As the Holidays approach I am happy that some in-person promotions are being scheduled again. One that I am most excited about is an event sponsored by my publisher Shades Creek Press. I will be joining fellow author Reymond G. Johansen in a roundtable discussion led by our publisher, Dr. J.R. Hale. We will also open the questioning for those in attendance. So, it’s your chance to ask me something! It is being held in a great new venue called Emerald, in a building that is not new at all.
In the heart of downtown Birmingham, Emerald is located in the space that was home to Bon Ton Hatters, a venerable family business that was started in 1902 and gets a cameo appearance in my upcoming book, Timeless Magic City coming in the summer 2022.
The new book explores the city in the first decade of the twentieth century when the Magic City evolved from a booming industrial town of brothels and saloons to a thriving city. It also explores the relationship of time, and the bonds people create with one another. As I have mentioned before, the story was prompted by a dream and as I delved into the “what would that be like” aspects of the developing story, it certainly took on some twists.
Readers will get a glance of what life was like in 1900 in Birmingham, Alabama when so much NEW was happening in the world. Electricity was changing daily life and so was motorized vehicles. Telephones were an emerging technology. We see skyscrapers going up across the city but no cranes or such equipment was used. It was simple ingenuity and manpower. Many of those same buildings are still in use today.
The story also delves into relations both then and now. How we treat our fellow human beings and how our friendships and relationships work. It started with a crazy dream and then was sparked by the lyrics of one of my favorite songwriters and artist, Jason Isbell. His song Vampires poses the premise that if we were vampires and immortal, time would not matter. “If we were vampires and death was a joke / we’d go out on the sidewalk and smoke. / And laugh at all the lovers and their plans. / I wouldn’t feel the need to hold your hand. / Maybe time running out is a gift.”
Time is precious and so are our relationships… with people… with places. I was also inspired in the process by a quote I found on the internet…
“The timeless in you is aware of life's timelessness. And knows that yesterday is but today's memory and tomorrow is today's dream.”
― Khalil Gibran, The Prophet