I’m Fixing To Get Thawed Out

I’m fixing to get thawed out.

That’s right, come tomorrow I’m headed down to one of my favorite parts of the world, the Gulf Coast. To be specific, I’m going to Panama City, at the invitation of the Bay County Reading Association, for their 2011 Reading by the Bay Conference at the Gulf Coast Community College.

This association was established in 1972, and is committed to the development of literacy and love of learning.

There will be approximately 500 school teachers and media specialists in attendance and I’ll be able to network with them about the school visits they have planned for me later in the year for their elementary and middle schools, as many as 18 of them. I’m also scheduled for an hour long private presentation to the media specialists.

As you can see I won’t have much time to be eating red snappers, oysters and shrimp, but they did invite me to a southern -style fish fry, which I don’t plan to miss. But I’ll be spending some major time down there in the fall, and I’ll catch up on my seafood cravings then.

I’ve done over 100 author visits/school presentations since the publication of my debut novel, A Yellow Watermelon. In fact I took a tour further along the gulf coast in November of last year with my second book, Secret of the Satilfa. It was in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, and I presented to over 900 kids while I was down there. Ate a lot of oysters in between the visits, too.

Something extra good came from that trip, and I’m not talking about seafood. I usually award a free book to the kid who asks the “Secret Question” in each session. One such winner, a young lady 10 years old, entered the the GoDaddy.com Bowl reading and writing contest along with kids from all over Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Tennessee.

The thousands of contestant’s book reports were judged by a panel of current and retired teaches. And guess what? That 10 year old from Gulf Shores won the contest! And guess what else? The book report she wrote was on A Yellow Watermelon!
This past January 6, at the GoDaddy.com Bowl, formerly the GMAC Bowl, she was awarded the grand prize of a $10,000 savings bond at the game.

I got a nice handwritten note from her the other day. She also included a copy of the story in the Mobile Press Register, and a copy of her winning book report. Some people want to know why I traipse all over the south doing school events, well, this is why.
Her mom called me on the phone and said the two of them want to take me to lunch for some red snapper, shrimp and oysters when I go back down there. I’ll have to write another book so I can get back down there. In fact, I already have. The third in the series is scheduled for publication in August.

I got to go find my suntan lotion, ’cause I’m fixing to head south.