephones and electricity, plunging the characters into darkness and a suspense-filled black hole. Nose-diving temperatures can turn a stroll through a park into a nightmare survival story; heat and humidity can become a metaphor for a stifling existence.

Writing is part creative and part technical know-how. As a former computer analyst, I found myself analyzing those books that terrified me, those movies that gave me nightmares. I dissected the scenes right down to the sentences and use of descriptors; I watched movies sometimes frame by frame to analyze the atmosphere.

Mysteries and suspense are made more effective by the darkness. Like the road I knew so well in the bright sunshine, weather—darkening skies, wind and rain—turned it into something I had to fight against.

In contrast, comedies more often occur in the daylight. Romances, while they might occur because of bad weather, often involve scenes that are light. It makes the heart lighter and happier to picture a field of wildflowers in the spring sunshine, two lovers strolling hand-in-hand as the butterflies flit around them and the birds sing their greetings.

Now picture the same field at the tail end of winter, when the fields are still yellowed and dormant. Before the butterflies have a chance to emerge, before the birds begin to lay their eggs, a tornado is spotted on the far horizon, darkening the sky, moving directly toward the two lovers. The wind has become a deadly force, hurling debris in all directions; a driving rain is threatening to turn the field into a lethal bog.

The weather has the power and ability to change the imagery against which your characters appear. It is more potent than wallpaper or a room’s surroundings because the weather is alive.

After your climactic scene, the weather can set the stage for what lies ahead: the sun rising over the field, the warmth of the summer, the chirping of the birds, ushering in a new beginning. The character has made it through to the other side.

p.m.terrell is the internationally acclaimed, award-winning author of twelve books, including contemporary suspense/thrillers and historical adventure/suspense. You can learn more about her at www.pmterrell.com and the true stories behind her historical work at www.maryneely.com. She has joined the City of Lumberton to host Book ‘Em North Carolina, an innovative Writers Conference and Book Fair, on February 25, 2012. Learn more about it and how you can participate at www.bookemnc.org.

Thanks so much for coming by today, Trish! I’m looking forward to attending Book ‘Em in February. And what do y’all think about weather and what it adds to a setting and a story?