Sunday, January 01, 2006

'Small Town News' featured in Newton County News


Thanks to Jennifer Bowman, publisher of the Newton County News for the writeup on my novel, "Small Town News" in the paper's Dec. 22 edition.
My first newspaper job was at the Newton County News when I was the youngest (and worst) newspaper editor in the state at age 21 back in 1977. That job lasted only eight months and I was lucky to hold on to it that long.
Fortunately, I was lucky enough to land a position as sports editor of The Lamar Democrat, which was a daily at that time, in May 1978 and learned a lot from the pros who worked there at that time such as the editor who hired me, Lou Nell Clark, the paper's typesetter and proofreader Dorothy Parks, and the composing room foreman Russell Pierson. Those three helped me get a start in the journalism business, which, of course, became the basis of the novel. (All roads lead back to "Small Town News.)
Thanks also to Newton County News; Newtonia columnist Wana Senter, who has been reading the book and plugged it in the newspaper's Dec. 29 edition.
The next event on tap for the book is Tuesday, Jan. 17, when I will sign books and talk to readers from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Mary K. Finley Library in Lamar. Another signing is scheduled for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, at the Neosho/Newton County Library.
(A copy of the Newton County News article is featured on the "Small Town News" website.)

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