tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50142018157608886342024-03-12T20:04:38.286-07:00Southeastern Literary Tourism InitiativeSELTI is an organization that promotes tourism through literature. Each feature offers readers short stories, poetry, and book excerpts about real places to visit. Every story has a companion travel guide with links for more information. SELTI is the nation's premier site for the hot new genre of tourism fiction. Available now at Amazon: BLIND FATE, the first interactive tourism novel on Kindle. Visit the new SELTI at selti.org.Patrick Brian Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381374242248506334noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014201815760888634.post-15986388561197447242014-01-22T18:11:00.000-08:002018-11-06T19:05:27.597-08:00New Blind Fate Tourism Guide<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c_Kcb5_Rpzo/UuBzvnmYEkI/AAAAAAAABRg/X0qOYAesfqU/s1600/BF-Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c_Kcb5_Rpzo/UuBzvnmYEkI/AAAAAAAABRg/X0qOYAesfqU/s1600/BF-Cover.jpg" width="266" /></a><br />
For the latest on SELTI, visit the new website at <a href="http://selti.org/">selti.org</a>.<br />
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Below is an updated tourism guide for the novel <i>Blind Fate</i>, the first novel in the nation with an interactive tourism guide <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blind-Fate-Patrick-Brian-Miller-ebook/dp/B00427YP8K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1390442659&sr=8-2&keywords=blind+fate">(order here from Amazon)</a>. The guide lets readers click on links to the tourism websites of the real settings that inspired the story. If readers would like to tour the locations in the novel, these links will give them all the information they need as far as directions, hours of operation, ticket prices, etc. Montgomery is a romantic city, so I hope you will take some time to browse these sites and discover all that the Capital of Dreams has to offer. <i>Blind Fate</i> is a Kindle exclusive and was featured in <i>USA Today</i> for its innovation in tourism promotion through a novel.<br />
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The main revisions are updated website addresses for the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Rosa Parks Museum, St. Peter Church, and the Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum. These links will be updated in the novel at some point, but until then, this post (which is the first tourism link in the novel) will guide readers to the right places. There is an added link to Dreamland Bar-B-Que in downtown Montgomery, which was the Brew Pub in the novel. The new restaurant is a different business but it's in the same location and still serves great draft beer! Also, Overlook Park in the novel is now Wright Brothers Park and includes a full-scale replica sculpture of the original Wright Flyer.<br />
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<b>Locations in the novel: </b></div>
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<a href="http://www.jasminehill.org/">Jasmine Hill Gardens and Outdoor Museum</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.asf.net/">Alabama Shakespeare Festival</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.mmfa.org/">Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts</a> </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alabama Shakespeare Festival</td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.troy.edu/rosaparks/">Rosa Parks Museum</a> </div>
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<a href="http://ahc.alabama.gov/alabama-state-capitol.aspx">Alabama State Capitol</a> </div>
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<a href="http://www.rtjgolf.com/capitolhill/">RTJ Golf Trail Capitol Hill</a> </div>
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<a href="https://www.dreamlandbbq.com/">Dreamland BBQ</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.bonefishgrill.com/locator/details/montgomery-alabama">Bonefish Grill</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.thefitzgeraldmuseum.org/">Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum (Susan Fenimore's house in the novel)</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.montgomerysymphony.org/">Montgomery Symphony Orchestra</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.huntingdon.edu/">Huntingdon College</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/mgmbr-renaissance-montgomery-hotel-and-spa-at-the-convention-center/">Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Spa</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.funinmontgomery.com/parks-items/overlook-park">Wright Brothers Park</a> </div>
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<b>Helpful Links</b></div>
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<a href="http://visitingmontgomery.com/">Montgomery Visitors Center</a></div>
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<a href="http://alabama.travel/">Alabama Tourism Department</a> </div>
<br />Patrick Brian Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381374242248506334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014201815760888634.post-45251958200351722622013-12-01T14:53:00.000-08:002018-06-03T14:49:40.158-07:00Miss Alabama to read from Zelda Fitzgerald's novel Save Me The Waltz at the Fitzgerald Museum January 18.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j_IVMeLQLWk/Upj_o7xz8TI/AAAAAAAABRI/9hGZfMBYreU/s1600/Chandler_Red_w_Crown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j_IVMeLQLWk/Upj_o7xz8TI/AAAAAAAABRI/9hGZfMBYreU/s1600/Chandler_Red_w_Crown.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chandler Champion, the reigning Miss Alabama, will<br />
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<em>Save Me the Waltz</em>.</td></tr>
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SELTI and the <a href="https://www.thefitzgeraldmuseum.org/">F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum</a> are proud to announce that the reigning Miss Alabama, <a href="http://www.missalabama.com/index.cfm/Meet-Miss-Alabama.cfm">Chandler Champion</a>, will give a special reading from Zelda Fitzgerald's novel <em>Save Me The Waltz</em> at the museum on Saturday, January 18 at 2:00 p.m. The excerpt will give the audience a sense of what was it like for the young Alabama belle Zelda Sayre to fall in love with Lieutenant F. Scott Fitzgerald during World War I in Montgomery. Scott Fitzgerald was one of many beaus who courted Zelda Sayre while training at Camp Sheridan to go overseas in the war. <br />
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In the largely autobiographical novel, Zelda's fictional character "Alabama Beggs" falls in love with the fictional "David Knight," an army lieutenant stationed in her hometown during the war. In the novel, Knight becomes a famous painter in New York, while Fitzgerald became a famous writer in real life. Both the fictional and real couples moved to the French Riviera and Paris before returning home to America.<br />
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Miss Alabama's personal community service platform is "Chandler's Challenge: Reading Is Believing . . . Don't Stop Believing," which encourages people to read every day. Both Zelda and Chandler studied ballet, which is a strong theme in Zelda's novel.<br />
<br />Patrick Brian Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381374242248506334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014201815760888634.post-91309145271932093132013-10-17T10:06:00.000-07:002013-10-23T08:10:03.418-07:00Story About Thoreau's Walden Pond Wins Fitzgerald Museum Writing Contest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WN2VMAfTTNI/UlxU8V69WUI/AAAAAAAABQQ/w5xDDg9CwhA/s1600/Walden+Pond+at+Sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WN2VMAfTTNI/UlxU8V69WUI/AAAAAAAABQQ/w5xDDg9CwhA/s640/Walden+Pond+at+Sunset.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Walden Pond, the setting for "A Man by the Pond," by Jacob Lambert,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> winner of the 2013 F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum Literary Contest.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lambert is an English major at Auburn University Montgomery.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photo by Tim Hettler/Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Editor’s note:</strong> “A Man by the Pond” won first place in the college division of the 2013 F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum Literary Contest. Jacob Lambert, the author, is an English major at Auburn University Montgomery. The short story is set at Walden Pond in Massachusetts, the real inspiration of Henry David Thoreau’s classic work <em>Walden</em> from the 1840’s. Thoreau’s work influenced the modern environmentalist movement and also included some wonderful humor and fresh perspectives on the traditional world and ways of thinking. After the story, please click on the links in the Tourism Guide to learn how to visit the real Walden Pond today. Please also learn about the sponsor of the contest, the F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum in Montgomery.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Photos:</strong> Click photos to enlarge! The photos of Walden Pond in this article came from the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism's Flickr page, used under the </span><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/deed.en"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Creative Commons license.</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Many more pictures of the area are available by </span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Walden%20pond"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">clicking here.</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">"A Man by the Pond"<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><strong>By Jacob Lambert<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the train came to a shuddering halt, Thomas Little stepped down the steel steps and out into the dry summer air. In the distance, he could see an immense pond, one surrounded by a forest that seemed to threaten the very integrity of the above crystalline sky. The humidity, along with the multitudes of insects swarming around his sweaty, waxen face, made him wish that he had worn something thinner, less heavy, than his current black slacks and grey wool jacket. However, that was the dress for the day, or what the gentlemen at Harvard suggested, but Thomas, now walking around to the other side of the train, his eyes resting beyond, towards the pond, was growing tired of these formalities, these outfits of gloom. Perhaps, the man he was going to see, the one who would lecture next week—depending, of course, on the merits of their conversation—might make his job simpler, giving a concrete “yes,” without his typical allusions to abstract philosophies. Then, hopefully, Thomas could go home and change, see his family, and, possibly, read—but he doubted it. After all, he was going to see Henry David Thoreau. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Walden Pond.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photo by Troy B. Thompson/Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The walk was a laborious one: tall grass, dried mud, and more insects, each making the journey to the minuscule cabin in the distance tedious, almost painful, but Thomas continued, his stale brown eyes scanning the ‘property’ for the man in question. Then, approaching the wooden refuge, there he was, sitting to the right of the cabin, his attention engaged to a small book in his lap. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Mr. Thoreau?” Thomas asked, confused as to why the man resigned himself to reading in the dirt when, just inside his tiny home, there was a perfectly apt desk for the task. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For a moment, Thoreau continued to read, as if he had heard nothing, but seconds later, he abruptly slammed the book to a close and turned to view the heavy man to his right. He then stood, stretched, and nodded—saying nothing in reply. The first thing Thomas noticed was the grimy clothes the man wore: tattered, dusty slacks and an equally ramshackle black jacket. His black beard, seeming to cover only his jawline and under, was unkempt, and his hair, aside from growing wild on his head, looked as if he had been sleeping in the woods. But his eyes, deep-set and masculine, emanated intelligence, a sort of searing blue seen only in the hottest part of a flame. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An outdoor guidepost at Walden Pond.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photo by Zeetz Jones/</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“You are Mr. Thoreau, are you not? Thomas asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thoreau, once again, nodded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“My name is Thomas Little, sir, and I come on behalf of the university,” he paused, looked around, and frowned. “Say, if you don’t mind my asking, why did you decide to move into such a…such a wilderness, something so far removed from society?” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seeming to consider the question, Thoreau looked up at the sky, a dim smile forming on his semi-thin lips, and after returning his gaze back to Thomas, placing his hands to his side, he answered. “I wish to meet the facts of life—the vital facts, which where the phenomena or actuality the Gods meant to show us, face to face, and so I came here.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I don’t quite understand you, sir. What life can a man profit from this place? There is nothing but sediment and emptiness,” Thomas replied, bewildered by Thoreau’s statement. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At this, Thoreau’s smile widened, his eyes seeming to drill through Thomas’ own. In that smile, Thomas could see another, less appealing characteristic of the man: his unconventional face, the ugliness that surely plagued the tall man, another possible—if not frank—reason for his departure from society: hiding, not basking, in the wilderness of the forest. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zRvS_nDOb58/UlxVqCJlblI/AAAAAAAABQo/U3icZayuOFw/s1600/Walden+Fall+colors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zRvS_nDOb58/UlxVqCJlblI/AAAAAAAABQo/U3icZayuOFw/s400/Walden+Fall+colors.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fall at Walden Pond.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photo by Troy B. Thompson/</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Life! who knows what it is—what it does? If I am not quite here I am less wrong than before,” Thoreau replied, taking a step to the right and walking past Thomas, towards the pond.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“But what about the silence? Does it not bother you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without turning around, for his gaze remained on the pond, Thoreau shook his head, his mess of hair swaying in the wind, which provided no comfort from the increasing heat bearing down on the afternoon turf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Sound was made not so much for conveniences, that we might hear when called, as to regale the sense—and fill one of the avenues of life.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was, Thomas thought, like speaking to someone foreign, someone lacking the ability to translate mind to mouth, like a child searching for understanding in grunts and cries. Thoreau was exactly like what he expected, especially after the briefing at the university, where warnings about the man’s strange sensibilities remained hidden in conversation. Only a few more inquires, Thomas thought, and then down to business.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Walking over to where Thoreau had perched himself by the pond, Thomas wiped the sweat from his face and spoke, “There is a certain melancholy to this place, sir, or does that not bother you as well?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thoreau tilted his head to the right and sighed, his hands gently playing with a small twig. “There can be no really black melan-choly to him who lives in the midst of nature, and has still his senses. All nature is classic and akin to art—The sumack and pine and hickory which surround my house remind me of the most graceful sculpture.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bc5KyQoynNc/UlxVS96ICbI/AAAAAAAABQg/xHGwtlmAlPY/s1600/Thoreau+Cabin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bc5KyQoynNc/UlxVS96ICbI/AAAAAAAABQg/xHGwtlmAlPY/s320/Thoreau+Cabin.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The replica of Thoreau's cabin at Walden Pond.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photo by Chiot's Run/</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“And what of religion? You spoke of God, but what did you mean? Do you attend sermon on Sunday?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To this question, Thoreau seemed irritated, for he suddenly grunted and tossed the twig to his side, his attention drifting from the pond to Thomas. “The preacher, instead of vexing the ears of drowsy farmers on their day of rest, at the end of the week, (for Sundays always seemed to me like a fit conclusion of an ill spent week and not the fresh and brave beginning of a new one) with this one other draggletail and postponed affair of a sermon, from thirdly to 15thly, should teach them with a thundering voice—pause & simplicity.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“So you say that it is too dry? Or lacking the vitality of truth?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What do you mean?” Thomas asked, but Thoreau had stood up and started to walk towards his cabin, intent on finishing the conversation with the closing of a door. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His entire body drenched from the temperature of the forested sauna, Thomas, picking up his pace to catch Thoreau before he disappeared, shouted at his back. “Are you going to do the lecture then?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before there was a reply, Thoreau was out of sight, leaving Thomas to venture back to the train, back to Concord, and though the heavy-set man thought of pursuing Thoreau, trying one more time for the answer, he figured he would just wait, leave the task to someone else more suited to it. The university, after all, did have other representatives, and Thomas, already exhausted, decided to leave the man alone, leave him to his dirt and trees. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Perhaps, sending a letter would suffice. Surely the man has a mailbox,” Thomas said, turning around, a smile forming on his thick lips.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Definitely, a letter will do.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Works Cited<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">Thoreau, Henry
David. <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Walden, Civil Disobedience, And
Other </span></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Writings, Authoritative Texts, Journal, Reviews And <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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<strong>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Posthumous Assessments, Criticism</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">. 3rd ed. New York: W. W.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">Norton Co Inc, 2008. Print.</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><strong>TOURISM GUIDE</strong></span></span></div>
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</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Naocsgr3Eo8/UlxVDeUVo4I/AAAAAAAABQY/KQ8_ncHI6JY/s1600/Lambert+award.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Naocsgr3Eo8/UlxVDeUVo4I/AAAAAAAABQY/KQ8_ncHI6JY/s320/Lambert+award.png" unselectable="on" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jacob Lambert (right) receives an award and cash prize for winning</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">first place in the 2013 F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Literary Contest. Dr. W. Blake Gerard (left), Lambert's</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">English professor, also received an award and cash prize</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">from the Fitzgerald Museum, presented by museum board</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> member Martha Cassells (center) at a museum reception.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photo from F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fortunately for modern literary tourists, the real Walden Pond has been preserved as a state reservation and is still accessible today in a condition almost as pristine as Thoreau knew it in the 1840’s. Any student who has ever had to write a paper or essay on Thoreau might appreciate the humor in this story, but it also reintroduces Thoreau to modern readers. After reading this story, I immediately pulled out my Kindle Fire and downloaded a copy of the classic <em>Walden</em> and started reading it again. I found myself laughing </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">at Thoreau’s humor and found some new resonance with his writing that I didn’t seem to have when I was younger.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you click on the tourism links below, you can learn more about how to visit Walden Pond. If only such links were also available in the book <em>Walden</em> itself, then perhaps generations of current and future readers might be introduced to a unique and inspiring </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">literary tourism attraction outdoors. If every new person who read <em>Walden</em> in the future were to be offered links inside the book inviting them to Walden Pond, that could have a strong economic impact on the state of Massachusetts over generations, considering that <em>Walden</em> is a classic work that will be read by millions of students over time. The real Walden Pond offers swimming, canoeing, and hiking, so stop by and soak up the beauty of nature perhaps while soaking up some classic literature as well.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you would like to learn more about the sponsor of the literary contest, please also click on the links to the F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum below. The Fitzgerald museum holds events throughout the year such as 1920’s Flapper galas, book signings from New York Times bestselling authors, poetry and writing contests, and art and movie exhibitions, to name a few. Helping to judge the literary contest has been one of my favorite aspects of</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">working with the museum. We do have our own tourism edition of Fitzgerald’s classic 1920 debut novel: </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Paradise-Annotated-Interactive-Tourism-ebook/dp/B0070RVEW4/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381856339&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=interactive+toutrism+edition"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This Side of Paradise: Interactive Tourism Edition</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. Our tourism edition also has links to literary destinations related with Harper Lee’s <em>To Kill A Mockingbird.</em></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; line-height: 200%;"><strong>TOURISM LINKS</strong></span></div>
<a href="http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-north/walden-pond-state-reservation.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Walden Pond State Reservation</span></a><br />
<a href="http://fitzgeraldmuseum.net/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><a href="http://www.massvacation.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism</span></a> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />Patrick Brian Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381374242248506334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014201815760888634.post-42721924006665669332013-09-20T06:30:00.000-07:002013-09-20T14:03:14.587-07:00“Damn the Torpedoes! Full Speed Ahead!” How Historic Sites Could Help Save the Future of the Economy<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N6I_6pithTI/Ujt64QzcuQI/AAAAAAAABNo/wb_y9Fbjh_I/s1600/Entrance-Fort+Morgan-E.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N6I_6pithTI/Ujt64QzcuQI/AAAAAAAABNo/wb_y9Fbjh_I/s320/Entrance-Fort+Morgan-E.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fort Morgan in Mobile Bay, site of the famous <br />
Battle of Mobile Bay in the Civil War </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Part of my job is scouting out areas that would make ideal
settings for tourism novels and short stories. The <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Mobile</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Bay</st1:placetype></st1:place>
area—where Admiral David Farragut shouted the famous lines above during the Civil War<span style="font-family: 'Tw Cen MT Condensed';">—</span>was the latest destination. The city of Mobile can be read
about in countless nonfiction history books, since it was founded in 1702 by the French, but what about all the people who
don’t read history books but who do love reading novels? Fiction has the
flexibility to move outside the boundaries of historical facts and jump into
modern scenarios using real historical locations.</div>
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For example, when I walk through historic <a href="http://www.preserveala.org/fortmorgan.aspx">Fort Morgan</a>, the Confederate fortress that guarded Mobile Bay, I not
only imagine the cannons blazing out shells against Farragut’s invading fleet
150 years ago, but I also imagine a climatic chase scene of a modern novel
through the same creepy tunnels and dark, shadowy chambers. Historical sites
like <st1:placetype w:st="on">Fort</st1:placetype> <st1:placename w:st="on">Morgan</st1:placename>
and <a href="http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortgainesal.html">Fort Gaines</a> have a unique, powerful feel that
modern buildings can’t compete with for a dramatic story setting. Walking
through the fort today, I can feel that power pulling on my imagination. What
would happen if many writers came here and competed on who could compose the
best tourism short story to draw tourists in? Sometimes when the creative gates
are opened, surprising results come in. And more importantly, tourism short
stories can become the foundations for tourism novels that capture even more
nearby locations within a larger story.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jEBFIYvyR9k/Ujt8M84hPKI/AAAAAAAABN0/OuqE-SEW0Do/s1600/Tunnel-Fort+Morgan-E.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jEBFIYvyR9k/Ujt8M84hPKI/AAAAAAAABN0/OuqE-SEW0Do/s320/Tunnel-Fort+Morgan-E.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A creepy tunnel in Fort Morgan, the possible setting<br />
for a modern suspense novel?</td></tr>
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</o:p></div>
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This wouldn’t be the first time that a historic site was the
setting for a tourism short story contest. The mysterious <a href="http://moundville.ua.edu/">Moundville Archaeological Park</a> near <st1:city w:st="on">Tuscaloosa</st1:city>
was the target setting for the Inaugural SELTI Writing Contest. Although the Native
American mounds were steeped in history, it was a surprisingly modern take on
them that won with Kathryn Lang’s <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2012/05/moundville-story-digging-up-bones-wins.html">"Digging Up Bones"</a>.</div>
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Tourism short story competitions can also cover a larger
area like <st1:placename w:st="on">Mobile</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Bay</st1:placetype>,
as in the Lookout Alabama SELTI Writing Contest in northeast <st1:state w:st="on">Alabama</st1:state>’s
beautiful <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Lookout</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Mountain</st1:placetype></st1:place> region. Originally,
only the top story from the five finalists in that contest was going to be
published in <a href="http://www.lookoutalabama.com/"><i>Lookout Alabama</i> magazine</a>, but the final five were so good that the magazine is publishing all
of them in separate editions. The first place winner, <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2013/05/natalie-cones-story-totem-wins-lookout.html">"The Totem"</a> by Natalie
Cone, was published in the Summer edition, and just recently another finalist,
Shawn Blankenship’s “Coming Home,” was published in the Fall edition.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ksv-sp_w4RA/Ujt8ZQpnSkI/AAAAAAAABN8/p-faiveqkeo/s1600/Fort+Conde+cannon-E.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ksv-sp_w4RA/Ujt8ZQpnSkI/AAAAAAAABN8/p-faiveqkeo/s320/Fort+Conde+cannon-E.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fort Conde in Mobile, a French colonial fort and museum.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
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So what does the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Mobile</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Bay</st1:placetype></st1:place> area offer for
tourism fiction? A ferry runs between <st1:placetype w:st="on">Fort</st1:placetype>
<st1:placename w:st="on">Morgan</st1:placename> and its sister historic site <a href="http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortgainesal.html">Fort Gaines</a> across the <st1:placename w:st="on">Mobile</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Bay</st1:placetype> on <a href="http://dauphinislandcoc.com/dauphin-island/points-of-interest">Dauphin Island</a>. A bridge runs
from <st1:placename w:st="on">Dauphin</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Island</st1:placetype>
up to the city of <st1:city w:st="on">Mobile</st1:city>,
where two more historical attractions could serve as inspirations. <a href="http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortconde.html">Fort Conde</a> is a restored French colonial fort with a museum, and the <a href="http://www.museumofmobile.com/">Museum of Mobile</a> offers a very impressive two-story collection in the historic town hall. The <a href="http://www.ussalabama.com/">USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park</a> offers its own dramatic settings with a full-size World War II battleship and
submarine along with countless other military vehicles on display.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SNfj9EfKtAk/Ujt85q812VI/AAAAAAAABOE/Gkof7n7de30/s1600/Pool-Battle+House-E.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SNfj9EfKtAk/Ujt85q812VI/AAAAAAAABOE/Gkof7n7de30/s200/Pool-Battle+House-E.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rooftop pool of the Battle House Hotel overlooks<br />
Mobile Bay and the city skyline.</td></tr>
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The historic <a href="http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/mobbr-the-battle-house-renaissance-mobile-hotel-and-spa">Battle House Renaissance Hotel</a> offers
high-end accommodations with a full-service spa next to a rooftop outdoor pool
that overlooks the scenic <st1:place w:st="on">Mobile</st1:place> skyline and
bay. Or tourists can choose the smaller bed and breakfast option with places
like the charming <a href="http://www.fortcondeinn.com/">Fort Conde Inn</a>.</div>
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The downtown Mobile area has a wide range of dining within
easy walking distance along Bienville Square and Cathedral Square in front of
the beautiful and historic <a href="http://www.mobilecathedral.org/">Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception</a> (do stop
inside the cathedral for inspiring architecture and art). For literary lovers,
there’s even a bar named Boo Radleys! The French architectural influence gives
downtown <st1:city w:st="on">Mobile</st1:city> a colorful and festive flavor
much like <st1:city w:st="on">New Orleans</st1:city>.
There’s the <a href="http://www.mobilecarnivalmuseum.com/">Mobile Carnival Museum</a> by itself and another great carnival collection in
the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Museum</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Mobile</st1:placename></st1:place>.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RZLEtZ1Z4eg/Ujt-M0PqAEI/AAAAAAAABOY/LxjzW3GnHMM/s1600/Downtown+Mobile2-skyscrapers-E.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RZLEtZ1Z4eg/Ujt-M0PqAEI/AAAAAAAABOY/LxjzW3GnHMM/s320/Downtown+Mobile2-skyscrapers-E.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">French architecture gives downtown<br />
Mobile a colorful character.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
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You can click on all the links above to visit the websites
of each of the places mentioned, but the same links could also be in a tourism
novel. An area like <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Mobile</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Bay</st1:placetype></st1:place> could be the setting
for <i>multiple</i> tourism novels, from romance to mystery to suspense, and all could
include tourism guides at the end that drew readers towards the real tourism
attractions. Although paper novels can guide readers at the end to a website
that includes the links, readers would have to type in the website address or search for it, but Kindle or iPad novels can let readers click on the links and instantly browse the tourism websites without having to wait. E-readers with
web browsers could even allow a reader to book a hotel room in the area while
reading the book if the link is added by the publisher. The only problem is that most writers and publishers around
the country haven’t started including these types of tourism links yet.</div>
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<o:p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6RSsXyTIIxg/Ujt9e9nHPxI/AAAAAAAABOQ/ErX7fUAIBh8/s1600/BF-Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6RSsXyTIIxg/Ujt9e9nHPxI/AAAAAAAABOQ/ErX7fUAIBh8/s320/BF-Cover.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blind-Fate-ebook/dp/B00427YP8K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1379710938&sr=8-2&keywords=blind+fate">Blind Fate</a></i>, the first novel with an<br />
interactive tourism guide. Could Mobile<br />
be the setting of a future tourism novel?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you would like to read tourism novels that do include the
links already, try the suspense novel <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blind-Fate-ebook/dp/B00427YP8K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1379637396&sr=8-2&keywords=blind+fate"><i>Blind Fate</i></a><i> </i>or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Paradise-Annotated-Interactive-Tourism-ebook/dp/B0070RVEW4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1379637456&sr=8-2&keywords=interactive+tourism"><i>This Side of Paradise: Interactive Tourism Edition</i></a>, two special publishing projects of SELTI. <i>Blind
Fate</i> is set in real tourism attractions of the <st1:city w:st="on">Montgomery</st1:city>
area (told from the unique “perspective” of a blind protagonist), and F. Scott
Fitzgerald’s classic novel <i>This Side of Paradise</i> (from 1920) is largely set in <st1:place w:st="on">Princeton</st1:place>. <i>Blind Fate</i> was featured in <a href="http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/products/books/story/2011-10-09/literary-tourism/50712262/1"><i>USA Today</i></a><i> </i>for its
innovation in tourism promotion within a novel.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After visiting the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Mobile</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Bay</st1:placetype></st1:place>
area, I would be very excited to see what writers could produce that would draw
tourists to the local attractions. Sometimes a tourism short story competition
can start things off, but government and corporate partners help speed things
up on that front. Cities and regions have to work to attract writers to do
these types of tourism fiction projects, just as they do to attract films or
factories but at far less investment.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The potential certainly exists in <st1:placename w:st="on">Mobile</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Bay</st1:placetype> for a bestselling tourism novel
that could bring in millions in new revenue, like <i>Midnight in the <st1:placetype w:st="on">Garden</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Good</st1:placename>
and Evil</i> did for <st1:city w:st="on">Savannah</st1:city>.
The Alabama Legislature recently passed a <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2013/04/alabama-senate-introduces-resolution.html">joint resolution</a> inviting authors to
write about real <st1:state w:st="on">Alabama</st1:state>
tourism attractions and encouraging cities to pursue grants to attract authors,
but the legislature left the initiative up to individual cities and counties to
pursue such projects.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gxn0U-sdfBY/Ujt-w1UCNAI/AAAAAAAABOk/RYeSPBYxeRQ/s1600/Bienville+Square-E.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gxn0U-sdfBY/Ujt-w1UCNAI/AAAAAAAABOk/RYeSPBYxeRQ/s320/Bienville+Square-E.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Bienville Square in downtown Mobile</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With the nation’s economy on such shaky ground, most cities
would love to pursue a new way to attract tourism revenue, so a <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Mobile</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Bay</st1:placetype></st1:place>
area tourism short story contest could showcase the bay’s attractions on a
national level for any cities that would like to follow the same contest model.
If the concept of tourism fiction works for <st1:city w:st="on">Mobile</st1:city>,
then wouldn’t it work for <st1:city w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:city>, <st1:city w:st="on">Atlanta</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">New York</st1:state>, and <st1:city w:st="on">Seattle</st1:city>? Once the idea of
setting novels in tourism attractions (and including the related tourism links) catches on nationally, the resulting boom in tourism will help bolster the national economy, which is 70% based on consumer spending<span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT Condensed";">—</span>exactly the kind of spending produced by tourism.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eC8y9heL7Zc/Ujt--r4zwRI/AAAAAAAABOs/hNQcV1g_FLM/s1600/Cathedral+Square-Mobile-E.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eC8y9heL7Zc/Ujt--r4zwRI/AAAAAAAABOs/hNQcV1g_FLM/s320/Cathedral+Square-Mobile-E.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charming Cathedral Square in downtown Mobile.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Suppose companies like Amazon created “tourism novel”
categories so that readers who were looking for those types of stories could
find them easily, whether they were looking for a city to visit or were already
going there and just wanted to get to know its attractions better. If fifty
percent of the new novels that hit the market had a tourism guide related to the story, how would
that impact the national economy? This is an interesting question that the
publishing and tourism industries should consider, along with state governments
that need new revenue and taxes that come directly from tourism.<br />
<br />
Since historic
sites work so well as the settings for tourism fiction, they could indeed help
save the future of the economy by inspiring a new wave of consumer spending
based on tourism novels. Setting the stories in the modern day allows the fictional characters to do fun things like stay in the real Fort Conde Inn or Battle House Hotel, to have a conversation with another character in Cathedral Square, and to have a drink at the Royal Street Tavern while listening to live piano music. Let tourism fiction writers be inspired by the unique settings of Mobile Bay and see what develops!</div>
Patrick Brian Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381374242248506334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014201815760888634.post-57466206058886247682013-05-10T19:14:00.000-07:002013-06-11T18:21:15.770-07:00Natalie Cone's Story "The Totem" Wins Lookout Alabama SELTI Writing Contest<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vJava0d5JwQ/UYsLED77I_I/AAAAAAAABMs/Sul4pt68Vto/s1600/Laurel+Falls.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vJava0d5JwQ/UYsLED77I_I/AAAAAAAABMs/Sul4pt68Vto/s640/Laurel+Falls.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laurel Falls in DeSoto State Park, the inspirational setting for Natalie Cone's tourism short story "The Totem,"<br />
winner of the<i> Lookout Alabama</i> SELTI Writing Contest.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Story By: </b>Natalie Cone<br />
<b>Tourism Attractions:</b> DeSoto State Park, The Bookshelf Etc.<br />
<b>Location: </b>Fort Payne, Alabama<br />
<b>Photos By:</b> Randy Grider, <i>Lookout Alabama</i> Magazine. Click any photo to enlarge!<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-URPGP7NNFlc/UYsKBjgirGI/AAAAAAAABMk/pMpYK-elCcE/s1600/Natalie+Cone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-URPGP7NNFlc/UYsKBjgirGI/AAAAAAAABMk/pMpYK-elCcE/s200/Natalie+Cone.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Natalie Cone, <br />
winner of the <i>Lookout Alabama</i> SELTI Writing Contest</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Congratulations to Natalie Cone, whose tourism short story "The Totem" won the <i>Lookout Alabama</i> SELTI Writing Contest! Read Natalie's story below, which will be published in the inaugural issue of <a href="http://www.lookoutalabama.com/"><i>Lookout Alabama</i></a> magazine this summer. Natalie also won the 2013 SELTI Tourism Fiction Award and a $500 prize from the Alabama Tourism Department for promoting tourism to the Lookout Mountain Alabama area in a fun new way: through a tourism short story. The award and prize were presented by Senator Clay Scofield, chairman of the Alabama Senate Tourism and Marketing Committee, at the recent Lookout Alabama summit held at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CooksCastleEvents">Cook Castle</a> in Fort Payne, Alabama.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-docWVxypA5U/UZ2Ej7IWMoI/AAAAAAAABNA/-yGDTuj2iz0/s1600/Cone-Scofield-award-photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-docWVxypA5U/UZ2Ej7IWMoI/AAAAAAAABNA/-yGDTuj2iz0/s320/Cone-Scofield-award-photo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Senator Clay Scofield awards Natalie Cone the <br />
2013 SELTI Tourism Fiction Award and a $500 check<br />
from the Alabama Tourism Department.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The photos in the story below are of the real locations, the Bookshelf Etc. bookstore and DeSoto State Park, both in Fort Payne. Click on the links in the tourism guide at the end of the story to find out how to visit these places in person, not just read about them in a story. The tourism guide also includes links and information on surrounding tourism attractions to make a fun-filled family or romantic vacation in the Lookout Mountain Alabama area.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">"THE TOTEM"</span></b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H_HUYgOo7oY/UYr24Mo_0II/AAAAAAAABKg/ym-pOhBEWWc/s1600/Connie-Roy2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H_HUYgOo7oY/UYr24Mo_0II/AAAAAAAABKg/ym-pOhBEWWc/s320/Connie-Roy2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The real Connie from the Bookshelf Etc. bookstore in<br />
Fort Payne, Alabama, sells a magical book with an<br />
eagle totem to the fictional character Roy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Roy James ran his hand across the
soft leather book cover. The symbol of an eagle with outstretched wings was
imprinted on the front, with no title or author. The woman at The Book Shelf
had recommended it when he wandered into her store looking for a good read to
pass the time until the rain stopped and the sun shone again. “It's guaranteed
to bring out the child in you,” she'd said with a twinkle in her kind eyes.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Connie</i>, he thought, drawing her
name to mind.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He'd paid for it and left, jogging
through the rain back to his jeep. Beville, a shaggy brown dog, greeted him
from the passenger's seat. <st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city> tossed the book
beneath the dog's feet and twisted the key in the ignition, returning back to
his quiet campsite at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">DeSoto</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">State Park</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sitting in a lawn chair, <st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city> watched as the rain
poured in rivers off the awning. At 48, he was a retired Second Lieutenant in
the army, and his camper was his home. Moving from state to state was the only
life he was accustomed to, and it suited him well.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Nx6_yNKxIFA/UYr7Lp1BtQI/AAAAAAAABKs/gqXhhHtTxZU/s1600/Roy+reads+Totem+book.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Nx6_yNKxIFA/UYr7Lp1BtQI/AAAAAAAABKs/gqXhhHtTxZU/s320/Roy+reads+Totem+book.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roy reads the magical book before falling asleep at his<br />
DeSoto State Park campsite.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As the sounds of gunfire filled
his ears from a distant memory coming to life, he unconsciously rubbed at the
bullet wound scarring his left shoulder. It was a permanent reminder of the day
his life had been saved, and the day that Lieutenant Carter Beville died saving
it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city>
cleared his throat to force down the rising emotion and patted the dog's head,
relieved when the echoes of gunfire faded into the sounds of rain beating the
ground. He opened the cover of the book in
his lap and began to read the handwritten pages.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was the warmth of the sun that
woke him. <st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city>
uncurled from his lawn chair and yawned, feeling refreshed after such a deep
nap. <st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city> stood
and stretched taking a deep breath of fresh, rain-dampened air. The moment his
pants slipped from his waist and crumpled at his feet, he knew there was a
problem.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dz57RhYxVqU/UYr7oWBuG3I/AAAAAAAABK0/-8XKMUVhEKY/s1600/Roy+wakes+up+young+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dz57RhYxVqU/UYr7oWBuG3I/AAAAAAAABK0/-8XKMUVhEKY/s320/Roy+wakes+up+young+2.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roy awakes in his ten year-old body.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What the...” he muttered as he
looked over at Beville, who stood as tall as his chest.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Beville, you're huge.” It was
when he spoke the words that he realized his voice had lost its depth. <st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city>
waded out of his jeans and tripped on the hem of his shirt as he stumbled into
the camper and stood in front of the mirror. “What's happening?” he asked his
smooth, freckled-face reflection.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He lifted his sleeve and found the
scar gone. He scratched his head as he tried to remember the last thing he did
before falling asleep.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The book,” he said as he darted
back outside and retrieved it from the ground. He remembered reading about the
Cherokee Indian Chief that learned the secret of staying young forever. <st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city> shook his head. “This
can't be real.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The woman from the neighboring
campsite stared as she hung clothes on the line. He tugged at his shirt
awkwardly.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Bingo,” he said to himself as he
noticed the small jeans that she pinned up. He waited until she left before
snapping the jeans and a t-shirt off the line.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Hey, what do you think you're
doing?” a voice called from behind him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:city w:st="on"><br /></st1:city></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city>
turned, unable to think of a lie quickly enough. “If I told you, you'd never
believe me.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The boy's blue eyes glittered with
the opportunity of a secret. He glanced back toward his own camper, where his
mother shuffled around inside. He shifted his attention back to <st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city>. “Try me.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I fell asleep a grown man, and
woke up like this.” The boy blinked, glanced at <st1:place w:st="on">Roy</st1:place>'s over-sized shirt, then
nodded. <st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city>
continued. “I read this book that I bought earlier today. I think it may have
done something to me, because the next thing I know, I... well...” <st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city> held out his arms.
“See?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That's so cool,” the boy said,
then stuck out his hand. “I'm Aiden.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I'm <st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city>,” he said, shaking Aiden's hand. “So, you
believe me, then?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Of course I do. Don't you believe
in magic?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No. That's ridiculous.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Aiden shook his head and sighed.
“Let's see this book of yours.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He thumbed through the book while <st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city> changed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G7HGvoBIoWQ/UYsIsFapDsI/AAAAAAAABMQ/1fF0pTv7mxg/s1600/Welcome-Desoto+State+Park.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G7HGvoBIoWQ/UYsIsFapDsI/AAAAAAAABMQ/1fF0pTv7mxg/s320/Welcome-Desoto+State+Park.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Did you notice the map at the end
of the book? It matches the one for <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">DeSoto</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">State Park</st1:placetype></st1:place>. It says that
a Cherokee figured out the secret of true life, but it's hidden at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Laurel</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Falls</st1:placename></st1:place>.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What are you suggesting?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Before Aiden could answer, Beville
slurped a long tongue over his arm. “Great dog you have,” Aiden laughed. “He
should come with us.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Come where?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“To <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Laurel</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Falls</st1:placename></st1:place>.
If we can find this totem, maybe it will have some kind of reverse effect and
make you into a man again.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What totem?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It's the way Cherokee Indians
stored magic, by making totems.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I don't know. I mean, how do we
even know what it looks like?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Aiden held up the book. “It's on
the cover.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:city w:st="on"><br /></st1:city></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city>
laughed, despite himself. “Well, I guess we should go try to find this totem.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bLh9LKzSCGA/UYsC0UGBpSI/AAAAAAAABLQ/HtzBmOorxOk/s1600/Trailhead-Laurel+Falls.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bLh9LKzSCGA/UYsC0UGBpSI/AAAAAAAABLQ/HtzBmOorxOk/s320/Trailhead-Laurel+Falls.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roy and Aiden prepare to hike to Laurel Falls in<br />
DeSoto State Park.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At the trail head, Aiden spread
out the map. “If we start here it will lead us right to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Laurel</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Falls</st1:placename></st1:place>.
If the totem has stayed hidden all these years, it must be tucked away out of sight.
I think it is probably behind the falls somewhere.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:city w:st="on"><br /></st1:city></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city>
grinned. “You're pretty smart for a kid. How old are you?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ten.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Me, too. I think.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I learned a lot of these things
in boy scouts. I don't have a dad, so my mom likes for me to stay involved in
boy-type stuff.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Why don't you have a dad?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YP5Kz-EM7V4/UYsDo4y1FZI/AAAAAAAABLg/h9xn-Zl__LY/s1600/Hiking+Desoto+State+Park+E.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YP5Kz-EM7V4/UYsDo4y1FZI/AAAAAAAABLg/h9xn-Zl__LY/s320/Hiking+Desoto+State+Park+E.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roy and Aiden hike the real trail to Laurel Falls.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Aiden folded the map carefully and
tucked it into his shirt pocket. “My mom never got married, but she wanted a
baby really, really bad. So she prayed, and God brought her a baby.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well, I had a mom, but she died
when I was really little. I don't really remember her. My dad once told me that
my eyes were like hers, but he never talked about her much.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Aiden nodded, straightening his
backpack. “Yeah, I know what you mean. So, are you ready to go?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:city w:st="on"></st1:city><br />
<st1:city w:st="on"></st1:city></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city>
eyed Aiden's full pack. “Is all that really necessary?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Like I learned in boy scouts,
always be prepared.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:city w:st="on"></st1:city><br />
<st1:city w:st="on"></st1:city></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city>
chuckled. “You would make a great soldier.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Within minutes, <st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city> found Aiden to be very inquisitive. As
Aiden fired off questions, <st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city>
found himself talking about growing up as a general's son, moving over and
over. He told about how hard it was to make friends only to leave them again,
so he'd never bothered to make any at all. He told stories about Lieutenant
Beville, and the time they'd gotten into trouble for building sand castles in
the desert. He told him the jokes they used to share, and how Beville had died.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-16Kvwwwkubg/UYsEe2_DZ9I/AAAAAAAABLo/dAcI89mskSc/s1600/Arriving-Laurel+Falls2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-16Kvwwwkubg/UYsEe2_DZ9I/AAAAAAAABLo/dAcI89mskSc/s320/Arriving-Laurel+Falls2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boys arrive at Laurel falls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When the boys finally reached the
falls, Aiden led the way around the other side. <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Laurel</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Falls</st1:placename></st1:place>
was a majestic cascade of water over two tiers of rock. There was a deep pool
at its base, and the thick woods around both sides made them feel as if they'd
discovered a secret place.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I think if you crawled over from
this side and flatten yourself between the tiers, you could search behind the
falls,” Aiden said.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:city w:st="on"><br /></st1:city></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city>
nodded, then took a deep breath and began the climb, easing onto the damp rock
on his belly. He inched forward, wincing against the cold water droplets that
trickled into his eyes. Once <st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city> was behind the falls, he began to feel
around, wishing he'd brought a light. “This is stupid,” he shouted back,
feeling nothing but cold rock beneath his hands.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p9wok8WbxBU/UYsE-zL0juI/AAAAAAAABLw/MzrWr4Eb22Q/s1600/Totem+in+hand-Laurel+Falls.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p9wok8WbxBU/UYsE-zL0juI/AAAAAAAABLw/MzrWr4Eb22Q/s320/Totem+in+hand-Laurel+Falls.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roy finds the totem from the book <br />
buried behind Laurel Falls.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just before giving up, <st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city> felt a mossy patch at
the back of the rock. He dug deep into the wet mud. When his fingers wrapped
around a small, loose stone, he dragged it out and wiped it clean.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was the totem. An eagle with
outstretched wings, just like the cover of the book.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:city w:st="on"><br /></st1:city></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city>
sighed with relief, gripping the small carved stone. He held it to his forehead
and wished himself back into his real body. Nothing happened.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Did you find anything?” Aiden
shouted.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city>
didn't answer. He backed out of the crevice and descended the rock back to the
base of the falls, and held out the totem.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NjU-a3QjsaM/UYsFcnAuMLI/AAAAAAAABL4/QpuRLS2IoCY/s1600/Totem+on+head-Laurel+Falls+E.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NjU-a3QjsaM/UYsFcnAuMLI/AAAAAAAABL4/QpuRLS2IoCY/s320/Totem+on+head-Laurel+Falls+E.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roy attempts to use the totem's magic <br />
to make himself older again.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I found it, alright,” he said.
“But it doesn't work. All of this was for nothing.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:city w:st="on"><br /></st1:city></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city>
tossed the totem into the pool of water and stormed away, leaving Aiden behind.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By the time <st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city> reached his camp, it was getting dark,
and the temperature had dropped. He built a fire and huddled near it, wrapping
his arms around Beville for warmth. He had abandoned his wet, muddy clothes for
the over-sized jeans and shirt. At least they were dry, even if they did hang
from his small frame.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Aiden appeared from the shadows
and sat down. “I don't know how things are in the army, but in boy scouts, we
learned that you should never leave a man behind.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I'm sorry, Aiden. I should have
never left you like that.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It's okay. I just want to say one
thing. Magic isn't supposed to be just some fun trick. When a person
experiences magic, it means they have something to learn.” He held out the
totem.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_MzsXezILo/UYsApUVFPRI/AAAAAAAABLI/95DczylQ6mc/s1600/Roy+meets+Aiden-campground.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_MzsXezILo/UYsApUVFPRI/AAAAAAAABLI/95DczylQ6mc/s320/Roy+meets+Aiden-campground.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aiden returns the totem to Roy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:city w:st="on"><br /></st1:city></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city>
took it, the stone warm from Aiden's hand. “Did you learn that in scouts, too?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No. I learned that from my mom. I
attached it to some twine I had in my pack so that you can wear it around your
neck. That way you'll always remember me.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:city w:st="on"><br /></st1:city></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city>
slipped the totem around his neck. “I'll always remember you,” he said. “You're
the best friend I never had.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Aiden smiled. “Goodbye, <st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city>. We're leaving in the
morning. I hope that one day I get to see you again.” He rose and returned to
his own camp.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:city w:st="on"><br /></st1:city></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city>
curled up to the fire. With the totem clutched in his fist, he drifted off to
sleep.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city>
woke with a start, the fire still hot beside him. The first thing he noticed
was how much smaller the totem felt in his hand. He sat up and touched his left
shoulder where his scar had returned. He leaped to his feet, and miraculously,
his pants stayed in place.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When he heard laughter from the
neighboring campsite, he ran over to show Aiden that the totem had worked. Aiden and his mother looked up
from their seat at the picnic table, surprised at his sudden appearance. Aiden
frowned at the strange man standing before him, then recognition filled his
eyes. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Hi, <st1:place w:st="on">Roy</st1:place>.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KyVp9HqpiIA/UYsHfYiGo9I/AAAAAAAABME/vIVSgJYyCh8/s1600/Roy+meets+Rachel+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KyVp9HqpiIA/UYsHfYiGo9I/AAAAAAAABME/vIVSgJYyCh8/s320/Roy+meets+Rachel+3.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Once Roy returns to his older body, he meets<br />
Aiden's mother, Rachel.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Aiden's mother stood, her glossy
brown hair hanging in waves at her shoulders. She held out a small hand. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I'm
Rachel. It's nice to meet Aiden's new friend. Would you like to join us for
dinner? It's just roasted hot dogs. But we have plenty for a third.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And a fourth,” Aiden laughed as
Beville snagged a hot dog from the table.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rachel giggled. <st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city> couldn't help but notice that her eyes
glittered when she laughed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Aiden patted the seat next to him.
“Do you believe in magic, now?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:city w:st="on"><br /></st1:city></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:city w:st="on">Roy</st1:city>
smiled. “Sure do.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Just before closing time at The
Bookshelf, Connie meticulously dusted the shelves. She restocked a few titles
that had recently sold, making sure to leave a space at the end of the shelf.
Before her eyes, a leather-bound book appeared, bearing an image of a dragon on
the front.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She smiled. “Good for you, Roy.
One adventure down, another to go.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">THE END</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Official <i>Lookout Alabama</i> SELTI Writing Contest Results</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
First Place "The Totem" by <a href="http://nataliecone.com/">Natalie Cone</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Second Place "Canyon Casanova" by <a href="http://www.nealwooten.com/">Neal Wooten</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Third Place "Coming Home" by <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shawn-Blankenship/e/B00C2G7WVA/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1/191-4874017-7032109">Shawn Blankenship</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Fourth Place "Mountain Memories" by Dedra Tuten</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Fifth Place "Udowhi Odalv (Beautiful Mountain)" by <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/palmtopalmwithanangel/">Melonie M. King</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
SELTI and <i>Lookout Alabama</i> magazine wish to sincerely thank all those who entered the contest and the judges who volunteered their time to help us select a winner. All of the five stories listed above represent the Lookout Mountain Alabama area well, and each will be published in a future quarterly edition of <i>Lookout Alabama</i> magazine, so be sure and sign up for a subscription.</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">TOURISM GUIDE</span></b></div>
Laurel Falls, the Bookshelf Etc., and Desoto State Park are all real places to visit in or near Fort Payne, Alabama. However, these attractions are only a few of many scenic places in the Lookout Mountain Alabama area. Other area attractions showed up in many of the <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2012/11/winner-of-lookout-alabama-selti-writing.html"><i>Lookout Alabama</i> SELTI Writing Contest.</a><i> </i>stories, so the tourism links below offer more information on how to visit the area. Seeing these sights in person is the only way to fully appreciate the breathtaking beauty of this preserve of national wonders. Some of the area amenities include charming cabins and luxurious lodges, quaint bed and breakfasts with spectacular views, delicious independent restaurants, and unique local shops. Lookout Mountain Alabama offers a getaway, both physical and mental, from the stresses of everyday modern urban life. Browse through the links below for a taste of what it would be like to slip away either on a fun-filled family vacation or a more intimate romantic adventure. Lookout Mountain Alabama offers both! <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>TOURISM LINKS</b></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Story Links</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://thebookshelfetc.com/index.php?main_page=contact_us">The Bookshelf Etc.</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Book-Shelf-etc/137450319667262?fref=ts">The Book Shelf Etc. on Facebook</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.alapark.com/desotoresort/">Desoto State Park</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Area Links</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.nps.gov/liri/index.htm">Little River Canyon National Preserve</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.discoverlookoutmountain.com/">Dekalb County Tourism (wonderful area guide!)</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.greatergadsden.com/">Etowah County Tourism (another wonderful guide!)</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://mentonealabama.gov/">Mentone. Featured in several finalists' tourism short stories</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.alapark.com/lakeguntersville/">Lake Guntersville. Right next door and great fishing!</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.alabama.travel/">Alabama Tourism Department. Full state online tourism guide</a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Patrick Brian Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381374242248506334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014201815760888634.post-73501431527787755012013-04-27T16:34:00.000-07:002013-04-29T15:20:18.024-07:00Lookout Alabama SELTI Writing Contest Finalists Announced<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0RBgZjFwKgk/UXxcAxELB5I/AAAAAAAABJY/F9i2jgX3oz8/s1600/Cook+Castle+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0RBgZjFwKgk/UXxcAxELB5I/AAAAAAAABJY/F9i2jgX3oz8/s1600/Cook+Castle+front.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cook Castle, the venue where the winner of the <i>Lookout Alabama</i> SELTI Writing Contest will be announced.<br />
Cook Castle is the home of Jeff Cook, of the famous Fort Payne music group Alabama.<br />
Photo by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CooksCastleEvents">Cook Castle Events</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The winner of the <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2012/11/winner-of-lookout-alabama-selti-writing.html"><i>Lookout Alabama</i> SELTI Writing Contest</a><i> </i>will be announced May 10 during the Lookout 2013 summit at Cook Castle. Lookout 2013 will celebrate the Lookout Mountain region's potential and launch <a href="http://www.lookoutalabama.com/"><i>Lookout Alabama</i> magazine</a>. The judges for the competition were very pleased with the five finalists, who are listed below in alphabetical order next to their short story title. The first place winner's story will be published here on SELTI in May and in the first print edition of <i>Lookout Alabama</i> magazine in June, which will be distributed throughout the Southeast.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Lookout Alabama SELTI Writing Contest Finalists </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>(in alphabetical order)</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shawn-Blankenship/e/B00C2G7WVA/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1/191-4874017-7032109">Shawn Blankenship</a> for "Coming Home"</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://nataliecone.com/">Natalie Cone</a> for "The Totem"</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/palmtopalmwithanangel/">Melonie A. McClenden-King</a> for "Udowhi Odalv (Beautiful Mountain)"</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Dedra Tuten for "Mountain Memories"</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.nealwooten.com/">Neal Wooten</a> for "Canyon Casanova"</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One of these finalists will be declared the winner of the <i>Lookout Alabama</i> SELTI Writing Contest and receive the 2013 SELTI Tourism Fiction Award. Many thanks go out to everyone who entered this year's writing contest. <i>Lookout Alabama</i> magazine plans to publish more of the finalists' stories in future editions of the magazine.</div>
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Patrick Brian Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381374242248506334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014201815760888634.post-55838371070065482982013-04-06T15:04:00.001-07:002013-04-24T19:18:22.287-07:00Alabama Legislature Passes Resolution Inviting Authors To Write Tourism Fiction Set In Real Alabama Attractions<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8t4EFAdsIQM/UWBzhQxelVI/AAAAAAAABI8/qXRPfndDHag/s1600/Kathryn+Lang+w-Sen+Scofield-E.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="151" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8t4EFAdsIQM/UWBzhQxelVI/AAAAAAAABI8/qXRPfndDHag/s400/Kathryn+Lang+w-Sen+Scofield-E.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Senator Clay Scofield presents writer Kathryn Lang with the<br />
<a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-new-angle-on-tourism.html">2012 SELTI Tourism Fiction Award</a> for her story that promoted<br />
<a href="http://moundville.ua.edu/">Moundville Archaeological Park</a>. Now the Alabama Senate is<br />
asking writers across the state to follow up with more tourism stories. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Write it, and they will come! That is the concept behind Alabama Senate Resolution SJR25, "Expressing support for authors and publishers who produce works of fiction set in real Alabama tourism attractions." The basic idea: have the state, cities, and counties invite authors to write fictional short stories and novels set in real Alabama tourism attractions. These works would include informational tourism guides at the end showing readers how to visit the real places in the story. If readers connect with the characters in the stories, then they might come visit the real places where the action in the story took place (think romance, mystery, suspense with a real tourism element).<br />
<br />
A key part of this idea is that new e-readers like Kindles, iPads, and smart phones allow readers to instantly click on related tourism websites if there are links embedded by the publisher in the fictional stories. So, if someone were reading a tourism novel set in Montgomery, like <a href="http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/products/books/story/2011-10-09/literary-tourism/50712262/1"><i>Blind Fate</i></a>, then the reader could click on links inside the novel to the websites of the real attractions and learn how to literally step inside the settings of the story.<br />
<br />
The full text of the resolution is below, which was passed by both houses of the legislature on April 24. SJR25 was introduced and sponsored by Senator Clay Scofield, Chairman of the Alabama Senate Tourism and Marketing Committee. Senator Scofield recently did an interview with Alabama Public Radio about this concept of inviting authors to promote the state's attractions in their fictional works. Listen to the APR interview by <a href="http://apr.org/post/literary-tourism-alabama">clicking here.</a><br />
<br />
In the mean time, the winner of the <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2012/11/winner-of-lookout-alabama-selti-writing.html"><i>Lookout Alabama</i> SELTI Writing Contest</a>, set in the beautiful Lookout Mountain area, will soon be announced. The writing contest was one of the models for the senate resolution and could serve as the model for many other similar tourism fiction contests around the state. The five finalists for the contest were selected, and judging for the first place winner completed (the winner was notified by phone). Come back here for the May SELTI feature to read the winning story! The winning short story will also receive a $500 prize from the Alabama Tourism Department and be published in the inaugural issue of <a href="http://www.lookoutalabama.com/"><i>Lookout Alabama Magazine</i>.</a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-41petd2ovos/UWB02a3gLnI/AAAAAAAABJE/_g7H2yCxVMg/s1600/Little_River_Falls+(1)+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-41petd2ovos/UWB02a3gLnI/AAAAAAAABJE/_g7H2yCxVMg/s320/Little_River_Falls+(1)+(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little River Falls in Lookout Mountain, Alabama, a setting<br />
in the <i>Lookout Alabama</i> SELTI Writing Contest, the<br />
project model for Senate Resolution SJR25.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: CourierNewPSMT;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Senate Resolution SJR25</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: CourierNewPSMT;">By
Senators Scofield, Allen, Beasley, Beason, Bedford, Blackwell, Brewbaker,
Bussman, Coleman, Dial, Dunn, Fielding, Figures, Glover, Holley, Holtzclaw,
Irons, Keahey, Marsh, McGill, Orr, Pittman, Reed, Ross, Sanders, Sanford,
Singleton, Smith, Smitherman, Taylor, Waggoner, Ward, Whatley and Williams <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: CourierNewPSMT;">RFD:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: CourierNewPSMT; mso-bidi-font-family: CourierNewPSMT;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First
Read: 14-FEB-13</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: CourierNewPSMT;">EXPRESSING
SUPPORT FOR AUTHORS AND PUBLISHERS WHO </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PRODUCE
WORKS OF FICTION SET IN REAL </span><st1:state style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">ALABAMA</st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
TOURISM </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ATTRACTIONS.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WHEREAS,
tourism helps to create and sustain jobs in the economy
of the State of Alabama, helps to stimulate local economies through consumer
spending, and generates tax revenues for municipal, local, and state government
programs; and</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: CourierNewPSMT;">WHEREAS,
consumer spending represents a critical </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">percentage
of the state economy and job base and 70 percent of the national economy; and</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: CourierNewPSMT;">WHEREAS,
recent federal tax increases will have a </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">dampening
impact on </span><st1:place style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Alabama</st1:state></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">'s economy and consumer spending levels, requiring some type of method to increase consumer spending to avoid a negative impact on economic growth; and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: CourierNewPSMT;">WHEREAS,
new marketing and technological advances in </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">publishing
allow readers to instantly learn about real tourism attractions within the
stories they read if writers and publishers connect them through informational
guides and links; and</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: CourierNewPSMT;">WHEREAS,
readers tend to connect emotionally with fictional characters and the places in
which those characters interact, creating a significant but largely untapped potential
for boosting tourism around the state in an entirely new and effective way
through the private sector fiction publishing market; and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: CourierNewPSMT;">WHEREAS,
nationally, few publishers or writers have taken advantage of or applied this
new marketing technology to tourism fiction; and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: CourierNewPSMT;">WHEREAS,
the Southeastern Literary Tourism Initiative, an Alabama project, has provided
working models for tourism fiction projects that could be used by many writers,
publishers, and municipal and county governments; now </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">therefore,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; mso-bidi-font-family: CourierNewPSMT;">BE IT
RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF BOTH HOUSES THEREOF CONCURRING, That the Alabama
Senate:<br />
<br />
(1) Invites authors and publishers to consider using Alabama tourism attractions as settings for fictional stories and novels, thereby boosting the state economy.<br />
<br />
(2) Expresses support for those private sector writers and publishers who produce tourism fiction projects set in real Alabama tourism attractions.<br />
<br />
(3) Encourages municipal, county, regional, and state governments to develop ways
and means to attract authors to write fictional stories in real Alabama tourism
attractions and thereby boosting real tourism dollars around the state.<br />
<br />
(4) Recommends that local governments develop ways and means to work on a local
level in attracting tourism fiction projects and on a statewide level to
attract writers from outside the state in promoting real Alabama tourism attractions.<br />
<br />
(5) Calls upon educational institutions, including high school and university
English, creative writing, marketing, and travel and leisure programs and
departments to promote Alabama tourism fiction through providing professional input
where asked and class assignments where appropriate.<br />
<br />
(6) Advises that the state apply for federal grants to promote tourism fiction
throughout the state and design a promotional method to be available nationwide.<br />
<br />
(7) Requests that citizens participate in promoting tourism fiction projects by
recommending tourism attractions in which to set fictional stories through polls, by reading tourism fiction, and by advising local, state, and federal representatives and officials to promote local areas through fiction.</span></div>
Patrick Brian Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381374242248506334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014201815760888634.post-2657775402640308512012-11-28T19:45:00.000-08:002013-06-02T17:13:52.740-07:00Winner Of Lookout Alabama SELTI Writing Contest To Be Published In Magazine; $500 Prize For First Place <div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pB2NQhLm2xE/ULdXjzsRz_I/AAAAAAAABHA/qmMgHRp9G4E/s1600/Little_River_Falls+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="500" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pB2NQhLm2xE/ULdXjzsRz_I/AAAAAAAABHA/qmMgHRp9G4E/s640/Little_River_Falls+(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little River Falls in Lookout Mountain, one of the possible settings for the Lookout Alabama SELTI Writing Contest.<br />
<a href="http://www.nps.gov/liri/index.htm">Little River Falls: National Park Service</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">The winner of the nation’s
next tourism fiction contest will be published in the inaugural issue of </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">Lookout Alabama</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> magazine in summer 2013.
The regional magazine has teamed up with the Southeastern Literary Tourism
Initiative to co-sponsor the </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">Lookout
Alabama</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> SELTI Writing Contest. The first place winner will be awarded a $500 prize sponsored by the Alabama Tourism Department.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">The contest challenges
writers to compose short stories that directly promote tourism to the <st1:placename w:st="on">Lookout</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Mountain</st1:placetype>
region in <st1:place w:st="on">Northeast Alabama</st1:place>. Photos of real
places and a tourism guide will accompany the published story. The guide will
include links to websites with information on visiting real places in the
fictional piece. The winning story will be published on the SELTI website and at
<a href="http://www.lookoutalabama.com/">LookoutAlabama.com</a> as well as in the print magazine. One of the judges will be best-selling author <a href="http://www.homerhickam.com/">Homer Hickam</a>, whose memoir <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rocket-Boys-The-Coalwood-Series/dp/0385333218/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354672852&sr=8-1&keywords=rocket+boys"><i>Rocket Boys</i></a> was made into the movie <i>October Sky</i>, starring Jake Gyllenhaal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">SELTI also conducted the nation’s
first tourism fiction contest with co-sponsor <a href="http://www.museums.ua.edu/">University of Alabama Museums</a> to
highlight the tourism appeal of <a href="http://moundville.ua.edu/">Moundville Archaeological Park</a> near <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Tuscaloosa</st1:place></st1:city>.
It was judged by a team of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype>
of <st1:placename w:st="on">Alabama English</st1:placename></st1:place> and
marketing professors. The winning story of that contest, “<a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2012/05/moundville-story-digging-up-bones-wins.html">Digging Up Bones</a>” by
<a href="http://www.kathrynlang.com/">Kathryn Lang</a>, was published online at SELTI and included links to the museum
website and photos of the real park.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.legislature.state.al.us/senate/senators/senatebios/sd009.html">Senator Clay Scofield</a>, chairman
of the Alabama Senate Tourism and Marketing Committee, presented Kathryn Lang
with the <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-new-angle-on-tourism.html">2012 SELTI Tourism Fiction Award</a> in October. Alabama Public Radio
<a href="http://apr.org/post/literary-tourism-alabama">featured a story</a> on the first SELTI contest, which included interviews with
Lang, Miller and Sen. Scofield about how the concept of tourism fiction could
be applied in a positive way nationwide.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eGtdUiG8uoI/ULlISmywIJI/AAAAAAAABH0/mQLlri-eQPY/s1600/Little+River.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eGtdUiG8uoI/ULlISmywIJI/AAAAAAAABH0/mQLlri-eQPY/s640/Little+River.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little River Canyon as seen from Lookout Mountain.<br />
Photo by John Dersham, <a href="http://www.discoverlookoutmountain.com/">DeKalb County Tourism Association</a>. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“The mysterious nature of
Moundville made it the most intriguing place in the state to set a story, but
the breathtaking natural beauty of Lookout Mountain makes it the most scenic
place in the state to inspire writers,” said SELTI founder Patrick Miller.
“Having visited places like <st1:placename w:st="on">Noccalula</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Falls</st1:placetype> in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Gadsden</st1:place></st1:city>,
I am very excited to see what writers come up with for the <i>Lookout Alabama </i>SELTI Writing Contest. People who love to read love
to travel, so this contest will combine the two activities in a very fun,
innovative way.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Along with articles
highlighting intriguing people and places in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Lookout</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Mountain</st1:placetype></st1:place>
area, each issue of <i>Lookout Alabama</i>
will contain short fiction or poetry set in the region. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AMu3R841wHo/ULlKR40iYMI/AAAAAAAABH8/xFFcgKuygPE/s1600/Desoto+Falls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AMu3R841wHo/ULlKR40iYMI/AAAAAAAABH8/xFFcgKuygPE/s320/Desoto+Falls.jpg" width="252" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Desoto Falls.<br />
Photo by John Dersham.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“We are very excited to
showcase the talents of writers with an interest in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Lookout</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Mountain</st1:placetype></st1:place>
area,” said <i>Lookout Alabama</i> Editor
Olivia Grider. “We also are fortunate to partner with the Southeastern Literary
Tourism Initiative. This contest fits perfectly with the mission and goals of <i>Lookout Alabama</i>, and we believe it is a
win-win for the magazine, SELTI and our readers.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Contest submissions will be
limited to 2,000 words and must be fictional short stories set in the Lookout
Mountain, Alabama, area, which ranges from <st1:city w:st="on">Gadsden</st1:city>
to the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Georgia</st1:place></st1:country-region>
state line and includes the valleys on both sides of the mountain. Submissions
will be narrowed to five finalists, which will then be judged by a select team
of publishers, authors, English professors and tourism professionals. Entries should
be e-mailed to <a href="mailto:literarytourism@aol.com">literarytourism@aol.com</a>
or <a href="mailto:ogrider@lookoutalabama.com">ogrider@lookoutalabama.com</a>
by March 25, 2013.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">With the nation’s economy
struggling, tourism fiction could prove to be an innovative tool that helps
boost state and city economies wherever it is applied, Miller said. “Consumer
spending accounts for 70 percent of the nation’s economy, and tourism is one of
the richest sources of consumer spending,” he adds. “Yet hardly anyone has
tapped the vast potential of novels and other literary fiction to drive tourism
to real attractions.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">About the Southeastern Literary
Tourism Initiative <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nhdvpnXVztE/ULbRTkGD6YI/AAAAAAAABF8/a3j_wA9-OTo/s1600/BF-Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nhdvpnXVztE/ULbRTkGD6YI/AAAAAAAABF8/a3j_wA9-OTo/s200/BF-Cover.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Blind Fate</i>, the nation's<br />
first novel with an<br />
interactive tourism guide.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">SELTI is an organization
that promotes tourism through literature. It offers readers short stories,
poetry and book excerpts – along with companion travel guides – about real
places to visit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Founder Patrick Miller’s
suspense novel, “<a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2010/09/tourism-mystery-kindles-romance-in.html">Blind Fate</a>,” was the <a href="http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/products/books/story/2011-10-09/literary-tourism/50712262/1">first in the nation</a> to include an online
tourism guide embedded in the novel with tourism links to all the real places.
SELTI followed up “Blind Fate” with “<a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2012/01/fitzgerald-becomes-first-classic-author.html">This Side of Paradise</a>: Interactive Tourism
Edition,” a new version of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic 1920 debut novel that
now includes tourism links to the real settings in the story. The royalties for
the Fitzgerald edition are being donated by SELTI to the <a href="http://fitzgeraldmuseum.net/">F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum</a> in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Montgomery</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">Ala.</st1:state></st1:place>,
located in the Fitzgeralds’ only surviving family residence.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">About <i>Lookout <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Alabama</st1:place></st1:state></i><o:p></o:p></span></u></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Lookout
Alabama</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> is a quarterly, regional magazine whose mission is to celebrate and
promote the unique culture, history and environmental treasures of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Lookout</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Mountain</st1:placetype></st1:place> region, with a goal of
facilitating job creation and economic development in the area by increasing
tourism.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The staff of <i>Lookout Alabama</i> has more than 35 years
of publishing experience. Publisher Randy Grider, a native of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Lookout</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Mountain</st1:placetype></st1:place> area, started his career as a
newspaper editor before taking the helm of a national trade magazine in 2000.
Editor Olivia Grider has worked as both a newspaper reporter and the managing
editor of a national trade publication. The Griders have earned numerous awards
for newspaper and magazine journalism. They are the only husband and wife duo
to each win the Jesse H. Neal Award – considered the Pulitzer Prize of business
journalism – at different magazines.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b><u>About the Judges</u></b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.homerhickam.com/">Homer Hickam</a>, New York Times bestselling author</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.johndersham.com/about.html">John Dersham</a>, executive director, <a href="http://www.discoverlookoutmountain.com/">Dekalb County Tourism</a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hugh A. Stump III, executive director, <a href="http://www.etowahtourism.com/">Greater Gadsden Area Visitors Center</a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Joan Reeves, chair, English and Fine Arts Division, <a href="http://www.nacc.edu/default.htm">Northeast Alabama Community College</a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Patrick Miller, founder, Southeastern Literary Tourism Initiative</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Olivia Grider, editor, <i>Lookout Alabama</i> magazine</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Randy Grider, publisher, <i>Lookout Alabama </i>magazine</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.kathrynlang.com/">Kathryn Lang</a>, author, winner of the <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-new-angle-on-tourism.html">2012 SELTI Tourism Fiction Award</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Renee Morrison, Assistant Director, </span><a href="http://www.jsu.edu/">Jacksonville State University</a> Field Schools</span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b><u>Homer Hickam</u></b> is best-known for his award-winning and #1 best-selling memoir <i>Rocket Boys</i>, which was made into the movie <i>October Sky</i>. But he is also a prolific author of fourteen other fiction and non-fiction books, which include his popular "Josh Thurlow: World War II" series and his latest, a novel titled <i>Crater</i> set on the moon in the 22nd Century. More on Mr. Hickam and his books can be found at his website, <a href="http://www.homerhickam.com/">www.homerhickam.com</a>.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b><u>Kathryn Lang</u></b> was recently awarded the 2012 SELTI Tourism Fiction Award by Senator Clay Scofield at the Moundville Native American Festival. Kathryn is a newspaper columnist and the author of several fiction and nonfiction books. Kathryn's tourism short story "<a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2012/05/moundville-story-digging-up-bones-wins.html">Digging Up Bones</a>," set at Moundville, won the Inaugural SELTI Writing Contest. Her Big Springs novel series is based on the real Guntersville, Alabama, tourism area. Learn more about Kathryn at her website, <a href="http://www.kathrynlang.com/">http://www.kathrynlang.com/</a>.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt;">Check Back Here Weekly For Updates on the Lookout Alabama SELTI Writing Contest!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span>Please visit <i>Lookout Alabama</i> magazine by clicking on this link for the <a href="http://www.lookoutalabama.com/?p=505"><i>Lookout Alabama</i> SELTI Writing Contest Rules</a>. Also, the list of official judges has been updated above.<br />
<br />
The Alabama Tourism Department will help sponsor this contest by awarding a $500 prize to the first place winner. No entry fee is required to enter the contest.<br />
<span style="color: red;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red;">March 26 Update:</span> The contest is now closed. Thanks so much to all those who took the time and effort to enter this year. Email confirmations will soon go out to the finalists, and then the longer process of selecting a first place winner will begin. The winning story will be published online in the May 2013 SELTI feature, along with a list of the finalists. The winning story will also be published in the print edition of the inaugural issue of <i>Lookout Alabama</i> magazine, coming out in the summer and distributed statewide. Please follow SELTI for other important developments in tourism fiction currently underway.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">April 1 Update:</span> the five finalists for the contest have been selected and notified by email. If you entered the contest but did not receive such an email, then you have not been selected as a finalist. Again, thank you to everyone who entered. Many of the stories that were not selected were very close in the first round of judging and showed great talent. The final round of judging should be completed some time around the beginning of May, although no definite date of selection has been made.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">May 10 Update:</span> Natalie Cone's short story "The Totem" wins the <i>Lookout Alabama</i> SELTI Writing Contest. Read Natalie's winning story <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2013/05/natalie-cones-story-totem-wins-lookout.html">by clicking here.</a></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">
</span></div>
Patrick Brian Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381374242248506334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014201815760888634.post-6235690550003681272012-11-12T07:57:00.000-08:002012-11-18T12:24:39.221-08:00Shiloh Mounds, Cahokia, and Moundville Come Back to Life in Native American Novels<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sRX3ytbhGrY/UKB0Porw-RI/AAAAAAAABEU/-Z-FEVNbItg/s1600/Monks+Mound+E.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="432" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sRX3ytbhGrY/UKB0Porw-RI/AAAAAAAABEU/-Z-FEVNbItg/s640/Monks+Mound+E.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monks Mound, the largest of many mounds at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in Illinois.<br />
Contrast the size of the mound with the tiny car passing by on the road!<br />
Photo courtesy of Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. Click on the photo to enlarge.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Excerpt From:</b>
<i>People of the Thunder</i> by Kathleen and Michael Gear</div>
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<b>Novel Series:</b> <st1:place w:st="on">North America</st1:place>’s Forgotten Past</div>
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<b>Publisher: </b>Tor/Forge
Books<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Tourism Attractions:</b>
Shiloh Indian Mounds, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Cahokia</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">State</st1:placetype></st1:place> Historic Site, Moundville
Archaeological Park</div>
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<b>Locations:</b> <st1:state w:st="on">Tennessee</st1:state>, <st1:state w:st="on">Illinois</st1:state>, <st1:place w:st="on">Alabama</st1:place></div>
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<br /></div>
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Step into the beautiful but violent world of <st1:place w:st="on">North America</st1:place>’s Forgotten Past in the epic twin novels
<i>People of the Weeping Eye</i> and <i>People of the Thunder</i> by award-winning authors
Kathleen and Michael Gear. Combining decades of writing for the commercial
fiction market and professional archaeological research, the Gears link
together three real and important archaeological sites in these two novels that
readers can still visit today: Shiloh Indian Mounds in <st1:state w:st="on">Tennessee</st1:state>
(<st1:placename w:st="on">Rainbow</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">City</st1:placetype>
in the novel), Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in <st1:state w:st="on">Illinois</st1:state>,
and <st1:placename w:st="on">Moundville</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Archaeological</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Park</st1:placetype> in <st1:state w:st="on">Alabama</st1:state>
(<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Split</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Sky</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">City</st1:placetype></st1:place>).
Learn more about these mysterious and fascinating sites by clicking on their
museum park links in the Tourism Guide after the short excerpt below. They were each once powerful kingdoms that stretched their influence far down the rivers they overlooked.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_6DW-9zSMEg/UKBv7QO6yQI/AAAAAAAABDc/fA7byPP0kd8/s1600/Weeping+Eye+Cover+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_6DW-9zSMEg/UKBv7QO6yQI/AAAAAAAABDc/fA7byPP0kd8/s320/Weeping+Eye+Cover+2.jpg" width="222" /></a>The Gears are currently working on <i>People of the Morning
Star</i>, which is set in <st1:place w:st="on">Cahokia</st1:place> at a different time during the height of its power. Once released, <i>People of the Morning Star</i> will also include a tourism link
to the real state historical site of <st1:place w:st="on">Cahokia</st1:place>,
allowing readers to visit the website from inside the novel when reading on an
iPad or Kindle. This will make <i>People of the Morning Star</i> one of the first
interactive tourism novels in the nation, along with <i><a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2010/09/tourism-mystery-kindles-romance-in.html">Blind Fate</a></i> and F. Scott
Fitzgerald’s <i><a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2012/01/fitzgerald-becomes-first-classic-author.html">This Side of Paradise: Interactive Tourism Edition</a></i>. Readers of
<i>People of the Morning Star</i> will not have to go to their desktop computers and
do web searches to find out more about Cahokia; they will be able to instantly
click on the link inside the book on their Kindle or iPad and see a full-color tourism website that gives them all the tourist information they need to literally step into the real
settings of the story.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The Gears have written many Native American historical
novels set in National Monuments and Parks around the country. If they update more of their novels with short interactive tourism guides and links to the real
places, that could provide new digital gateways that allow readers to jump from the pages of their imaginations to the real sites as tourists. This would have a positive economic impact, especially during these challenging times. Embedded tourism guides would also enrich the readers by offering them a much deeper connection to the stories and
the places. Each of the three sites in these two novels has a staff and museum
for visitors to delve deeper into the real history of the area. Having been to
the real Moundville, I can attest that nothing prepares a reader for the
experience of stepping into the physical setting where the characters once
lived and breathed in a time long before our own . . . </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rI9EBdasQDk/UKBvrKUVkzI/AAAAAAAABDU/mR-jiM-Am7o/s1600/Thunder-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rI9EBdasQDk/UKBvrKUVkzI/AAAAAAAABDU/mR-jiM-Am7o/s1600/Thunder-cover.jpg" /></a><b><span style="font-size: 20.0pt;"> </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 20.0pt;">FROM <i>PEOPLE OF
THE THUNDER . . .</i><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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The
Contrary<span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT Condensed";">—</span>the woman once
known as Two Petals<span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT Condensed";">—</span>walked
through the quiet night. Her moccasin-clad feet scuffed the plaza’s trampled
surface, the sound of leather on clay like the whisper of distant ghosts. Her
straight body moved purposefully, rounded hips swaying. Black flowing hair
swung even with her buttocks, and she clutched a beaverhide blanket closely
about her shoulders. With each exhalation, she watched her breath fog and rise
toward the black, star-encrusted sky. Overhead, the constellations seemed to
shimmer and wink against the winter night.</div>
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Around her,
the great Yuchi capital known as <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Rainbow</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">City</st1:placetype></st1:place> slumbered. Even now
the size of the city, with its tall, building-topped mounds, thousands of
homes, temples, society houses, and granaries, amazed her. The city’s sleeping
soul surrounded her like the low hum of insect wings. She could feel the
immensity of it: all those thousands of souls breathing, mired in Dreams, their
passions muted by sleep.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iEdnxDVAl7Y/UKBwse2bxKI/AAAAAAAABDk/fAKZGdz81Jc/s1600/Shiloh+Mound+A+E.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iEdnxDVAl7Y/UKBwse2bxKI/AAAAAAAABDk/fAKZGdz81Jc/s320/Shiloh+Mound+A+E.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the Shiloh Mounds (Rainbow City) in<br />
Shiloh National Military Park.<br />
Click to enlarge photo. NPS Photo by Chris Mekow.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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This was
the western capital of the Yuchi<span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT Condensed";">—</span>called
the Tsoyaha in their own language. The city had been built on a high bluff
overlooking the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Tenasee</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">River</st1:placetype></st1:place>. The location had
been chosen not only because it was well above the worst of the great river’s
periodic floods, but it was strategically placed just below the river’s bend.
Sheer heights on the east and north provided a natural defense, while the
western and southern approaches were protected by a tall palisade bolstered by
archers’ platforms every twenty paces. <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Rainbow</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">City</st1:placetype></st1:place>
controlled passage up and down the Tenasee<span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT Condensed";">—</span>the
trade route carrying goods between the southeastern and northern river systems.</div>
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Though Two
Petals had walked in the ghostly ruins of Cahokia and climbed its great mound, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Rainbow</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">City</st1:placetype></st1:place> left her feeling humbled. Cahokia
was a place of dried bones; <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Rainbow</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">City</st1:placetype></st1:place> flexed warm nerve
and healthy muscle. It lived, thrived, and bristled with energy.</div>
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High
temples, palaces, and society houses perched atop square earthen mounds capped
by colored clays sacred to the Yuchi. The buildings reminded Two Petals of
brooding guardians overlooking the empty plaza. The image was strengthened by
steeply pitched thatch roofs that jutted arrogantly toward the heavens. Beyond
them lay a packed maze of circular houses, their thickly plastered walls and
roofs a uniquely Yuchi architectural form. The dark dwellings hunched in the
night, as though weighted by the countless sleeping souls they sheltered.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q8zq1qfSavU/UKBxOEAcq5I/AAAAAAAABDs/0LF0lg0zMyM/s1600/Shiloh+Mound+G+E.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q8zq1qfSavU/UKBxOEAcq5I/AAAAAAAABDs/0LF0lg0zMyM/s320/Shiloh+Mound+G+E.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another Shiloh Mound stands quietly among the trees.<br />
NPS Photo by Chris Mekow.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The
Contrary needed but close her eyes in order to sense the occupants. She
experienced their Dreams the way an anchored rock knew the river’s current. The
weight of their loves, hatreds, lusts, hungers, triumphs, and fears flowed
around her. Were she to surrender her control, all of those demanding souls
would filter past her skin, slip through her ears, nostrils, and mouth. Like
permeable soil her body and souls would absorb them. Then, in the manner of a
saturated earthen dam, she would slowly give way, carried off in bits, pieces,
and streamers by the flood.</div>
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“But I am
not earth.” <i>No, I am a great stone. I
stand resolute, lapped only by the waves of their Dreams. Feel them, washing up
against me, seeking a grasp, only to drain away before the next. </i>Two Petals
clasped her arms around her chest, hugging herself for reassurance…</div>
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<i> “</i>You must lean to deal with what
you have become,” Two Petals told herself. “Trouble is coming.”</div>
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She sighed,
sensing a perpetual isolation of a person touched by Power. Forget the Dreams
of others; her own were frightening enough. Not so many moons past, while in <st1:place w:st="on">Cahokia</st1:place>, she had been carried away on Sister Datura’s
arms<span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT Condensed";">—</span>born off to the
Spirit World. The Visions she had had of the future remained just behind her
eyes, as clear as when she’d first seen them. Were she to beckon, they would
come flowing forward. She would again see the terrible black-souled chief, his
hand trembling as it reached out to caress her naked skin. Or know the
guilt-stricken eyes of a woman whose bloody hands dripped red splatters onto
hard ground while she trembled beneath the twists of fate. In other scenes, an angry war chief led a thousand warriors through a silent forest. And finally,
swirling water washed over a great scaled hide that shimmered with all the
colors of the rainbow.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lO8WjM32dSI/UKBxu3INi9I/AAAAAAAABD0/Yo3Amw3pdGg/s1600/Shiloh+Mound+F+E.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lO8WjM32dSI/UKBxu3INi9I/AAAAAAAABD0/Yo3Amw3pdGg/s320/Shiloh+Mound+F+E.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another Shiloh Mound surrounded by fall leaves.<br />
NPS Photo by Chris Mekow.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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She fixed
on that final image, staring into the great crystalline eye, as though looking
through time and worlds into another reality. As she did, a faint Song began to
fill her souls with a tremolo that echoed from her very bones. The melody rose
and fell, lifting her spirits like a leaf on the breeze. Two Petals could feel
herself rising, spinning, carried aloft on the vibrant notes. She began to
Dance across the hard-packed plaza, arms undulating to the beat. Souls swaying
in time to her skipping feet. The Song played within her.</div>
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“Soon,” she
promised, her body spinning in time to the melody.</div>
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As quickly
as it had come, the Song faded, leaving her to stand alone and motionless in Rainbow City’s great plaza<span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT Condensed";">—</span>but
one more of the many shadows that mingled in the night. In that instant she
felt utterly destitute.</div>
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<i>“You are never truly alone,”</i> a familiar
voice remarked . . . </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
---Excerpted from PEOPLE OF THE THUNDER Copyright © 2008 by
W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O’Neal Gear</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">TOURISM GUIDE</span></b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ehU-caBSrbk/UKByKCjSYLI/AAAAAAAABD8/US4tu3DLTlI/s1600/Indian+Mound+Shelter+E.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ehU-caBSrbk/UKByKCjSYLI/AAAAAAAABD8/US4tu3DLTlI/s320/Indian+Mound+Shelter+E.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to the Shiloh Indian Mounds<br />
National Historic Landmark.<br />
NPS Photo by Chris Mekow.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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I first learned about the Gears’ historical novels from
Senator Clay Scofield, Chairman of the Alabama Senate Tourism and Marketing
Committee. Senator Scofield was kind enough to fly into <st1:city w:st="on">Tuscaloosa</st1:city> to present the 2012 SELTI Tourism
Fiction Award to Kathryn Lang during the Moundville Native American Festival. Read his wonderful speech, where he invited all authors to focus on real Alabama tourism attractions, by clicking <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-new-angle-on-tourism.html">here.</a> Kathryn’s
short story <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2012/05/moundville-story-digging-up-bones-wins.html">"Digging Up Bones"</a> was set in Moundville and had won the Inaugural
SELTI Writing Contest. After our radio <a href="http://apr.org/post/literary-tourism-alabama">interviews</a>, Scofield mentioned to me that
Moundville had also been the setting for a historical novel, which led me to read <i>People of the Weeping Eye</i>. After chatting with the authors, Kathleen and
Michael Gear, I learned that <i>People of the Thunder</i> continued the story of Two
Petals, Old White, and Trader, and that they had written many novels set in
real places, although they had never included tourism links.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although I had heard of Cahokia in <st1:state w:st="on">Illinois</st1:state>
from Moundville’s Director, Dr. Bill Bomar, I had not heard of the Shiloh
Mounds in <st1:state w:st="on">Tennessee</st1:state>, “<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Rainbow</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">City</st1:placetype></st1:place>”
in the novel. Because the Shiloh Mounds are part of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Shiloh</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">National</st1:placename>
<st1:placename w:st="on">Military</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Park</st1:placetype></st1:place>
with the National Park Service, they were largely preserved. <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Rainbow</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">City</st1:placetype></st1:place> plays a key role in
<i>People of the Weeping Eye</i> and continues in <i>People of the Thunder</i>. Although the
original inhabitants of these cities abandoned them long ago, the ruins remain
as haunting reminders of the cultures that once thrived on the rivers of this
continent.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KHR1fAExmaU/UKBzW2fFOUI/AAAAAAAABEM/LU59vSfOedI/s1600/Temple+Mound+E.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KHR1fAExmaU/UKBzW2fFOUI/AAAAAAAABEM/LU59vSfOedI/s400/Temple+Mound+E.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Temple Mound at Moundville Archaeological Park.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These novels are set in a time before the Europeans came,
but also when <st1:place w:st="on">Cahokia</st1:place> is already in ruins.
Although <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Split</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Sky</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">City</st1:placetype></st1:place>
(Moundville) is still very much inhabited in the novel, another Gear novel, <i>A
Searing Wind,</i> shows it also in ruins in another time period.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Many of the structures and physical remains of lost cultures
around the nation have faded away, but not at these sites. One can still walk
through the plazas and the climb the mounds that once served as vital cultural
centers. The Gears are exceptional at bringing the reader into these worlds and
allowing them to breathe the same air as the characters. Although the
characters are fictional, they represent the real people who once lived in
these cities.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I offer the short excerpt above from <i>People of the Thunder</i>
as an example of the Gears’ quality writing style, a style that carries through
in both novels. Please click on the links below to learn more about the Gears
and the real places that their characters once lived in.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">What do authors Kathleen and Michael Gear think of literary tourism? Click <a href="http://gear-gear.com/blog/?p=409">here</a> to read in their own words.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">TOURISM LINKS</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.nps.gov/shil/mounds.htm">Shiloh Indian Mounds (Rainbow City)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.cahokiamounds.org/">Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site</a><br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cahokia-Mounds-World-Heritage-Site/105832906511">Cahokia's Facebook page</a><br />
<a href="http://moundville.ua.edu/">Moundville Archaeological Park</a> (Split Sky City)<br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/54987233824/doc/10151350408993825/">A more comprehensive list of tourism websites related to all the Gears' novels</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.gear-gear.com/">Learn about Kathleen and Michael Gear's many novels</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/People-Weeping-First-North-Americans/dp/0765352931">People of the Weeping Eye (Read first)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/People-Thunder-North-Americas-Forgotten/dp/076535294X">People of the Thunder (Read second)</a><br />
<a href="http://us.macmillan.com/TorForge.aspx">Tor Forge Books</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/People-Black-Sun-Longhouse-Forgotten/dp/0765326957">People of the Black Sun, the latest novel by Kathleen and Michael Gear</a></div>
Patrick Brian Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381374242248506334noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014201815760888634.post-61754556762943625932012-10-12T18:08:00.000-07:002012-11-27T04:08:36.514-08:00A New Angle on Tourism<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RrH7bg3SIbU/UHi6iSJg3SI/AAAAAAAABBM/z9tzpQSNhrg/s1600/Kathryn+Lang+w-Sen+Scofield-E.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RrH7bg3SIbU/UHi6iSJg3SI/AAAAAAAABBM/z9tzpQSNhrg/s640/Kathryn+Lang+w-Sen+Scofield-E.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sen. Clay Scofield presents Kathryn Lang with the 2012 SELTI Tourism Fiction Award <br />
at the Moundville Native American Festival.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Many thanks to Sen. Clay Scofield for presenting the 2012 SELTI Tourism Fiction Award to Kathryn Lang at the Moundville Native American Festival on October 10. As Chairman of the Alabama Senate Tourism and Marketing Committee, Sen. Scofield gave a speech that offered great insight into the future of tourism fiction and how it can have a positive impact on Alabama and the nation. He was the first politician in the nation to invite authors to use real tourism attractions as settings in their works. Below is a copy of his speech delivered at Moundville, the setting of Kathryn Lang's tourism fiction short story <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2012/05/moundville-story-digging-up-bones-wins.html">"Digging Up Bones."</a></div>
<br />
Kathryn's story won the Inaugural SELTI Writing Contest, the first contest in the nation that challenged writers to use fiction as a vehicle for promoting a real tourism attraction. The entries were judged by a team of University of Alabama English and marketing professors. Click the "Digging Up Bones" link above to read the story, which includes many photos of the real Moundville and tourism links related to the cultural attraction. Please check out the many tourism attractions found in books across the South in the Stories By Month archives to the left.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">"A New Angle on Tourism"</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">speech by Senator Clay Scofield, Chairman of the Alabama Senate Tourism and Marketing Committee</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rC_xKacutTQ/UHi7kZfZalI/AAAAAAAABBU/NBi_SOe028k/s1600/SELTI+Tourism+Fiction+Award+E.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rC_xKacutTQ/UHi7kZfZalI/AAAAAAAABBU/NBi_SOe028k/s400/SELTI+Tourism+Fiction+Award+E.JPG" width="255" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #993300;"> </span>When
I was asked to present this award, I have to admit that my first thought
was: “What is tourism fiction?” As it turns out, the concept is very simple:
tourism fiction involves creating stories about real places and events<span style="font-family: 'Tw Cen MT Condensed';">—</span>like this festival we’re all
at today<span style="font-family: 'Tw Cen MT Condensed';">—</span>and then
inviting the reading public to come visit those places in real life, through short
travel guides.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Think about
all of the fun places you’ve been to in this state, and then imagine that
readers in Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi, and all across the nation
started reading about those places in short stories and novels. Then imagine
that they could click on links to those real places at the end of the story and
learn how to go there in real life, not just read about them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That’s what
tourism fiction is. Now imagine what the impact would be on <st1:state w:st="on">Alabama</st1:state> if all our writers were focusing on
real tourism attractions in their stories across the state. Here in the South
we’ve always had the nation’s best storytellers, but in these difficult
economic times, our storytellers might even help the state by attracting more
tourists.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In order
for tourism fiction to work best, lots of people have to work together. The
idea came from the Southeastern Literary Tourism Initiative<span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT Condensed";">—</span>SELTI for short. The key part
of SELTI’s name is the last part: “<i>initiative</i>,”
because many other people and organizations have taken the initiative this year
to help SELTI promote <st1:state w:st="on">Alabama</st1:state>
tourism through fiction.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When the
Alabama Tourism Department first heard about SELTI, they took the initiative in
telling the rest of the state’s tourism attractions about tourism fiction
through their state-wide newsletter. When the staff at Moundville read the
newsletter, they took the initiative to reach out to SELTI and design a short
story contest to promote Moundville.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2s1mWbCemCY/UHi7wfD8ywI/AAAAAAAABBc/VRu_2acKfPg/s1600/Kathryn+Lang+SELTI+award+E.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2s1mWbCemCY/UHi7wfD8ywI/AAAAAAAABBc/VRu_2acKfPg/s320/Kathryn+Lang+SELTI+award+E.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kathryn Lang holds the SELTI Tourism Fiction<br />
Award in front of her books at the<br />
Moundville Native American Festival.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That
contest, the Inaugural SELTI Writing Contest, was the first in the nation that
challenged fiction writers to promote a real tourism attraction: Moundville. When
writers around the state heard about the contest, they took the initiative to
apply their unique talents to promote this special place through stories set at
Moundville. When the entries came in, English and marketing professors from the
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Alabama</st1:placename></st1:place> took the initiative in accepting
the challenge to judge the stories and determine a winner.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The winner
is here with us today, and her short story captured everyone’s attention as
soon as they read it. In fact, an important part of her story described the
dance performance that we just witnessed on this stage. Her name is Kathryn
Lang, and you can still read her short story online at SELTI in the May 2012
feature.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Before I
present Kathryn with the 2012 SELTI Tourism Fiction Award, I would like to take
a moment to ask all writers to consider featuring <st1:state w:st="on">Alabama</st1:state> tourism attractions as settings in
their works of fiction. Our state has so many wonderful attractions to inspire
writers, from beautiful sunny beaches in the south to scenic mountain getaways
in the north, from large cities with unique museums and theaters to small towns
with personal history and charm. I hope all writers and publishers in this
state will follow Kathryn’s example in helping to not only tell a great tale
but to promote our great state at the same time by inviting their readers to come
visit a real place in Alabama.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next
town featured might be your home town or city. The new e-books you kids are
starting to read now can do some amazing things that paper books could never do
when I was growing up. Some of you may become famous writers someday soon, so I
hope you’ll all consider including real places like Moundville and others that
inspire you in your work.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Kathryn has
a tent on site, so if anyone would like to talk more with her, stop by and see
her after this presentation. So Kathryn, as your senator, I’m proud to present
this award, the first tourism fiction award in the nation, on behalf of SELTI
and on behalf of the state of <st1:state w:st="on">Alabama</st1:state>.
We wish you well in your writing career and hope that other writers follow your
path to promoting <st1:state w:st="on">Alabama</st1:state>
through fiction.<br />
<br />
(Listen to more from Senator Scofield and Kathryn Lang by clicking on this Alabama Public Radio feature on literary tourism and the Moundville contest: <a href="http://apr.org/post/literary-tourism-alabama">Alabama Public Radio feature.</a></div>
Patrick Brian Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381374242248506334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014201815760888634.post-51364513575727586012012-09-19T16:44:00.000-07:002012-09-29T13:21:00.534-07:00Riverboat Harriott II Steams Into Uncharted Waters: A Tourism Novel<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VV21-YS13cc/UFUp8xOKt7I/AAAAAAAAA98/kLPXMA9NUb8/s1600/Harriott+II+ext+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VV21-YS13cc/UFUp8xOKt7I/AAAAAAAAA98/kLPXMA9NUb8/s640/Harriott+II+ext+front.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The real <i>Harriott II</i> will appear in the fictional novel <i>Uncharted Waters.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="color: #003300;">Excerpt From: </b><i style="color: #003300;">Uncharted Waters</i><span style="color: #003300;">
by Sara DuBose</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #003300;"><b>Tourism Attraction: </b>Harriott II
Riverboat<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #003300;"><b>Location:</b> <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Montgomery</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">AL</st1:state></st1:place><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #003300;"><b>Photos:</b> Diane Prothro<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #003300;">(Click any photo to enlarge!)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #003300;"><b>Model:</b> Sarah Hunter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #003300;">The riverboat <i>Harriot II</i> is making its first appearance in a tourism novel: <i>Uncharted Waters </i>by Sara DuBose, set for release October 1. In <i>Uncharted Waters</i>, Beth Davidson faces
frightening encounters with a stalker, but she takes matters into her own hands
by joining the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Montgomery</st1:placename>
<st1:placename w:st="on">Police</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Academy</st1:placetype></st1:place>.
Although the character of Beth is fictional, all of the places in the novel are
real, including many tourism attractions. Join Beth as she learns what it takes
to become a <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Montgomery</st1:place></st1:city>
police officer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #003300;">The following scene takes place
in the heart of downtown <st1:city w:st="on">Montgomery</st1:city>’s riverfront
entertainment district, within sight of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Montgomery</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Visitor</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Center</st1:placetype></st1:place> in the historic
Union Train Station, the Renaissance Hotel and Spa, and Alley Station. Follow the tourism guide at
the end of this excerpt to learn how to visit all of the places in this new
suspense novel set in one of the South’s many getaways. Also find links to
excerpts of other tourism novels set in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Montgomery</st1:place></st1:city> and across the South, and learn about the latest exciting developments in the tourism fiction genre nationwide. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #003300; font-size: 20pt;">From <i>Uncharted
Waters:</i> </span></b><span style="color: #003300;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1axdHIxSr2c/UFUq071N7pI/AAAAAAAAA-E/7pQrpFktvS4/s1600/Uncharted+Waters+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1axdHIxSr2c/UFUq071N7pI/AAAAAAAAA-E/7pQrpFktvS4/s320/Uncharted+Waters+cover.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #003300;">As I drove away from the safe
haven of the Honda dealership my mind kicked into fast forward. I told myself, <i>don’t rush and don’t cut it too close and
let it make you nervous. </i>Nervous? I almost laughed out loud. Nervous was my
middle name. Taking the I-85 interstate, the self talk continued. <i>Hang in there</i>. <i>You’re gonna be okay</i>. <i>Try to
park in a business slot if you can. This will seem more normal. He may not be
watching you park anyway. My guess is he is more intent on getting you into the
tunnel.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #003300;">My heart flopped in my chest. <i>How reassuring, Beth! </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #003300;">Soon I took the <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Union Street</st1:address></st1:street> exit
and passed the Little White House of the Confederacy on my left. Now there was
no time for reminiscing or touring as I had done with Dad. Today I stayed on <st1:place w:st="on">Union</st1:place>, passing the back of the Alabama State Capitol on
my way to Madison Avenue. My mind accelerated. <i>What . . . what if he has a gun?</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #003300;">Beth, this man wants a date with you</span></i><span style="color: #003300;">. <i>It’s not likely
he’ll have a gun. If by some slim chance he pulls a pistol, remember the
cautionary e-mail you received recently: run like mad. Run in a zigzag fashion.
<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #003300;">I stared out the windshield,
trying to simulate a dash through the tunnel but my whole body suddenly felt
like someone had stuffed me inside a kettle drum during the William Tell
Overture. I turned onto <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Madison</st1:place></st1:city>
and drove west to Commerce. Almost there.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #003300;">Unlike <st1:place w:st="on">Shannon</st1:place>,
I’m usually on time. I’d be on time today. Now I turned right on Commerce and,
after driving a block, I spotted a parking place only half a block from the
tunnel. My Honda clock read five-fifty on the nose. The parking meter had
fifteen more minutes but it isn’t necessary to feed them after six anyway. I
reached for my water bottle and took a long sip, willing away the dryness.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #003300;">What are you doing here?</span></i><span style="color: #003300;"> A tiny voice tried to flood its way into my
consciousness. I dammed it up. <i>After all</i>,
I told myself, if <i>I could stop this
psycho now there’d be no need to spill everything to Domestic Violence. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I2nBSRL80Hs/UFUslePrnUI/AAAAAAAAA-M/GwOHU5EgERI/s1600/Harriott+II+ticket+office+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I2nBSRL80Hs/UFUslePrnUI/AAAAAAAAA-M/GwOHU5EgERI/s400/Harriott+II+ticket+office+2.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beth prepares to face her stalker. The Harriott II<br />
ticket office is in the immediate background,<br />
with the Renaissance Hotel standing above.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #003300;">Opening the door, I looked from
left to right and then down to the end of Commerce. The street seemed strangely
quiet. What to do with this permanent arm fixture, my purse. I punched the
remote for my car trunk and thought about the recent e-mail warning: “Don’t use
your remote after exiting your car.” Why? Something about a stranger picking up
the signal. I wondered if it were true. Well, too late. I tossed the purse in,
covering it with an old blanket. Someone was probably watching. I didn’t care.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #003300;">I checked my watch again.
Five-fifty two. I’d enter the tunnel in three minutes, five minutes earlier
than planned. <i>Would he be there? Yes. No.
I didn’t know.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #003300;">Stepping up to the curb, I could
feel my heart pounding somewhere in my throat. <i>One, two three, four</i>. I counted the beats with each pace and tried
to remember how to swallow. Suddenly, something whisked by. I jumped. The skate
board almost scraped my arm but the boy hurried on. <i>Was he headed for the tunnel? Probably. Would his appearance distract
the stalker? </i>I kept walking and watching the boy as he turned into the
tube. I stopped, holding my breath. <i>What
to do next? Had my admirer said to meet him at the entrance or inside?<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vYQYb8ehs5E/UFUsxwFYPiI/AAAAAAAAA-U/s6zEVmV1Xng/s1600/Tunnel+entrance+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vYQYb8ehs5E/UFUsxwFYPiI/AAAAAAAAA-U/s6zEVmV1Xng/s320/Tunnel+entrance+1.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beth cautiously enters the tunnel<br />
leading to the <i>Harriott II</i> and riverfront.<br />
A train passes above the tunnel<br />
in the background.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #003300;">Waiting, I continued to watch
the boy but soon the sound of his footsteps faded. Now I was standing directly
in front of the entrance; my eyes traveling down the long cylinder, feeling
like a fox in fear of the hound. Waiting, I saw nothing unusual and heard no
sound except the kettle drum still pounding. Pounding.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #003300;">I finally took several steps
just inside the tunnel and stopped, stifling a cough. Then, I looked behind me.
Still nothing. After waiting what seemed like ten minutes, I checked my watch.
Six-o-seven. The boy was long out of sight, but did I see someone down at the
other end? I blinked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #003300;">Trembling now, I moved closer to
the tunnel wall, wondering how long it would take me to run back to my car if
the man approached. Donnie was right. I shouldn’t have come. <i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S46M1CKMFs0/UFUs8LsqZrI/AAAAAAAAA-c/vnCVCg3-SBE/s1600/tunnell+int+1+wide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S46M1CKMFs0/UFUs8LsqZrI/AAAAAAAAA-c/vnCVCg3-SBE/s320/tunnell+int+1+wide.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beth goes deeper into the tunnel. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #003300;">Someone sneezed. I looked behind
me. Nothing. No, it wasn’t a sneeze . . . it was a train—a six o’clock freight
train pulling through the train shed just west of the tunnel. Now came a
mournful whistle blow, followed by two more. Ordinarily, I love the sound of a
train, but this was distracting. <i>What
should I do?</i> I crept several more paces inside the hollow tube, hoping to
recognize the person at the other end. The man had definitely moved closer but
I couldn’t identify him . . . <i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #003300;">---Excerpted with permission from UNCHARTED WATERS,
Copyright © 2012 by Sara DuBose. All rights reserved <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">TOURISM GUIDE</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2yh4-oQ-EGI/UFVAXBCe75I/AAAAAAAAA_s/dJqgsMUBvLQ/s1600/Harriott+II+int.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2yh4-oQ-EGI/UFVAXBCe75I/AAAAAAAAA_s/dJqgsMUBvLQ/s400/Harriott+II+int.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gazing out on the Alabama River from inside the <i>Harriott II</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #003300;">Although <i>Uncharted Waters</i> is a
romantic suspense novel, the story does lead the reader to many real tourism attractions
along the way. Check out some of the places highlighted in the novel through
the tourism links below and feel free to return to these links after reading
the book.</span><br />
<span style="color: #003300;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #003300;">One of the things that really stood out to me while reading this novel was all of the places the characters <i>ate</i>. I literally counted at least fifteen different places to eat, which for a tourism novel could be very instructive to other writers. I might have gained a few pounds just reading this novel. This illustrates the true nature of Montgomery, where eating delicious southern food is almost held as sacred as college football. There's no better place to be initiated into this tradition than Montgomery's Alley Station, which has several great places to eat like the famous <a href="http://www.dreamlandbbq.com/Montgomery.aspx">Dreamland Bar-B-Que</a>. Visit the Alley Station's website in the Tourism Links below to learn more about its other attractions. </span><br />
<span style="color: #003300;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #003300;">While on board the <i>Harriott II</i> during this photo shoot, the captain told Sara and I of special murder mystery-themed cruises while piloting a riverboat in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Savannah</st1:place></st1:city>. That opens up some
very interesting possibilities for future novels with scenes set on the
<i>Harriott II</i> and other <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Montgomery</st1:place></st1:city>
area attractions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GWAc_RX9sSw/UFVXzgZDp_I/AAAAAAAABAQ/nnnunj2_3kU/s1600/Harriott+II+pilot+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GWAc_RX9sSw/UFVXzgZDp_I/AAAAAAAABAQ/nnnunj2_3kU/s400/Harriott+II+pilot+house.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #003300;">Nowadays, some e-tourism novels
can even allow the reader to click on tourism links from inside the novel
itself if read on a Kindle or iPad, which enables readers to click on and browse
related tourism websites without going to a separate computer. For more
details, check out the links, photos, and excerpts below from two other tourism
novels set in Montgomery, <i>Blind Fate</i> and <i>Dixie Noir</i>, that were featured in <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/books/story/2011-10-09/literary-tourism/50712262/1">USA Today</a> for their innovation in using e-reader technology to promote tourism
through a novel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #003300;">A major theme in <i>Uncharted Waters</i> involves domestic
violence and Beth going through the real <a href="http://www.montgomeryal.gov/index.aspx?page=975">Montgomery Police Academy</a>. Please also
check out the domestic violence education links provided by the author after
the tourism links. Sara conducted many interviews with Academy officers to make the academy scenes realistic. Although not everyone can go through the academy, Sara also consulted with Debbie Robison, who teaches self-defense classes at the <a href="http://visitingmontgomery.com/visit/armory_learning_arts_center">Armory Learning Arts Center.</a> Learn more about Debbie's classes at her Facebook page: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Thorn-of-the-Rose-Self-Defense-for-Women-and-Girls/225274320842912">Thorn of the Rose: Self-Defense for Women and Girls.</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #003300;"><b>TOURISM FICTION NEWS</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JlyqI3fi4Wg/UFVBS9bZxDI/AAAAAAAAA_0/oz1PKXzyizQ/s1600/Clay+Scofield.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JlyqI3fi4Wg/UFVBS9bZxDI/AAAAAAAAA_0/oz1PKXzyizQ/s1600/Clay+Scofield.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Senator Clay Scofield will invite all<br />
authors to focus on Alabama tourism<br />
attractions when presenting the <br />
2012 SELTI Tourism Fiction Award. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #003300;">Another major development in
tourism fiction will occur when <st1:state w:st="on">Alabama</st1:state> state
senator Clay Scofield invites all <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Alabama</st1:place></st1:state>
authors to focus on tourism attractions in their novels and works. He will make
the appeal while presenting Kathryn Lang with the nation’s first tourism
fiction award, the <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2012/09/sen-scofield-to-present-kathryn-lang.html">2012 SELTI Tourism Fiction Award</a> at the Moundville Native American
Festival on October 10th.</span><br />
<span style="color: #003300;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #003300;">Novels are the perfect venue for promoting
tourism to real attractions because they can engage potential tourists on a
whole new level. Let’s face it; with the economy always on the verge of
collapse due to lack of consumer spending, a new innovative tool that could revitalize tourism spending in areas
all over the country could be very timely. After all: people who love to read
also love to <i>travel</i>.</span><br />
<span style="color: #003300;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #003300;">Nonfiction guidebooks are very informative, but they can't capture potential tourists' emotions like the characters in a novel can. If more publishers and novelists started setting stories in real places and including tourism guides, then that could ultimately have a very significant impact on our economy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-in2zuF4TINA/UFpXsMUt7_I/AAAAAAAABAs/RlS5bVQYUJ0/s1600/Professional+Photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-in2zuF4TINA/UFpXsMUt7_I/AAAAAAAABAs/RlS5bVQYUJ0/s200/Professional+Photo.JPG" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Author Sara DuBose</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #003300;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">TOURISM LINKS</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.saradubose.com/">Learn more about author Sara DuBose </a><br />
<span style="color: #003300;"><a href="http://www.funontheriver.net/parks-items/harriott-ii-riverboat">Harriott II</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #003300;"><a href="http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/mgmbr-renaissance-montgomery-hotel-and-spa-at-the-convention-center/">Renaissance Hotel and Spa</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #003300;"><a href="http://www.alleystation.com/">Alley Station</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #003300;"><a href="http://visitingmontgomery.com/">Montgomery Visitor Center</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #003300;"><a href="http://www.firstwhitehouse.org/news.html">First White House of the Confederacy</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on"><span style="color: #003300;"><a href="http://www.preserveala.org/capitoltour.htm">Alabama State Capitol</a></span></st1:placename></st1:place></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="color: #003300;"><a href="http://www.asf.net/">Alabama Shakespeare Festival</a></span></st1:place></st1:state></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #003300;"><a href="http://www.funontheriver.net/parks-items/pete-peterson-lodge">Pete Peterson Lodge</a> (Lagoon Park area: a very scenic place for a picnic, especially in the
fall)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #003300;"><b>OTHER <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">MONTGOMERY</st1:city></st1:place> TOURISM NOVELS</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ke4B3H2BT6M/UFU6amD2LpI/AAAAAAAAA-0/Fjr7ZaLZ-c8/s1600/Dixiei+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ke4B3H2BT6M/UFU6amD2LpI/AAAAAAAAA-0/Fjr7ZaLZ-c8/s200/Dixiei+Cover.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #003300;">Featured in <i>USA Today</i>: <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2011/08/dixie-noir-interactive-tourism-novel.html">Dixie Noir</a>,
by noted author Kirk Curnutt. <i>Dixie Noir</i> is the story of a fictional former Crimson Tide
football star who falls hard and fast from fame into disgrace. When he returns
to his hometown of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Montgomery</st1:place></st1:city>,
he finds that making amends is much more challenging</span><span style="color: #003300; font-family: "Tw Cen MT Condensed";">—</span><span style="color: #003300;">and more dangerous</span><span style="color: #003300; font-family: "Tw Cen MT Condensed";">—</span><span style="color: #003300;">than anything he ever faced
on the gridiron. Features the tourism attractions of the F. Scott and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Zelda</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Fitzgerald</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Museum</st1:placetype></st1:place> and the El Rey
restaurant, along with many others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lwN-NLafZDc/UFU6jUWamNI/AAAAAAAAA-8/lcfR0XZ1xGU/s1600/BF-Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lwN-NLafZDc/UFU6jUWamNI/AAAAAAAAA-8/lcfR0XZ1xGU/s200/BF-Cover.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #003300;">Also featured in <i>USA Today</i>:
<a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2010/09/tourism-mystery-kindles-romance-in.html">Blind Fate</a>, by Patrick Brian Miller. <i>Blind Fate</i> is the story of a blind
violinist who must use all her senses to face off against a dangerous fugitive.
Written from her unique “perspective,” readers will experience the story with
no visuals to guide them. Features the tourism attractions of <st1:placename w:st="on">Jasmine</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Hill</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Gardens</st1:placetype> and Museum, the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Rosa</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Parks</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Museum</st1:placetype></st1:place>, and many others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #003300;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #003300;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #003300;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #003300;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #003300;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #003300;"><i><br /></i></span>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rQka6EFzTGQ/UFU8Qx6F0mI/AAAAAAAAA_U/CyAuY9ZqvPc/s1600/SIMPKINS-Cloverdale_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rQka6EFzTGQ/UFU8Qx6F0mI/AAAAAAAAA_U/CyAuY9ZqvPc/s200/SIMPKINS-Cloverdale_cover.jpg" width="130" /></a><span style="color: #003300;"><i><a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2011/12/cloverdale-charms-readers-and-tourists.html">Cloverdale</a></i>, by Daphne Simpkins.
<i>Cloverdale</i> is about a retired teacher whose quiet life is turned upside down
when two young church missionaries come to stay for a week. Featuring the real
historic neighborhood of Old Cloverdale, the most beautiful in </span><st1:city style="color: #003300;" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Montgomery</st1:place></st1:city><span style="color: #003300;">.</span><br />
<b style="color: #003300;"><br /></b>
<b style="color: #003300;">DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LINKS</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: navy;">If you are a victim of domestic
violence, you may call:</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="1" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: navy; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">National
Alliance of Family Justice Centers toll-free: 1-888-511-3522/Website:<a href="http://www.familyjusticecenter.org/" style="cursor: pointer;" target="_blank" title="blocked::http://www.familyjusticecenter.org/">www.familyjusticecenter.org</a><o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: navy; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">National
Network to End Domestic Violence toll-free: 1-800-799-7233/Website:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.nnedv.org/" style="cursor: pointer;" target="_blank" title="blocked::http://www.nnedv.org/">www.nnedv.org</a><o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: navy; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">RAIIN(Rape
Abuse Incest National Network)/Sexual Assault Hotline:
1-800-656-HOPE/Website:<a href="http://www.rainn.org/" style="cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">www.rainn.org</a><o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: navy; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Hot
Peach Pages/search by country at:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.hotpeachpages.net/" style="cursor: pointer;" target="_blank" title="blocked::http://www.hotpeachpages.net/">www.hotpeachpages.net</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>(In the UK, help is through the
Women’s Aid and Refuge and the<o:p></o:p></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin-left: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: navy;"> Free phone 24 hour
Helpline is: 0808-2000-247.)</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin-left: 0.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin-left: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: navy;">In the <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country>, you may also contact the
National Alliance of Family Justice Centers listed above.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin-left: 0.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin-left: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: navy;">Since<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Uncharted
Waters</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>is set in <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Alabama</st1:place></st1:state>, other special
numbers include:</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin-left: 0.25in;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="1" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: navy; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">One <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Place</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Family Justice</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Center</st1:placetype></st1:place>:
334-262-7378/ Website:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.oneplacefjc.org/" style="cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">www.oneplacefjc.org</a><o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: navy; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Family</st1:placename><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:placename w:st="on">Sunshine</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Center</st1:placetype></st1:place>: 334-263-0218
/Website:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.familysunshine.org/" style="cursor: pointer;" target="_blank" title="blocked::http://www.familysunshine.org/">www.familysunshine.org</a><o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: navy; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><st1:state w:st="on">Alabama</st1:state><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Coalition Against Domestic
Violence: Crisis line: 1-800-650-6522/ Website:<span class="apple-converted-space"> <a href="http://www.acadv.org/">http://www.acadv.org/</a></span><o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: navy; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><st1:state w:st="on">Alabama</st1:state><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>state-wide domestic violence
crisis line: 1-800-650-6522<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: navy; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">TTY
Hotline for the hearing impaired: 1-800-787-3224</li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />Patrick Brian Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381374242248506334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014201815760888634.post-54999256890258048692012-09-08T09:28:00.001-07:002012-09-09T02:43:57.400-07:00Sen. Scofield to Present Kathryn Lang With 2012 SELTI Tourism Fiction Award. Invitation to all Alabama Writers to Focus on Tourism<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G1BlO8lyzyc/UEtnrWO7OJI/AAAAAAAAA9E/jCwMUlSZk6s/s1600/Clay+Scofield.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G1BlO8lyzyc/UEtnrWO7OJI/AAAAAAAAA9E/jCwMUlSZk6s/s1600/Clay+Scofield.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sen. Clay Scofield will present the 2012<br />
SELTI Tourism Fiction Award.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Senator Clay Scofield, Chairman of the Alabama Senate Tourism and Marketing Committee, will present the 2012 SELTI Tourism Fiction Award to Kathryn Lang at the Moundville Native American Festival on October 10. Lang was selected for the award after her tourism short story "Digging Up Bones" won the Inaugural SELTI Writing Contest. Read her winning story by clicking <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2012/05/moundville-story-digging-up-bones-wins.html">Digging Up Bones.</a> The story was set in Moundville and offers photos, links, and a short tourism guide to the archaeological park. Moundville was the perfect place to use as the setting for the contest, which was the first in the nation to challenge writers to compose stories designed to promote tourism to a real location. Many thanks again to the University of Alabama professors who helped judge the contest.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dd7JnbTlpIM/UEtsMDlO-uI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/IxlD5vwBPME/s1600/Moundville+Native+American+Festival1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dd7JnbTlpIM/UEtsMDlO-uI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/IxlD5vwBPME/s320/Moundville+Native+American+Festival1.jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Native Americans will perform<br />
traditional dances and arts at<br />
the Moundville Native American<br />
Festival, where the award <br />
will be presented.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
While presenting the award, Sen. Scofield will also invite all writers to use Alabama's many beautiful tourism attractions as settings for stories and novels with tourism guides. He will be the first elected official in the nation to make such an invitation. From scenic mountains to beautiful sunny beaches and resorts, Alabama offers many fun settings for novels just waiting for a story to be set in. A good place for interested writers to begin researching ideas would be the <a href="http://www.alabama.travel/">Alabama Tourism Department</a>, which offers excellent guides to the state's many travel destinations.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I am excited to see where writers will go with tourism fiction in Alabama, in cities like </span><a href="http://www.mobile.org/" style="font-family: inherit;">Mobile</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, </span><a href="http://birminghamal.org/" style="font-family: inherit;">Birmingham</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, </span><a href="http://www.huntsville.org/" style="font-family: inherit;">Hunstsville</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, and even smaller but beautiful storybook towns like Eufaula with it's annual </span><a href="http://www.eufaulapilgrimage.com/" style="font-family: inherit;">Pilgrimage</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. I had a great time promoting the first interactive tourism novels, </span><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/books/story/2011-10-09/literary-tourism/50712262/1" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Blind Fate</i> and Kirk Curnutt's <i>Dixie Noir</i></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. Tourism fiction even applies to classic novels like F. Scott Fitzgerald's </span><a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2012/01/fitzgerald-becomes-first-classic-author.html" style="font-family: inherit;">This Side of Paradise: Interactive Tourism Edition</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">For more information on the upcoming 2012 SELTI Tourism Fiction Award, please visit the Media Release "A New Angle on Tourism" at the <a href="http://www.mclo.org/">Marshall County Legislative Office</a>. Please come visit the <a href="http://moundville.ua.edu/festival/">Moundville Native American Festival</a> coming up in October.</span>Patrick Brian Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381374242248506334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014201815760888634.post-12934262691878610062012-07-08T17:31:00.000-07:002012-07-11T20:06:39.030-07:00The Birthplace of Elvis in Tupelo<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cmXn00pcIo4/T_oU3EZ7T4I/AAAAAAAAA8A/JftVlP_r7fo/s1600/Elvis+Birthplace-HR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cmXn00pcIo4/T_oU3EZ7T4I/AAAAAAAAA8A/JftVlP_r7fo/s320/Elvis+Birthplace-HR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birthplace of Elvis Presley in Tupelo, MS</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Poem by</b>: Patricia Neely-Dorsey</div>
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<b>Tourism Attraction:</b> Birthplace of Elvis Presley</div>
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<b>Location:</b> <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Tupelo</st1:city>,
<st1:state w:st="on">Mississippi</st1:state></st1:place></div>
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<b>Photos:</b> <span style="background-color: white;">Courtesy
of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Tupelo</st1:place></st1:city>
Convention and Visitors Bureau</span></div>
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<b>Excerpt From:</b> <i>My Magnolia Memories and Musings-In Poems</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">"The Birthplace"</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">By Patricia Neely-Dorsey</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Would anyone have suspected</i></div>
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<i>The stories that these walls held</i></div>
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<i>Of a mother working fingers to the bone</i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0dXo3L3ZTNU/T_ohpJMJrgI/AAAAAAAAA8U/nuqPf6xvNMk/s1600/Magnolia+Memories+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><i><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0dXo3L3ZTNU/T_ohpJMJrgI/AAAAAAAAA8U/nuqPf6xvNMk/s320/Magnolia+Memories+Cover.jpg" width="214" /></i></a><i>And a father who was jailed?</i></div>
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<i>All the secrets that lived inside,</i></div>
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<i>The world would not have known;</i></div>
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<i>If the young man with the old guitar</i></div>
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<i>Had not ascended to the throne.</i></div>
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<i>Would anyone have wanted to know</i></div>
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<i>About the family from “across the tracks,”</i></div>
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<i>Who could hardly keep food on the table</i></div>
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<i>Or clothing on their backs?</i></div>
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<i>Would anyone have ever cared,</i></div>
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<i>About the heartaches, pain and scorn</i></div>
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<i>If this tiny frame house hadn’t found acclaim</i></div>
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<i>As the place where “The King” was born?</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">---Excerpted With Permission from <i>My Magnolia Memories and
Musings-In Poems</i>, Copyright <span style="background-color: white;">© </span><span style="background-color: white;">2012 by Patrica Neely-Dorsey</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">TOURISM GUIDE</span></b></div>
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Today, tourists can still visit the modest birthplace of
Elvis Presley in <st1:city w:st="on">Tupelo, Mississippi.</st1:city> A far cry from the luxurious <st1:place w:st="on">Graceland</st1:place>, this
small attraction illustrates where The King began his life before he rose to
fame. The museum is one of several heritage attractions in Tupelo related to
Presley, such as the store where he bought his first guitar and the small
church where his family attended. Learn about these and other fun places to
visit in modern <st1:city w:st="on">Tupelo</st1:city>
in the links below.</div>
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</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yh7LHJgNTwI/T_ojaZ1cxdI/AAAAAAAAA8k/kWHHLmO1c9w/s1600/Tupelo+sign2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yh7LHJgNTwI/T_ojaZ1cxdI/AAAAAAAAA8k/kWHHLmO1c9w/s320/Tupelo+sign2.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white;">Patricia Neely-Dorsey is a </span><st1:city style="background-color: white;" w:st="on">Tupelo</st1:city><span style="background-color: white;"> poet who has been featured on SELTI twice before for her authentic voice in prose. She has two books of of
poems, <i>Reflections of A Mississippi Magnolia-A Life in Poems</i>, and <i>My Magnolia Memories
and Musings-In Poems</i>. She is also a dear friend, so when her new book arrived, I was so thrilled after the long wait of three years. No one promotes the Magnolia state of Mississippi and country life with more genuine charm and enthusiasm. Please check out both books on Amazon and learn more about her
from her website link below.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">TOURISM LINKS</span></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.tupelo.net/things/detail.aspx?cat=1&id=15">Elvis Presley Birthplace</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.elvispresleybirthplace.com/">Cute Elvis baby photo</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.tupelo.net/things/">Tupelo's Convention and Visitor Bureau</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/My-Magnolia-Memories-Musings--Poems/dp/1935316478/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341790228&sr=8-1&keywords=">My Magnolia Memories and Musings- In Poems</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Mississippi-Magnolia--Life-Poems/dp/097962942X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341790323&sr=1-1&keywords=Reflection+of+a+Mississippi+Magnolia">Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia- A Life in Poems</a><br />
<a href="http://patricianeelydorsey.webs.com/">Learn more about Patricia Neely-Dorsey</a><br />
<a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2009/12/celebrating-elvis-and-south.html">More Tupelo tourism links, photos, and poetry; Elvis' first guitar</a></div>Patrick Brian Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381374242248506334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014201815760888634.post-28690482501019393692012-05-18T12:32:00.000-07:002014-01-14T18:27:35.834-08:00Moundville Story "Digging Up Bones" Wins Nation's First Tourism Fiction Writing Contest<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-khTKJdtbNtw/T7XQWEBDRsI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/VTKA819Iaug/s1600/aerial_view_temple_mound_with_river_correct.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-khTKJdtbNtw/T7XQWEBDRsI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/VTKA819Iaug/s400/aerial_view_temple_mound_with_river_correct.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aerial view of the Temple Mound at Moundville Archaeological Park<br />
in Alabama, the setting of "Digging Up Bones." </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Story:</b><span style="background-color: white;"> "Digging Up Bones" by Kathryn C. Lang</span>
</span><br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Tourism Attraction:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></b><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Moundville</st1:placename><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:placename w:st="on">Archaeological</st1:placename><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:placetype w:st="on">Park</st1:placetype></st1:place><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Location:</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Moundville</st1:city>,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:state w:st="on">Alabama</st1:state></st1:place><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Photos:</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>provided by<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Moundville</st1:placename><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:placename w:st="on">Archaeological</st1:placename><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:placetype w:st="on">Park</st1:placetype></st1:place>. Click any photo to enlarge!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Contest Co-sponsored By: </b>Southeastern Literary Tourism Initiative and the University of Alabama Museums.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">The winner of the Inaugural SELTI Writing
Contest is the short story “Digging Up Bones” by Kathryn C. Lang. As promised, the winning story has been published online here on SELTI with a companion tourism guide related to the settings (story begins after the official contest results found below). The Inaugural
SELTI Writing Contest was the nation’s first competition that challenged
writers to compose short stories designed for directly promoting tourism. The contest
guidelines established the setting of the stories as the historic Native
American city of</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><st1:city style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Moundville</st1:place></st1:city><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Moundville was a city
of large man-made mounds that thrived on the banks of the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:place w:st="on">Black Warrior
River</st1:place><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>centuries ago. The ruins were found abandoned by the first European settlers in the area. The site in <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Alabama</st1:place></st1:state> became an
archaeological park in the 1930s. The modern museum displays fascinating
collections of artifacts excavated from the site. The surrounding park gives
curious adventurers a chance to climb the many mounds that surround a central plaza. Moundville was the second largest Native American city in<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:place w:st="on">North America</st1:place><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>800
years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lvAoVrkSHXE/T7XUhIrTU9I/AAAAAAAAA54/535zI0DGG-Q/s1600/e_davis2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lvAoVrkSHXE/T7XUhIrTU9I/AAAAAAAAA54/535zI0DGG-Q/s320/e_davis2.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A volunteer participates in the Moundville<br />
Plaza Project, an archaeology dig.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Inaugural SELTI Writing Contest
showcases how fiction set in real attractions is the ideal vehicle for
promoting tourism. Writers approached the task from many different creative
angles, demonstrating how highly adaptable tourism fiction can be in promoting real attractions. With the global economy in such disarray now, tourism
fiction is an especially innovative tool that can capture tourism dollars
through the powerful drama of stories set in real places.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The idea is simple: set an engaging story
in real attractions and then provide readers with a convenient companion guide on how to visit
the settings. Fiction provides the flexibility to adapt dramatic
scenes to any real location. Most book lovers would love to enhance their
reading experience by visiting the places they read about. This allows readers
to become tourists by offering them a chance to literally step inside the stories they enjoy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">These days, modern e-reading
devices like the Kindle, iPad, and Nook can even allow readers to<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/books/story/2011-10-09/literary-tourism/50712262/1">click
on tourism links from inside a book</a>. <i>USA Today </i>recently featured this innovation in novels that allows e-readers to instantly browse full-color related tourism
websites from novels—if publishers
include them. Tourism fiction has also moved into the realm of the screenplay
with the development of the first movie with a tourism commercial inside the film,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2012/03/lights-camera-tourism-zelda-movie-to.html">Beautiful
Little Fools</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The marketing brilliance of “Digging Up
Bones” caught my attention within the first few lines. Great stories usually
involve a surprise, and this short story immediately stood out with a highly
creative plot concept.
The world has chang<span style="font-family: inherit;">ed since the 1930s, even in a field focused on the past like archaeology. There is a new level of respect for the burial sites of Native Americans, and that is why there are no images of Native American bones in this story. Although excavations still occur at Moundville, all archaeology work is regulated by the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (<a href="http://www.nps.gov/nagpra/">NAGPRA</a>) of 1990.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> To learn about this interesting development in archaeology, please visit the NAGPRA link above. Also, to get a sense of what a modern dig involves, please visit this blog about recent excavations at Moundville conducted as part of the <a href="http://moundvilleplazaproject.wordpress.com/">Moundville Plaza Project</a>.</span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">After reading “Digging Up Bones,” please
check out the Tourism Guide below to learn how to visit the real Moundville.
The many photos in this feature are all from the actual Moundville site and were
contributed by<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Moundville</st1:placename><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:placename w:st="on">Archaeological</st1:placename><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:placetype w:st="on">Park</st1:placetype></st1:place>, a part of the University of
Alabama Museums. Click on <a href="http://moundville.ua.edu/">this tourism
link</a> or the one in the guide at the end of the story to visit the
museum’s website to learn more about Moundville and how to visit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZHLElauImGM/T7XU5Lizd6I/AAAAAAAAA6A/Qb1mlXnrtWw/s1600/Moundville+sky+view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZHLElauImGM/T7XU5Lizd6I/AAAAAAAAA6A/Qb1mlXnrtWw/s400/Moundville+sky+view.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aerial view of Moundville Archaeological Park <br />
today with the Temple Mound in the<br />
foreground and the Plaza Mound in center.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">When you walk through the
grassy <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">plaza</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Moundville</st1:placename></st1:place> today and gaze at the mounds where
Native American ceremonies and burials occurred centuries ago, a thrilling connection
will reach out to your soul. Moundville was not only once a great city but also
a sacred burial ground, and a powerful aura of mystery still surrounds the
ruins. After the official contest results below, please enjoy the following short story that opens up a new mystery at
Moundville, one that no one could have ever anticipated . . .</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Official Results of Inaugural SELTI Writing Contest</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">First Place: "Digging Up Bones" by <a href="http://www.kathrynlang.com/">Kathryn C. Lang</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Second Place: "Chunkey" by <a href="http://www.louiseherring-jones.com/">Louise Herring-Jones</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Third Place: "The Serpent's Curse" by Michael S. Offutt, Sr.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Fourth Place: "Legend of Arimatha" by Summer Cato</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">“Digging Up Bones”</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">by Kathryn C. Lang</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LvDkMd7iu4I/T7XWDPxTF-I/AAAAAAAAA6I/aeHIy3t2PSY/s1600/j_davis2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LvDkMd7iu4I/T7XWDPxTF-I/AAAAAAAAA6I/aeHIy3t2PSY/s320/j_davis2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A doctoral candidate works on an<br />
excavation project at Moundville. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“What did
you find?” The young intern could tell her partner was surprised by something
down in the hole. He had stopped digging. “Sam?” It bothered her even more that
he was not answering.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sam held
up a piece of cloth with a stick. “I am going to go out on a limb and say that
this is NOT part of the original burial site.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The young
intern looked down into the hole to try and get a better look at the cloth. The
design was not one they would have expected. “I think you’re right.” She dug
through her bag and pulled out her phone. This would put a kink in their
research plans for sure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">***<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Official
word was that the cloth had been blown into the area by the tornadoes that tore
through the community the spring of 2011. None of those that had seen the area
were buying the official story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Marvin
Johnston has spent several years working his way around law enforcement. He had
wanted to work for the state, and investigations only made the job more
intriguing. His first official chance to prove his abilities came with a call
to visit Moundville. He knew the area but had never realized that <st1:city w:st="on">Tuscaloosa</st1:city> held more than
a famous college. “It’s amazing what can be hiding in your backdoor.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N0r4uSqbgZU/T7XZbRf2fuI/AAAAAAAAA6g/KNxwTrTPzbI/s1600/Moundville+bride2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N0r4uSqbgZU/T7XZbRf2fuI/AAAAAAAAA6g/KNxwTrTPzbI/s320/Moundville+bride2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interior of the Jones Archaeological Museum at Moundville. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The other
officer looked at him and smiled but did not comment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">They
parked the car near the museum, walked around the trail, and passed the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Temple</st1:placetype> <st1:placename w:st="on">Mound</st1:placename></st1:place>.
“Wow.” It was all that Marvin could say and the veteran had to agree. It was an
amazing site to see, especially when you realized it was hiding out along the
Black Warrior River in <st1:state w:st="on">Alabama</st1:state> and not some
place in <st1:place w:st="on">South America</st1:place>. The veteran had only
been to the park one time before with his son for the festival, but this was a
place that needed to be visited more than once to be truly appreciated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The park
had been closed since the interns made their discovery. It would be too
difficult to keep the details of the investigation under control with a bunch
of college students working through spring break and tourists wandering the
mounds. Even getting it closed down as fast as they had still let the rumors
fly. They crossed through some woods and found the site they were supposed to
be investigating.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“What do
we have?” Marvin stood next to the veteran officer but was the first to speak.
The officer looked at him and smiled again. He remembered what it was like to
be that eager, so he did not say anything.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JVZN7YnOrgM/T7XaMuCWaQI/AAAAAAAAA6o/t9Hd3PRgV2k/s1600/Moundville+excavation+2-trench.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JVZN7YnOrgM/T7XaMuCWaQI/AAAAAAAAA6o/t9Hd3PRgV2k/s320/Moundville+excavation+2-trench.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An excavation trench at Moundville.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The man
in the hole looked up. “Most of these bones will prove original to the site.
This particular spot was first uncovered about two decades back, but it is a
minor site and was left alone.” He pointed to some bones partially covered by
pieces of material. “This is what brought you guys out today. I will have to
get it back to lab to see exactly what it means.” He pointed to the hole in the
skull. “I would bet a week’s worth of lunches that we have a murder here.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Just let
us know when you get something definitive.” Another smile from the veteran went
unnoticed by Marvin. “What should we do next?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now he
wanted the veteran’s opinion, and that brought another smile. “Well, we have
two decades of research about who has access to this area of the park and who
may have been working in the area.” He looked down at the man in the hole. “Can
you give us a timeline at all?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Well, I
would have to say that based on the material and its decay that these bones
have probably been in this space for almost the full two decades.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cold
cases were hard – but cold cases that had never been investigated in the first
place were often impossible. Their only hope would be that the lab guys would
be able to identify the body. Until then, they could talk to the professor
who had been in charge of digging that hole in the first place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rGl7BWRSFhA/T7XalPh2NrI/AAAAAAAAA6w/yM9ZFCD3wQQ/s1600/Moundville+excavation+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rGl7BWRSFhA/T7XalPh2NrI/AAAAAAAAA6w/yM9ZFCD3wQQ/s320/Moundville+excavation+1.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A professor directs students at the<br />
Moundville Plaza Project dig site.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">***<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“I
remember that dig. Nothing sticks in the memory like a month of wasted time.”
The professor had retired, but still lived in town. He had plenty of time to
visit with the officers. “The kids were so excited when we uncovered the burial
area. I almost hated to tell them that the officials wanted their funding to go
to a dig that produced more important sites.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Why
wasn’t that site important?” Marvin had taken the lead again, and the veteran
smiled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“It was
important.” The professor sat forward. “All discoveries like that are
important. You never know what you are going to learn.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Then why
did the officials tell you to move on?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“I argued
with them for days, but ultimately they wanted us to find more of the burials
related to the leaders and not the followers. I wasted a month because of a
bunch of class envy silliness. All of it is important.” The professor was
talking to himself, but he had provided some interesting possibilities to
follow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The
officers tracked down the officials who had funded the dig, but it left them
empty. The company went bankrupt the year after the dig, and there were no
records of who would have made decisions about the dig available.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“This
will not be an open and shut case.” Marvin shook his head, but the veteran
smiled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BaVjtUVlSgQ/T7XbKa2niOI/AAAAAAAAA64/cB3WbIX-Urw/s1600/aerial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="295" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BaVjtUVlSgQ/T7XbKa2niOI/AAAAAAAAA64/cB3WbIX-Urw/s320/aerial.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aerial view of Moundville Archaeological Park<br />
showing all the mounds surrounding the plaza.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“There
are never any open and shut cases in the real world. They all take some
patience, some creativity, and some luck.” He knew from experience that the
body they had found in the mound would probably take more luck than anything
else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A trip
back to Moundville would be the best place to start their new investigation of
the murder of Jane Doe. They were looking for anything that might help them
identify her or understand what might have happened. The normal tools would not
be much assistance this late in the search. They carried a metal detector. The
veteran let Marvin put his eager energy to work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He spent
several hours sweeping the area, and that left the veteran some time to take in
the full site of the mounds. They scattered around the field and looked odd in
their home. He closed his eyes for a moment and enjoyed the breeze that flowed
so easily through the area. It took him back to that day with his son. It
seemed like a lifetime ago, and maybe it had been. It was the beeping of the
metal detector that got his attention.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x0zsUYEYDBk/T7XS5Pwzs0I/AAAAAAAAA5w/x25lyrmBkCo/s1600/e_gomberg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x0zsUYEYDBk/T7XS5Pwzs0I/AAAAAAAAA5w/x25lyrmBkCo/s320/e_gomberg.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A University of Alabama anthropology <br />
student uses a metal detector at the Moundville Plaza Project.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“I found
something.” It took a shovel to dig down, but they found a wallet and some
other items buried in a grave. Marvin opened the wallet. “It belongs to a
Leslie Jones, and Miss Jones was twenty-seven according to her <st1:state w:st="on">Alabama</st1:state> license and from
. . . no way! This says she was from Big Springs.” Marvin was from Big Springs.
“What are those odds?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Sometimes
they are better than you think.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">***<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The lab
called. “I can confirm that the victim was a female in her mid to late
twenties. Besides that bit of information, I am not going to be any help.” He
shook his head and motioned around the room. “She’s gone.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“What do
you mean she’s gone?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“I mean
someone came in and took her and had her cremated along with any evidence that
we might find.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“But you
saw the bullet hole.” The veteran let Marvin do the arguing. He knew from
experience that arguing would not get them any closer to the answers they
needed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“I saw a
hole. I needed more tests to determine how the hole arrived in that particular
location . . . and when for that matter.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5WRuJ_1a7Hw/T7XbrNb-zxI/AAAAAAAAA7A/1JEU0UtLrtU/s1600/Moundville+Native+American+fetsival+sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5WRuJ_1a7Hw/T7XbrNb-zxI/AAAAAAAAA7A/1JEU0UtLrtU/s400/Moundville+Native+American+fetsival+sign.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The annual Moundville Native American Festival is held <br />
each fall. Check the museum website for dates and events. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Marvin
paced around the room. “Where does that leave us?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The
veteran spoke up. “He will have to label the cause of death as unknown. That
means that without some reasonable suspicion of foul play we are done.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Marvin
looked hurt. “But the wallet?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“The
wallet is just a wallet. You need to let this go.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">They
closed the file on the Jane Doe and included the wallet for Leslie Jones.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">***<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The
veteran found himself at Moundville after it opened back up to the public.
He wandered around the trails and then climbed up to the top of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Temple</st1:placetype> <st1:placename w:st="on">Mound</st1:placename></st1:place>.
He closed his eyes and remembered the day he had with his son.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8rgWabtupz4/T7XSX2hs1dI/AAAAAAAAA5o/v-7MigtHEJY/s1600/Moundville+Native+American+Festival2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="204" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8rgWabtupz4/T7XSX2hs1dI/AAAAAAAAA5o/v-7MigtHEJY/s320/Moundville+Native+American+Festival2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Men participate in historic traditions at the annual<br />
Moundville Native American Festival.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A group
of warriors performed on the stage back then, not far from where he was
standing now. He remembered that their chants and movements filled his own
heart with power - or hope. The wind blew against his face and he imagined that
it carried their voices now. The same power or hope began to well up inside him
again. The voices were telling him to keep digging.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He opened
his eyes and looked around. The voices on the wind were right. He would keep
digging, closed file or not. He would keep digging until he found the truth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"> by Patrick Miller</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nFcu6by9fW8/T7XRAuZXxJI/AAAAAAAAA5g/dQioRo-UHzQ/s1600/Duck+Bowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nFcu6by9fW8/T7XRAuZXxJI/AAAAAAAAA5g/dQioRo-UHzQ/s320/Duck+Bowl.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The famous Stone Duck Bowl recently returned to<br />
Moundville from the Smithsonian.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In one literary sense, Jane Doe might represent all the
original inhabitants of Moundville. Archaeologists are still trying to discover who these unique people were culturally. No one knows for sure why the city was
abandoned hundreds of years ago, although the historical evidence tells us that
the abandonment occurred before the Europeans arrived. During the 1930s, a
great deal of excavations revealed stunning artifacts of such artistic mastery that
many were sent to the Smithsonian.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The most famous artifact from Moundville was the Stone Duck
Bowl, beautifully carved from a single piece of stone. The bowl was long held
by the Smithsonian, but it returned to its home in Moundville a few years ago
after a renovation of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Jones</st1:placename>
<st1:placename w:st="on">Archaeological</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Museum</st1:placetype></st1:place>.
Today, the bowl is on display less than a hundred yards from where it was
originally discovered. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sdkAYV2gIDk/T7aGkGEWaeI/AAAAAAAAA7k/I98kRH3XrpQ/s1600/Small-Chief-by-Lake-Mound.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sdkAYV2gIDk/T7aGkGEWaeI/AAAAAAAAA7k/I98kRH3XrpQ/s1600/Small-Chief-by-Lake-Mound.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">Moundville still offers year-round tours, but the largest
public event is the Moundville Native American Festival held each fall, when
experts demonstrate the skills and techniques once central to Moundville
life. Please visit this link to <a href="http://moundville.ua.edu/">Moundville Archaeological Park</a></span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"> to learn more about everything Moundville has to offer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I hope this SELTI feature has opened up a new opportunity for touring a unique place. Please browse through the many features in the Stories By Month section in the top left to discover fascinating places to visit through fiction and real life all over the South. For those curious about how this first contest was set up, please review the <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2011/11/moundville-named-as-setting-for.html">Official Rules of the Inaugural SELTI Writing Contest</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Also, anyone interested in visiting Moundville would also be interested in visiting the several nearby cultural attractions of the <a href="http://museums.ua.edu/">University of Alabama Museums</a>, which first discovered the SELTI project through the <a href="http://www.alabama.travel/">Alabama Tourism Department</a>. The Alabama Tourism Department and the <a href="http://visittuscaloosa.com/">Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports Commission</a> both offer wonderful local guides on where to stay, where to eat, and what to do while visiting the area. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>About the Author</b></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kathryn C. Lang</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Kathryn C. Lang shares words of hope, inspiration and
encouragement in her writings and her presentations. She draws from her own
experiences living in <st1:place w:st="on">North Alabama</st1:place> with her
husband, Keith, their three boys and her father-in-law. Kathryn challenges
others to live a life outside normal – because being normal is over-rated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">You can learn more about Kathryn and read more of her
writings by visiting <a href="http://www.kathrynlang.com/">www.kathrynlang.com</a>.
Her non-fiction books are available through most major online retailers. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/RUN-ebook/dp/B007PX13CO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337258024&sr=8-1">RUN,
the debut novel</a> for Kathryn Lang, introduces some of the characters found
in “Digging Up Bones,” and can be purchased for electronic download <a href="http://www.amazon.com/RUN-ebook/dp/B007PX13CO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337258024&sr=8-1">exclusively
through the Kindle Store</a> and in print from most major online retailers at
the end of May. Please read the interview with Kathryn below. Kathryn is also a columnist for the Lakeside Post in Guntersville, Alabama. Please read one of her short columns here: <a href="http://www.thelakesidepost.com/article/Columnists/Reflections_Column/Making_a_Path_to_Survival/19208">Making A Path to Survival</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Other ways to connect with Kathryn:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/Kathrynclang">Twitter</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>A Special Thanks to the Judges</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>From the University of Alabama's</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.uacreativecampus.org/">Creative Campus</a></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Dr. Hank Lazer</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Professor of English, Director of Creative Campus</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Dr. Michael Martone</b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Alexis Clark</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Creative Campus Coordinator, Adjunct Professor, Human Environmental Science</span></div>
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<b>I would also like to thank Dr. Bill Bomar, Director of Moundville Archaeological Park, and Kelli Harris, Development Director for the <a href="http://museums.ua.edu/">University of Alabama Museums</a>. Both Kelli and Bill were instrumental in getting this project completed. I would also like to express deep appreciation to the four finalists in this contest who took the time to help promote this wonderful park through their writing. Each one of these writers has the skill to effectively promote real places through their imaginative fiction. I look forward to following what other places they write about.</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Tw Cen MT Condensed';">—</span><b>Patrick Miller</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Interview With Kathryn Lang</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Patrick Miller: <i>There were so many different directions to take
when writing a story about Moundville for the contest. What inspired you to
write about a murder investigation?<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Kathryn Lang: “Digging Up Bones” grew from another short
story I wrote recently on my website. That short story developed when a friend
read my novel, RUN, and wanted to know more about the backstory of one of the
lead characters. Moundville holds so much history and intrigue on its own that
I thought setting part of the story in that location would be a perfect fit.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">There are many unanswered questions in the story. Have you
considered developing "Digging Up Bones" into a full-length novel?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Digging Up Bones” will be the introduction to the third
novel in the Big Springs series. The second novel should be available by
summer. All of the questions may not be answered, yet, but readers will begin
to understand the who and the why of this particular situation.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interior of Jones Archaeological Museum,<br />
showing life-size representations of a<br />
Native American prince preparing to marry.</td></tr>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">What made the deepest impression on you at Moundville as a
tourist?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our family visits Moundville once a year, and each time I am
overwhelmed by the impressive size of the mounds. Climbing to the top of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Temple</st1:placetype> <st1:placename w:st="on">Mound</st1:placename></st1:place>
took my breath away – literally and figuratively. That site alone is enough to
set the imagination spinning. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The first year we visited the park, a group of students were
working on a site. It helped create the structure for “Digging Up Bones.”</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tell us about your other writing endeavors and what directions you
plan to take your writing in the future?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have been working as a content writer on the internet for
the last eight years and moved into writing magazine articles and a newspaper
column during that time. The column I write for The Lakeside Post in
Guntersville has inspired me to release my columns in gift book form, Journey
through Reflections. Practical Proverbs, a non-fiction book about finding your
life of peace and joy, was inspired by a women’s bible study. Even my novels
are crafted around the experiences of my life. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I hope that my writing career continues down the path of
providing words that inspire and encourage others – through fiction and
non-fiction alike.<u><o:p></o:p></u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hear Kathryn Lang interviewed on <a href="http://apr.org/post/literary-tourism-alabama">Alabama Public Radio</a> after she wins the <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-new-angle-on-tourism.html">2012 SELTI Tourism Fiction Award</a>, presented by Senator Clay Scofield, Chairman of the Alabama Senate Tourism and Marketing Committee.</span><br />
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<b>Media Mentions</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20120604/NEWS/120609904?p=1&tc=pg">Tuscaloosa News</a></div>
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<a href="http://cw.ua.edu/2012/06/13/literary-tourism-links-fiction-to-real-locations/">The Crimson White</a><br />
<a href="http://apr.org/post/literary-tourism-alabama">Alabama Public Radio</a><br />
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Patrick Brian Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381374242248506334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014201815760888634.post-11998164107019807432012-04-03T18:27:00.000-07:002012-04-04T03:59:28.160-07:00Deep South Magazine develops Southern Literary Trail App<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Southern Literary Trail App guides readers<br />
to fun literary sites across the South.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">One the goals of SELTI is highlighting connections between tourism, technology, and southern books. That's why I was very excited to learn about <i><a href="http://deepsouthmag.com/">Deep South Magazine</a> </i></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">developing the Southern Literary Trail App. The following is my interview with </span><i style="font-family: Arial;">Deep South Magazine</i><span style="font-family: Arial;"> publisher Erin Z. Bass about this innovative approach to highlighting literary tourism in the South. Photos and screenshots of the app come courtesy of</span><i style="font-family: Arial;"> Deep South Magazine</i><span style="font-family: Arial;">. Click to enlarge photos. And visit <i>Deep South Magazine</i> for great articles and interactive discussions about the South.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>Patrick Miller:</b> <i>Everyone
says, “There should be an app for that,” but when it got down to creating one,
how difficult was it?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Erin Bass:</span></b> I did have that "there should be an app over for
that" moment and was surprised to find there weren't any Southern
lit-related apps out there. I knew of someone in the tourism industry who'd
created a Civil Rights Trail App with<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.sutromedia.com/" style="cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">Sutro
Media</a>, known for their travel guides, and recommended them. So, I pitched
the idea of a Southern Literary Trail app to them, and they went for it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erin Bass, Publisher of<br />
<i>Deep South Magazine</i> </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">2. <i>Where did the
idea for designing the Southern Literary Trail App come from, and how long did
it take from inception to getting in onto the market?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Sutro provides all the backend design and setup, which made
creating the app really easy. I just had to write the content, gather the
photos and enter all the info into their system. That being said, to help with
writing more than 130 entries and gathering what ended up being over 700
photos, I got the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Deep South</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>interns and Huntsvillle, Alabama,
writer Carol Marks involved. I also contacted the tourism bureaus in most of
the Southern states to find out about lesser known literary attractions, sites
and resources. It was really fun to connect with people like Lou Bardel, who
offers literary tours in <st1:city w:st="on">New Orleans</st1:city>, and
Stephen Hale in <st1:state w:st="on">South Carolina</st1:state>, who's working
on a literary trail in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Aiken</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">County</st1:placetype></st1:place>. There are lots of
passionate people out there trying to get the word out about all the wonderful
literary sites located in the South.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As for the time frame, I got access to Sutro's system last
April, and the app was live at the beginning of October, so it took about 7
months to complete the whole process. That was longer than I anticipated of
course, but researching that many sites takes time. And, of course, almost
every site and contact person turned me on to more sites. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nb-ufVOwlUY/T3uMY1SgpTI/AAAAAAAAA0I/loYHTz0JjBU/s1600/App_splash_page.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nb-ufVOwlUY/T3uMY1SgpTI/AAAAAAAAA0I/loYHTz0JjBU/s320/App_splash_page.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">3. <i>How
have your readers responded to use of the app in general?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We're still getting the word out about the app, but I have
gotten a few comments. One of our former interns, Annie Bares, who worked on
the app, just emailed me with this feedb</span>ack: "<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Just wanted to say that it took me a while
because of my ancient iphone but that I finally downloaded the app and it's
awesome! I also showed it to the librarian here at Rhodes [College, which has
an entry in the app for its Southern Literary Garden] (he's a Southern lit history
aficionado) and he downloaded it too." </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;">We set up a</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="color: #222222;"> </span><a href="http://deepsouthmag.com/2012/01/southern-lit-app/" target="_blank">page
on our website<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></a><span style="color: #222222;">specifically
for the app, with download instructions. The Sutro World app is the
largest of independently authored travel guides in the world. And the</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="color: #222222;"> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sutromedia.android.guide.so.lit.trail&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5zdXRyb21lZGlhLmFuZHJvaWQuZ3VpZGUuc28ubGl0LnRyYWlsIl0." target="_blank">Android version</a><span style="color: #222222;"> of Southern Literary Trail, which
became available Feb. 24, exists on its own, so is easy to find and download
for those users. </span></span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">4. <i>How difficult
is it to add things into the app, like new places to visit?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f9YQVQS7kUI/T3uORAeq7UI/AAAAAAAAA1A/nDwZbp19Dy4/s1600/writershomesscreenshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f9YQVQS7kUI/T3uORAeq7UI/AAAAAAAAA1A/nDwZbp19Dy4/s320/writershomesscreenshot.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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New sites can be added anytime, and I'm actually about to do
a big update. In the next few weeks, I'll be adding some new cities and sites
I've visited and discovered since the app launched. Sutro really encourages
keeping info up to date and adding more entries to ultimately add value. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">5. <i>Have your
readers suggested additions to the app, as in new places to visit that they’ve
enjoyed before?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Yes. Readers and people I talk to about the app are always
turning me on to new sites. Several of our readers are fans of West Egg Cafe in
Atlanta, named after F. Scott Fitzgerald's new money peninsula in "The
Great Gatsby," so that's a site that will be added soon. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hVydAO6TlDE/T3uNjWvSoOI/AAAAAAAAA0w/YoH3Q2V82hk/s1600/PoesTavern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hVydAO6TlDE/T3uNjWvSoOI/AAAAAAAAA0w/YoH3Q2V82hk/s320/PoesTavern.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">6. <i>How did you
go about selecting the many places to visit on the app?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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That was probably the hardest part. I started by making a
list, by state, of places I knew about and had visited. At first, Sutro's
requirement of 120 entries or something like that sounded daunting, but by the
end, I had gone over that number. I knew I wanted more than just museums and
monuments in the app. Categories ended up being bookstores, cemeteries,
events/festivals, historical markers, hotels, landmarks, libraries, museums,
restaurants & bars, tours and writers' homes, so the app is pretty
extensive. I wanted there to be sites that would interest anyone, from the
"Gone With the Wind" fan who wants to see where Margaret Mitchell
wrote the book to the Poe fan who may not know he/she could be eating a
"Gold Bug Burger" at Poe's Tavern on Sullivan's Island to the O.
Henry fan who may want to spend the night in "The Gift of the Magi"
suite at the O. Henry Hotel in Greensboro, North Carolina. There's just so many
fun places like these that celebrate Southern writers, and people don't realize
they're located almost in their back yard.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rvmrUJ5CW-8/T3uNZPfznhI/AAAAAAAAA0o/9nihcoFJtpw/s1600/FitzgeraldMuseum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rvmrUJ5CW-8/T3uNZPfznhI/AAAAAAAAA0o/9nihcoFJtpw/s320/FitzgeraldMuseum.jpg" width="213" /></a>The other thing I wanted to highlight is that
literary-related sites don't have to be stuffy and hands-off. Many of the
museums, like the <st1:placename w:st="on">Fitzgerald</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">House</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Museum</st1:placetype>
in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Montgomery</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">Alabama</st1:state></st1:place>, let you walk around and read or
touch most everything. I remember the Eudora Welty House in Jackson,
Mississippi, has an area roped off with her books, but other than that, you're
in her kitchen, her bedroom and smelling flowers in her garden.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">7. <i>Is there a
way to embed your app directly into an iBook, say a digital edition of Faulkner
or Fitzgerald? That way, readers of classic works could instantly browse the
related travel websites like Rowan Oak or the Fitzgerald House from inside the
books themselves and at the same time discover new places?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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I'll have to find out about this and get back to you, but embedding the app into an iBook would be really exciting!<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>Patrick Brian Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381374242248506334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014201815760888634.post-87067916877733362752012-03-17T13:06:00.000-07:002012-03-21T23:44:57.730-07:00Lights! Camera! Tourism! Zelda Movie To Have Tourism Commercial Inside Film<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xMLWLfrDcXk/T2SHjuMIw_I/AAAAAAAAAys/sx7ysqL7sdU/s1600/overhead+%25281%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xMLWLfrDcXk/T2SHjuMIw_I/AAAAAAAAAys/sx7ysqL7sdU/s400/overhead+%25281%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Actress Grace McPhillips performs a demo scene from the<br />
upcoming movie<i> Beautiful Little Fools</i>, a modern take on<br />
the legendary Zelda Fitzgerald </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Excerpt From: </b><i>Beautiful Little Fools</i> screenplay by Carrie Stett</div>
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<b>Movie Producer:</b> Sterling Rock Productions, IL</div>
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<b>Tourism Attraction:</b> F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum</div>
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<b>Location: </b>Montgomery, Alabama<br />
<b>Photos: </b>Click to enlarge! Production photos courtesy of Sterling Rock Productions. Museum photos by Patrick Miller</div>
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Below is an exclusive excerpt from the screenplay <i>Beautiful Little Fools</i>, a modern take on
Zelda Fitzgerald soon to be filmed in her hometown of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Montgomery</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">Alabama</st1:state></st1:place>.
The movie centers on a present day woman, Zelda Stone, who begins to learn about her namesake Zelda Fitzgerald after moving to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Montgomery</st1:place></st1:city> with her husband. Zelda Fitzgerald also appears as a character in the film through many historical flashbacks. One
of the places Zelda Stone starts with is the F. Scott and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Zelda</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Fitzgerald</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Museum</st1:placetype></st1:place>, located in the only
surviving home of the Fitzgerald family. Please learn more about this film in
the Tourism Guide after the excerpt. Plus, isn't it interesting to see the format of a screenplay before watching it on film?</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
BEAUTIFUL LITTLE FOOLS</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
BY CARRIE STETT</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sb-A3CvXyzU/T2SIdu5QgFI/AAAAAAAAAzE/Xiq2f0yIQRQ/s1600/Monitor_shot+(2).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sb-A3CvXyzU/T2SIdu5QgFI/AAAAAAAAAzE/Xiq2f0yIQRQ/s1600/Monitor_shot+(2).jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Actress Grace McPhillips prepares to become Zelda Fitzgerald's modern<br />
counterpart, Zelda Stone. Someone else will play Zelda Fitzgerald<br />
in historical flashbacks throughout the movie. Who will play Zelda Fitzgerald? </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
INT. FITZGERALD MUSEUM – PRESENT DAY</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Zelda enters. It's a small apartment filled with artifacts</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
from Scott and Zelda Fitzgeralds' lives -- paintings,</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
letters, books, and original 1930's furniture, all old and</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
slightly dusty. Large individual portraits of Zelda and F.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Scott stare out from the mantle.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kIr_MniseH8/T2ToIIiKiNI/AAAAAAAAAzU/Uwt8uc72D7o/s1600/Zelda+museum+portrait.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kIr_MniseH8/T2ToIIiKiNI/AAAAAAAAAzU/Uwt8uc72D7o/s320/Zelda+museum+portrait.JPG" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zelda's portrait in the museum.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
GEORGE, 55, the scattered museum keeper, greets Zelda</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
enthusiastically.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
GEORGE</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Welcome to the Museum.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
ZELDA</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Thanks.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Zelda surveys the room.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
GEORGE</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Scott and Zelda lived in this building in 1931 and 32. It</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
has since been made into separate apartments,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
but this was their actual dining room.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Zelda admires a set of realistic hand-painted paper dolls on</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
the wall depicting Zelda, Scott and their daughter Scottie</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
in their undergarments, with changes of clothes next to</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
them.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cBiHNpWLxK0/T2ToZTaSZHI/AAAAAAAAAzc/XjTq58bNDXE/s1600/PaperDolls.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cBiHNpWLxK0/T2ToZTaSZHI/AAAAAAAAAzc/XjTq58bNDXE/s320/PaperDolls.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zelda's paper dolls on display in the museum.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
GEORGE (CONT’D)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Zelda painted lots of paper dolls.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It was part of her therapy.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
ZELDA</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
They're striking.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
GEORGE</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Artist, writer, ballerina... She had so much talent.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
All she ever wanted was to make a name for herself.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And she did.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(beat)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm doing my dissertation on Scott and Zelda.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
They had such fascinating lives.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(beat)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Sorry, I'm rambling. It's refreshing to have a visitor.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sGOTRfW274Y/T2To_QBGz2I/AAAAAAAAAzs/ovkbTAeRnS4/s1600/Zelda+ballerina+portrait.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sGOTRfW274Y/T2To_QBGz2I/AAAAAAAAAzs/ovkbTAeRnS4/s320/Zelda+ballerina+portrait.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This photograph of Zelda was taken in the same<br />
room where it is now on display in the museum.<br />
She used this photograph for the cover of her<br />
novel<i> Save Me the Waltz.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
ZELDA</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
You mean someone new?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
GEORGE</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
No,just a visitor.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
They exchange smiles.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
ZELDA</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
We just moved in down the street.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
GEORGE</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I didn't catch your name. I'm George.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z7U0C4la0zM/T2SI8vgU60I/AAAAAAAAAzM/aOhBmqNaU60/s1600/Grace_and_Bob_on_demo_set+(2).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z7U0C4la0zM/T2SI8vgU60I/AAAAAAAAAzM/aOhBmqNaU60/s1600/Grace_and_Bob_on_demo_set+(2).jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Co-producers Grace McPhillips and Bob Hudgins</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
ZELDA</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Zelda Stone.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
GEORGE</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Really? Do people ever ask you –</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Zelda nods.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
ZELDA</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Not until recently.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
GEORGE</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Well she's not such a bad person to be associated with.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
She was a renaissance woman for sure.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
George goes to a shelf of old books and pulls one out, blows</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
dust off of it. On the cover is a photograph of young Zelda</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Fitzgerald and the title:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"ZELDA FITZGERALD: AMERICA'S FIRST FLAPPER."</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
GEORGE (CONT’D)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(gives her the book)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Here -- the best book ever written on Zelda. Take it.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And let me know when you're done. There's many more where</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
that came from.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
ZELDA</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Thanks. Goodness knows I've got plenty of time on my hands.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
GEORGE</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Maybe it'll inspire you.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Zelda seemed to have that effect on people.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
ZELDA</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Maybe it will.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">BEAUTIFUL LITTLE FOOLS © 2011 by Sterling Rock Productions, LLC and WGA ®</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">919 Felder Films, LLC owns all property in regards to BEAUTIFUL LITTLE FOOLS,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">and all material and characters in this screenplay are fictitious and in no way</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">portray real individuals, or, are drawn from historical public domain record.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Tourism Guide</b></span><br />
<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j_9JMhz6izs/T2Tp4WoMxTI/AAAAAAAAAz0/ffbOQSAlYvQ/s1600/Scott+museum+portrait.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j_9JMhz6izs/T2Tp4WoMxTI/AAAAAAAAAz0/ffbOQSAlYvQ/s320/Scott+museum+portrait.JPG" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">F. Scott Fitzgerald's portrait in the museum. <br />
Zelda's dolls are to the right of the lamp.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
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As a board member of the real
museum in the scene above, you can imagine how excited I am to know that a movie will be filmed
inside our museum. How is that going to impact tourism to our city? These days,
tourism revenues are tough to come by for cash-strapped states and cities, and
that has led to some creative ways to attract visitors.</div>
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If having a scene filmed inside a real tourism attraction isn't enough, there might be an even more stunning draw for
tourism in this movie because Sterling Rock Productions, the movie’s producer,
is considering incorporating a tourism commercial about the many real life attractions in the movie—a commercial to be shown <i>inside</i> the movie (probably at the end with the real
actors and actresses directly inviting viewers to come visit the places). Have you ever seen that in a movie? Wouldn’t
it be fun to go visit the real places you just watched in a movie, and who better to
invite you than the lead stars <i>in</i> the movie? The commercial would direct viewers to visit a special website where they could follow tourism links to all the places in the movie. The links would show photos, provide directions, and list ticket prices and other information, such as hours of operation.</div>
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Naturally, all of us at the F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum are very excited about this, but once the movie comes out, isn’t it possible that
many more movies in the near future set in different places will follow the
same model? And how will that affect national tourism revenues and eventually the national economy, which is 70% driven by consumer spending? We are proud to
be a part of this innovation in tourism marketing. No amount of generic tourism commercial formatting could compete with the artistic emotional appeal of a film,
so this will open up a whole new level of connecting with the films and places for artistic
moviegoers, much like the tourism novels featured on this wesbite. Of course, showing fans how to physically connect with their favorite movies is going to generate some much higher revenues for film producers and their investors as well. Follow the links below to learn more about the museum and the
movie.</div>
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<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: xx-large;">Tourism/Movie Links</b><br />
<b><a href="http://www.fitzgeraldmuseum.net/">F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://sterlingrockproductions.com/Sterling_Rock_Productions/Zelda.html">Sterling Rock Productions-Zelda link</a></b><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>Patrick Brian Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381374242248506334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014201815760888634.post-67738122063920300782012-02-21T19:12:00.003-08:002012-02-25T17:22:52.473-08:00"The Last of the Belles"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y6V6fQ5U-ZE/T0QvAD8R4FI/AAAAAAAAAyU/jpjt-LUzxNo/s1600/Belles+poster+large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y6V6fQ5U-ZE/T0QvAD8R4FI/AAAAAAAAAyU/jpjt-LUzxNo/s640/Belles+poster+large.jpg" width="492" /></a></div>
Come join us for the 18th annual Gala and Fundraiser for the F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum on March 3, 2012. Tickets are available from the museum in advance.<br />
<br />
One of the fun themes of this gala is dressing up as Flappers from the 1920's (optional, not required). Willie Thompson, the executive director, knows how to throw a party worthy of Scott and Zelda. They will be there in spirit! Great food, plenty of drinks, and plenty of fun!<br />
<br />
For pictures of the last gala, click on this link: <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2011/04/what-would-fitzgerald-think-of-kindle.html">What Would Fitzgerald Think of the Kindle?</a> And don't forget to come out Sunday for the free Readers' Theater production put on by Alabama Public Radio personality Don Noble and his friends.<br />
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<br />Patrick Brian Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381374242248506334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014201815760888634.post-62965045365201974752012-01-24T19:11:00.000-08:002012-12-15T17:19:14.180-08:00Fitzgerald Becomes First Classic Author To Have Interactive Tourism Novel<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KGE__md9H3g/Tx9yXUm_yvI/AAAAAAAAAxM/-hcabESpMlE/s1600/Paradise+Cover+9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KGE__md9H3g/Tx9yXUm_yvI/AAAAAAAAAxM/-hcabESpMlE/s320/Paradise+Cover+9.JPG" width="270" /></a>F. Scott Fitzgerald’s first novel has just made literary
history again by becoming the first classic novel in the world to be published with
an interactive tourism guide. <i>This Side of <st1:place w:st="on">Paradise</st1:place>:
Interactive Tourism Edition,</i> published by SELTI<i>,</i> guides readers to the real locations that inspired
the fictional story. All royalties from this special tourism edition are being
donated to the F. Scott and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Zelda</st1:placename>
<st1:placename w:st="on">Fitzgerald</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Museum</st1:placetype></st1:place>,
the only museum in the world dedicated to the famous couple. The tourism
edition also includes a link to the SELTI article “What Would Fitzgerald Think of
the Kindle?”</div>
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“These types of classic and contemporary interactive tourism
novels could usher in a new wave of consumer spending that helps the economy
rebound,” said Patrick Miller, founder of SELTI and publisher of the first
interactive tourism novel on Kindle, <i><a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2010/09/tourism-mystery-kindles-romance-in.html">Blind Fate</a></i>, a suspense thriller.
“Consumer spending accounts for 70% of our nation’s economy, and one of the
heaviest sources of consumer spending is tourism. The best way to reach
potential tourists is directly through the novels they read. New devices like
the Kindle Fire and iPad allow readers to click on related tourism websites
from inside the book<span style="font-family: 'Tw Cen MT Condensed';">—</span>if publishers include them.”<br />
<br />
Readers can purchase this special edition right now for
their Kindles or, with a Kindle app, for their desktop or laptop computers,
iPads, iPhones, or any smart phone or tablet computer. Remember: anyone can
Kindle! Check out the new novel on Amazon and click on the free sample here: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Paradise-Annotated-Interactive-Tourism-ebook/dp/B0070RVEW4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1327460789&sr=8-3">This Side of Paradise: Interactive Tourism Edition</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l0In4kNz7p0/TzM0OIkdZxI/AAAAAAAAAxo/-r-y-i8chiY/s1600/KFirE-Paradise.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l0In4kNz7p0/TzM0OIkdZxI/AAAAAAAAAxo/-r-y-i8chiY/s320/KFirE-Paradise.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kindle readers can click on tourism links<br />
from inside this special edition to visit related<br />
websites, such as the museum's <br />
page on the Southern Literary Trail,<br />
as seen on the Kindle Fire.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
“Scott Fitzgerald's dogged pursuit
of literary fame and fortune took him across oceans and continents,” said
Willie Thompson, Executive Director of the F. Scott and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Zelda</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Fitzgerald</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Museum</st1:placetype></st1:place>. “How fitting that
his first novel can now not only transport the reader back in time, but also
across the globe. The Interactive Tourism Edition of <i>This Side of Paradise</i>
is only the beginning of everything that
literature can become in our modern world.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Since Fitzgerald’s works have
always enjoyed international popularity, the new interactive tourism edition
might be the first time foreign readers are introduced to the <st1:place w:st="on">Princeton</st1:place>
and Montgomery Fitzgerald tours with photos and tourism guides, especially from
inside a book. That new enhancement could transform foreign readers into
foreign tourists. One of the real settings in the novel was Princeton University, where Fitzgerald also attended in real life.</div>
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“When I attended <st1:place w:st="on">Princeton</st1:place>
in the sixties, Fitzgerald’s legacy on campus was still very strong with the
students,” said Julian McPhillips, President of the F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum
Board of Directors. “His descriptions of the social clubs, student life, and
Gothic campus buildings were very accurate. We were all inspired by the classic
work that helped establish his prominent role in history and literature.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Twenty years after graduating from
Princeton, McPhillips worked with his wife Leslie to save the Fitzgerald House
in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Montgomery</st1:place></st1:city>
from demolition and convert the aged structure into the museum it is today. One
of the fun events held there every year is the Annual Flapper Gala, where Scott
and Zelda Fitzgerald enthusiasts attend a fundraising party in period costumes
from the 1920’s.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Patrick Brian Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381374242248506334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014201815760888634.post-80422927501528319082012-01-22T20:04:00.000-08:002012-01-30T07:50:58.031-08:00Moundville contest deadline extended<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EG5AH2ymm3c/TxzbahdVCGI/AAAAAAAAAxE/AXrHT5vbf-8/s1600/Temple+mount.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EG5AH2ymm3c/TxzbahdVCGI/AAAAAAAAAxE/AXrHT5vbf-8/s1600/Temple+mount.jpg" /></a></div>
The University of Alabama Museums has requested that the deadline for entering the Inaugural SELTI Writing Contest be extended to April 15, 2012. This will better fit the academic calendar of the students. The deadline has been added to the official rules, which <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2011/11/moundville-named-as-setting-for.html">can be found by clicking here</a><br />
<br />
As a writer, I have never been to a place that emanated such a powerful aura of mystical energy before, which makes Moundville the perfect setting for a tourism short story competition. One has to truly visit there to feel the magic of the place surround your soul. Even if you don't participate in the contest, please visit their website to learn about an exciting visit <a href="http://moundville.ua.edu/">by clicking here.</a>Patrick Brian Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381374242248506334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014201815760888634.post-55749406575702431802011-12-07T19:58:00.001-08:002011-12-14T19:19:16.016-08:00Cloverdale Charms Readers and Tourists <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZafAyA8d5OU/TuBEBy_UUhI/AAAAAAAAAuY/ayRIz4zgph4/s1600/Capitol+Book+front+porch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" mda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZafAyA8d5OU/TuBEBy_UUhI/AAAAAAAAAuY/ayRIz4zgph4/s320/Capitol+Book+front+porch.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daphne Simpkins holds up her novel <em>Cloverdale</em><br />
in front of Capitol Book & News, which is <br />
in the real neighborhood of Cloverdale.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<strong>Excerpt From:</strong> <em>Cloverdale</em> by Daphne Simpkins<br />
<strong>Tourism Attraction:</strong> Old Cloverdale historic district<br />
<strong>Location:</strong> Montgomery, Alabama<br />
<strong>Photos:</strong> Click to enlarge!<br />
<br />
When it comes to neighborhood charm, Old Cloverdale in Montgomery, Alabama is hard to compete against. One of the historic neighborhood’s many unique charms is its independent bookstore, Capitol Book & News, where I recently met with Daphne Simpkins, the author of a new novel titled <em>Cloverdale</em>. The novel features the escapades of Miss Mildred Budge, a retired school teacher who finds that retirement can be as hectic and rewarding as her full time job ever was—not to mention more dangerous.<br />
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The best parts of this novel, set in the real Cloverdale, are the constant moments of subtle beauty from everyday life, like the image of a mother’s hand when giving directions. Moments like these separate this novel from a mere tour guide description and propel the reader into the spirit of the real place. Learn how to visit the real Cloverdale in the Tourism Guide and Links after these short excerpts provided from the publisher to SELTI: <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong>From <em>Cloverdale</em> . . .</strong></span> <br />
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“I know you are new to the neighborhood. It is actually referred to as Cloverdale — to some, Old Cloverdale,” the retired school teacher explained patiently. When Kenny blinked as if he didn’t speak English, she explained, “Cloverdale is considered to be the heart of historic Montgomery.” <br />
Kenny blinked some more, as if he didn’t recognize the name of the city where they lived. Miss Budge smiled encouragingly, and continued politely. <br />
<br />
“I wonder if you have visited the Fitzgerald museum yet? It is to your left, about two miles that way,” Miss Budge directed, pointing, and one more time, saw her mother’s hand. She did not mind the vision of her mother’s hand extending from her arm at all. Though no one expected a woman of Miss Budge’s age to miss a parent, Mildred Budge still did miss her mother and was glad for the company of even the image of her mother’s hand. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GRq-U_lzass/TuBHwjEnMkI/AAAAAAAAAuw/7X92P7TWqOI/s1600/tree-reading.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" mda="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GRq-U_lzass/TuBHwjEnMkI/AAAAAAAAAuw/7X92P7TWqOI/s320/tree-reading.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Students read from Fitzgerald's classic works outside<br />
the F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum in Cloverdale</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Kenny eyed the older woman as if she were speaking a foreign language. His eyes morphed to a weak shade of green. Miss Budge wondered if Kenneth was weak or just young. She had taught many young people and had learned that looking into their eyes and making assessments about intelligence or character based on an expression or shade of eye color had very little to do with who they really were—no more than how people once used to feel the bumps on a person’s cranium to determine intelligence. <br />
<br />
Knowing that (and it had taken her a surprisingly long time to learn it) Miss Budge often fought the impulse anyway to a know person’s head shape with her fingertips, like a blind person might. Kenny had a rectangular-shaped head. Her fingers began to strum the air gently. If she could know the contours of his head with her hands, what would the arcs and bumps tell her about what was going on inside? <br />
<br />
She clasped her hands determinedly in her lap and held them there while surreptitiously checking the closure of her robe. Her mother would have liked this robe, too, she thought—and smiled. <br />
<br />
“The museum is the old house of a famous Montgomery family. F. Scott Fitzgerald is a famous author. He married a Montgomery girl,” she explained patiently. “You may recall from your high school days that Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby.” <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3bu1OjE28G4/TuGHvSJEyeI/AAAAAAAAAwI/Ww-hq5jJqn0/s1600/cloverdalehouse-500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="258" mda="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3bu1OjE28G4/TuGHvSJEyeI/AAAAAAAAAwI/Ww-hq5jJqn0/s320/cloverdalehouse-500.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cloverdale home. Photo by Old Cloverdale Association</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Kenny stared at Miss Budge blankly, and the color of his eyes deepened to the color of an ocean just before it rained. Troubled, Kenny tried to figure out what to say next. When he didn’t immediately speak, Miss Budge continued. <br />
<br />
“His wife Zelda Sayre was not only a famous southern belle here but a talented writer as well.” Kenny’s fingertips scratched the tops of his thighs as if he were getting ready to explain the purpose of his visit. Miss Budge nodded encouragingly, but Kenny did not respond to her cue. “Or, there’s Martin Luther King, Jr.’s church downtown or The First White House of the Confederacy,” she added, sounding like one of those volunteer tour guides that some senior citizens become to fill their days after they retired. Though she was retired—prematurely, according to some—she was still too busy to volunteer in that capacity. <br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><em>(Later in the story . . .)</em></span></strong> <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PxxTyzypzHQ/TuBJLGwqYWI/AAAAAAAAAvA/CIZySdepkic/s1600/park-bus.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" mda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PxxTyzypzHQ/TuBJLGwqYWI/AAAAAAAAAvA/CIZySdepkic/s400/park-bus.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A tour bus stops in one of several scenic parks in Cloverdale</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Before more conversation could ensue, Mildred waved good-bye, and headed off down the homey street in her neighborhood. She was glad to walk off by herself. Glad of the evening. Glad of the hum of activity at the houses along the way where people were milling around the flowerbeds close to their homes or sitting on their porches watching people like Mildred walk by and waving. <br />
<br />
She was glad of the memories that rose up in her. Glad of the fragrance of new grass and cool mint and tea olive. Glad that the day had grown warmer and that the next day promised to be warmer still. Soon, there would be honeysuckle and gardenias, and better, the smell of tomatoes growing luxuriously on vines in the yards. People plucked them like apples and sometimes ate them the same way. Juicy. Dripping. Tasting like sunshine.<br />
<br />
“God be praised,” Mildred moaned in gratitude for the hope of tomatoes and the presence of the unexpected gift of solitude. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cnQ2OWxePOQ/TuGF7pO4NmI/AAAAAAAAAvw/3573n2_C4OI/s1600/huntingdonlamp-500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" mda="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cnQ2OWxePOQ/TuGF7pO4NmI/AAAAAAAAAvw/3573n2_C4OI/s320/huntingdonlamp-500.jpg" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lampost. Photo by Old Cloverdale Association</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The solar street lights began to pulse toward beaming, lighting her path through Cloverdale, and she felt as if some part of her interior self was waking up in the same way. Each step seemed to give rise to a refreshed wakefulness. The neighborhood houses, built in a time when people wanted big yards, were mostly set back deeply on wide lots where old gardens and ancient trees had taken over. <br />
<br />
There was an occasional cottage that had previously been a carriage house—a place where once, long ago, in a different South the servants had lived. These smaller homes were like her own bungalow, intimate and warm and inviting with their well tended coziness. Mildred loved the variety of houses and old southern yards in Cloverdale as much as she recoiled from the cookie-cutter designs of planned communities that had been developed by real estate people around the heart of the city. On the periphery of Cloverdale were other neighborhoods with assigned names meant to establish atmosphere but did not achieve the other purpose of creating the character of the neighborhood. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TMCB9FjSDaw/TuGGB3-AbvI/AAAAAAAAAv4/VnvDdErhuBA/s1600/cloverdalehuse3-500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" mda="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TMCB9FjSDaw/TuGGB3-AbvI/AAAAAAAAAv4/VnvDdErhuBA/s320/cloverdalehuse3-500.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cloverdale hedges. Photo by Old Cloverdale Association</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Miss Budge preferred unsculptured bushes and casually kept hedges to mark loose boundaries. They fit the landscape of her mind better. <br />
<br />
---Excerpted with permission from CLOVERDALE, Copyright © 2011 by Diane Simpkins. <br />
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<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">TOURISM GUIDE</span></strong> <br />
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Cloverdale is a special place that I’ve covered many times on SELTI. For starters, the campus of Huntingdon College and the Fitzgerald House were settings in my novel <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2010/09/tourism-mystery-kindles-romance-in.html"><em>Blind Fate</em></a>. The Fitzgerald House and the El Rey Restaurant, along with the neighborhood itself, were settings in Kirk Curnutt’s tourism novel <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2011/08/dixie-noir-interactive-tourism-novel.html"><em>Dixie Noir</em></a>. We did a fun photo shoot for <em>Dixie Noir</em> at the <a href="http://fitzgeraldmuseum.net/">Fitzgerald House</a> with one of the El Rey’s waitresses as the model. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V_QrtiYxUS8/Tulmu1eYDDI/AAAAAAAAAwg/qyMVoZYItIQ/s1600/cloverdalesign-500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242" oda="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V_QrtiYxUS8/Tulmu1eYDDI/AAAAAAAAAwg/qyMVoZYItIQ/s320/cloverdalesign-500.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Old Cloverdale Association</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<em>Blind Fate</em> and <em>Dixie Noir</em> were recently featured in <em>USA Today</em> for their innovation of interactive tourism guides inside the Kindle novels. The <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/books/story/2011-10-09/literary-tourism/50712262/1">USA Today feature article</a> included one of our photos from inside the Fitzgerald Museum. I first discovered author Bart Barton and his novel <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2011/10/scenic-getaway-in-cross-garden.html">The Cross Garden</a> while reading an article about his book signing at <a href="http://www.capitolbook.com/">Capitol Book & News</a>. I met with Bart at the real <a href="http://burritolounge.com/">El Rey</a> to prepare for his tourism profile. Finally, the Fitzgerald House was the setting for the SELTI article <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2011/04/what-would-fitzgerald-think-of-kindle.html">What Would Fitzgerald Think of the Kindle?</a> So naturally, when a novel titled <em>Cloverdale</em> came out, I had to connect with the author.<br />
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There are so many connections to this neighborhood now that I am officially establishing <a href="http://www.oldcloverdale.org/">Cloverdale</a> as the epicenter of the new wave of national tourism fiction. There is something very special about this area. Aside from the beautiful homes and parks, there are many wonderful shops and restaurants that invite the tourist to stay a while and experience a quality of life not found anywhere else in the city. Browse the links below to learn more about this area and the surrounding tourism attractions of Montgomery. If you enjoy <em>Cloverdale</em>, you might also want to read the anthology of short stories that introduce the main character, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Miss-Budge-Love-Daphne-Simpkins/dp/1453724583/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323319106&sr=8-1">Miss Budge in Love</a>, available in paperback and also on Kindle for 99¢. <br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">TOURISM LINKS</span></strong> <br />
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Click on links above in the text to visit the websites of the real places. In addition, click on the links below related to the novel and the surrounding area. <br />
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<a href="http://www.daphnesimpkins.com/1.html">Daphne Simpkins' website/ order the book</a><br />
<a href="http://www.oldcloverdale.org/">Old Cloverdale Association</a>: wonderful tourist guide to Old Cloverdale <br />
<a href="http://www.capitolbook.com/">Capitol Book & News</a><br />
<a href="http://www.comfortpublishing.com/content/default.aspx">Comfort Publishing</a>: publisher of <em>Cloverdale</em><br />
<a href="http://burritolounge.com/">El Rey Lounge:</a> great place to eat!<br />
<a href="http://fitzgeraldmuseum.net/">F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum</a><br />
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<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">Montgomery attractions outside of Cloverdale</span></em></strong> <br />
<a href="http://www.thehankwilliamsmuseum.com/">Hank Williams Museum</a><br />
<a href="http://visitingmontgomery.com/">City of Montgomery tourism website</a><br />
<a href="http://draft.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_191415549"></span></a><span id="goog_191415550"><a href="http://www.800alabama.com/">Alabama Tourism Department</a></span><br />
<a href="http://montgomery.troy.edu/rosaparks/museum/">Rosa Parks Museum</a><br />
<a href="http://www.firstwhitehouse.org/">First White House of the Confederacy</a><br />
<a href="http://www.asf.net/index.aspx">Alabama Shakespeare Festival</a><br />
<a href="http://www.mmfa.org/default.aspx">Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts</a><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>DECEMBER CONNECTIONS</strong></span></div>
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If you enjoy <em>Cloverdale</em>, then you will enjoy the previous December SELTI features from 2010 and 2009.</div>
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The short story "<a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2009/12/ohme.html">Ohme</a>," featuring a grandmother in a real South Carolina town on Christmas day.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vfypuhty2oU/TuGB-_i0b3I/AAAAAAAAAvQ/SpFYK7iLLRc/s1600/HolidaysInTheVillagePendletonSC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" mda="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vfypuhty2oU/TuGB-_i0b3I/AAAAAAAAAvQ/SpFYK7iLLRc/s1600/HolidaysInTheVillagePendletonSC.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pendleton, SC, the setting of "Ohme"<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Murder in Dollywood Country! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Read an excerpt from </span><a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2010/12/murder-in-dollywood-country.html"><span style="font-size: small;">Fifty-Seven Traveling</span></a><span style="font-size: small;">, a novel about a grandmother sleuth </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">on vacation in Pigeon Forge, TN</span></td></tr>
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<br /></div>Patrick Brian Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381374242248506334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014201815760888634.post-43925516363311526072011-11-09T18:51:00.000-08:002012-05-18T15:52:55.661-07:00Moundville named as setting for Inaugural SELTI Writing Contest<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vsy8KAF7PK0/TrswpiVj5fI/AAAAAAAAAuI/Y4na-t2IDTA/s1600/Musuem+interior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" ida="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vsy8KAF7PK0/TrswpiVj5fI/AAAAAAAAAuI/Y4na-t2IDTA/s320/Musuem+interior.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interior of Moundville Museum</td></tr>
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Moundville, Ala. has been named the target promotional site for the Inaugural SELTI Writing Contest. The contest is co-sponsored by the Southeastern Literary Tourism Initiative (SELTI) and the University of Alabama Museums. Contestants will compete to write the short story that best promotes tourism to the historic Native American archaeological site. Moundville includes impressive mounds that served as the center of one of the largest Native American cities in North America 800 years ago. The site is also now home to a museum and park that recently completed a $5 million renovation, including an expansion of the indoor museum. <br />
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“I look forward to the increased exposure that the tourism fiction contest will bring to the Moundville site,” said Bill Bomar, Director of Moundville Archaeological Park. “Moundville is one of the nation’s premier archaeological sites, yet many outside of Alabama have never heard of it. This is such a creative way to make people aware of such an important part of our heritage.” <br />
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The winning short story will be published online at the Southeastern Literary Tourism Initiative and will include photos of Moundville and a link to the museum’s website. The winner will likely get national publicity since this will be the first tourism fiction contest ever conducted. The global economic downturn has put increasing pressure on tourism attractions and cultural parks everywhere, many of which rely on shrinking government funding and private donations to stay afloat. Although Moundville has done well over the past few years, the tourism fiction contest could be a model for how many other cultural parks could gain exposure and extra funding. <br />
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“Tourism fiction is an innovative tool that can be used by any city or attraction in the world to engage potential tourists in an entirely new way,” said SELTI founder Patrick Miller, who also published the first interactive tourism novel on Kindle, “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blind-Fate-ebook/dp/B00427YP8K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320887571&sr=8-1">Blind Fate</a>.” <br />
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Miller’s novel was set in real tourism attractions of Montgomery, Alabama, such as the Rosa Parks Museum. The groundbreaking novel includes a tourism guide at the end where readers can click on links from inside the book and instantly browse the many related tourism websites. By downloading a Kindle app, readers can also purchase Kindle novels on a variety of other e-reading devices such as iPads, smart phones, tablet computers, and regular desktop and laptop computers. The new Kindle Fire will also allow readers to browse the tourism websites from the novel with touchscreen color. <br />
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The Inaugural SELTI Writing Contest is meant to showcase how public institutions can partner with private writers and publishers for mutual benefit, Miller said. The SELTI project was first introduced to the University of Alabama Museums through a statewide e-newsletter from the Alabama Tourism Department. The newsletter detailed a <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/books/story/2011-10-09/literary-tourism/50712262/1">USA Today feature story</a> on Miller’s work with interactive tourism novels. <br />
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Interested contestants can view the official rules of the contest below. <br />
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Contestants can also start researching for a visit to Moundville by <a href="http://moundville.ua.edu/">clicking on their website here.</a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">Inaugural SELTI Writing Contest</span></strong></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The first national short story contest designed to promote tourism</span> </div>
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Sponsored by the Southeastern Literary Tourism Initiative </div>
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Co-sponsored by the University of Alabama Museums </div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Official Rules</u></span></strong> </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xlw_w4r7DBg/TrsssS5MfSI/AAAAAAAAAt4/YXbsOv-3e8Y/s1600/Duck+bowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" ida="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xlw_w4r7DBg/TrsssS5MfSI/AAAAAAAAAt4/YXbsOv-3e8Y/s320/Duck+bowl.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The famous carved stone Duck Bowl found at Moundville.<br />
Could the maker of this legendary artifact come alive in a short story?</td></tr>
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• story must be set in Moundville, Alabama <br />
• story must use creative angle to encourage readers to visit Moundville <br />
• maximum word count: 3,500 <br />
• no entry fee <br />
• entry deadline: April 15, 2012 <br />
• projected announcement of winner: May 30, 2012 <br />
• Five finalists will be judged by a panel including: <br />
three English professors from the University of Alabama <br />
three Marketing professors from the University of Alabama <br />
editor of the Southeastern Literary Tourism Initiative<br />
• Winning story will be published online at SELTI and include photos and a link to the Moundville museum. Museum will provide the photos <br />
• Winner will receive international publicity from SELTI publication but no cash prize. This contest is meant to showcase how writers and government institutions can work together for mutual publicity <br />
• All entries must be emailed to literarytourism@aol.com and include the title of the story followed by “Tourism Fiction Contest” in the subject line. Also email any questions about the contest to this email address. <br />
• Stories should be pasted into entry email. No emails with attachments or other unrequested content will be opened <br />
• Include your name, phone number, physical mailing address, and email address at the top of the story <br />
• After winner is selected, a short bio and profile photo will be requested for online publication with the short story on SELTI <br />
• Writers are encouraged to visit Moundville for inspiration and research, but understand that the <u>museum staff will not participate in the judging process</u> <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wIydo7vQCx0/TrsuN8ImliI/AAAAAAAAAuA/JMF2Lfu_zQ0/s1600/Lost+Realm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" ida="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wIydo7vQCx0/TrsuN8ImliI/AAAAAAAAAuA/JMF2Lfu_zQ0/s320/Lost+Realm.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The winged serpent played a pivotal role in Moundville mythology and art.<br />
Could it reappear in a short story? </td></tr>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Tips for entrants</span></strong> </div>
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• Do your research. Browse the many novel and book excerpts on SELTI using the Stories By Month archive in the top left. These offer excellent free examples of published tourism fiction focused on a variety of unique attractions from all over the South. These examples are written in different genre styles from young adult to adult suspense/mystery to creative nonfiction. <br />
• There are several tourism short stories on SELTI in the archives: <br />
“<a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2009/06/last-confession-by-patrick-brian-miller_2791.html">The Last Confession</a><span id="goog_117339433"></span><span id="goog_117339434"></span>” June 2009 (scary twist on real archaeological state park) <br />
“<a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2009/11/moccasin-gap.html">Moccasin Gap</a>” November 2009 (funny twists and turns on a kayaking trip) <br />
“<a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2009/12/ohme.html">Ohme</a>” December 2009 (sentimental twist with a Christmas theme) <br />
• The above examples are just for learning purposes and research. Write in your own style. <br />
• Around 1350 A.D., Native Americans started to abandon the city of Moundville. <em>No one knows why.</em> <br />
• As with any writing competition, many good submissions will not ultimately win. Keep in mind that no matter which story wins, all the entrants will have gained applied early experience in a writing field that is about to explode on the international scene.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Updates</span></strong></div>
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(check back for weekly updates)</div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Winner selected! Click</span> <span style="color: lime;"><a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2012/05/moundville-story-digging-up-bones-wins.html">th</a><a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2012/05/moundville-story-digging-up-bones-wins.html">is link</a></span><span style="color: red;"> to read the winning story of the Inaugural SELTI Writing Contest, Kathryn Lang's "Digging Up Bones"</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">Deadline Update: </span></b>A request from the University of Alabama Museums to extend the contest deadline has extended the deadline to April 15, 2012.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Update: April 16, 2012:</b></span> Final entries are in! Judging is underway. Thanks so much to all who entered. Writers found many different creative angles to promote Moundville through short fiction. An email will be sent to all entrants when a winner is selected, but please be patient.<br />
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Alabama Tourism Department <a href="http://www.alabama.travel/tourism-department/publications/newsletter/30-alabama_tourism_department_news">announces Moundville contest.</a> in newsletter.</div>
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Tuscaloosa Convention and Visitors Bureau <a href="http://www.tcvb.org/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=39&cntnt01returnid=68">announces Moundville contest</a>.</div>
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<em>Planet Weekly</em> <a href="http://www.theplanetweekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2217&Itemid=53">announces Moundville contest</a>.</div>
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National Novel Writing Month <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/usa-alabama-birmingham/threads/37892">announces Moundville contest</a>.<br />
Auburn University at Montgomery <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/English-Philosophy-Department-at-Auburn-University-at-Montgomery/130476530299628">announces University of Alabama Museum contest</a>.<br />
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<strong>Moundville contest goes international!</strong></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sPlzxRLmfVE/TtECAX7_5lI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/rml90S3-Kac/s1600/untitled.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="191" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sPlzxRLmfVE/TtECAX7_5lI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/rml90S3-Kac/s320/untitled.bmp" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Literarytourist.com announces Moundville contest.<br />
Literarytourist.com is the biggest international<br />
literary tourism site out there. One of the many fun features <br />
of their site: highlighting fan photos of favorite independent bookstores.</td></tr>
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Literarytourist.com <a href="http://literarytourist.com/2011/11/literary-tourism-goes-to-the-next-level/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%20nigelbeale%2FyfXS%20%28NIGELBEALE.COM%20%20NOTA%20BENE%20BOOKS%29&utm_content=Google%20Feedfetcher">announces Moundville contest</a>. Have you ever wondered where to find the nearest independent bookstore when traveling somewhere new? <a href="http://literarytourist.com/">Literarytourist.com</a> is the place to go for great directories and reviews of everything involving literary tourism, from literary landmarks to the best bookstores and literary festivals. This is the most comprehensive site for literary tourism that I've found. </div>
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</div>Patrick Brian Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381374242248506334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014201815760888634.post-17571443139627810722011-10-20T20:43:00.000-07:002011-10-21T17:59:26.708-07:00Scenic Getaway in The Cross Garden<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nAC_vKY86YA/TqAB5nLBkqI/AAAAAAAAArA/ztD5G8TwQes/s1600/Sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" rda="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nAC_vKY86YA/TqAB5nLBkqI/AAAAAAAAArA/ztD5G8TwQes/s640/Sunset.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Tombigbee River at sunset, one of the real locations in <em>The Cross Garden</em>.<br />
Called the Tennahpush River in the novel. Photo by Rhonda Goff Barton.</td></tr>
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<b>Excerpt from:</b> <em>The Cross Garden</em> by Marlin Barton, published by Frederic C. Beil Publisher, Inc.<br />
<strong>Attractions:</strong> Demopolis and Rice Cross Garden<br />
<strong>Locations:</strong> Demopolis/Prattville Alabama<br />
<strong>Photos:</strong> Click to enlarge!<br />
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There were three elements of style that reminded me of Faulkner in Marlin Barton's novel <em>The Cross Garden</em>, set in the scenic river town town of Demopolis, Alabama. The first was the incredible tension between the charatcers, something Faulkner wrote so well. The second was an accuracy of rendering the dialogue and mannerisms of the local characters almost to a point of devotion. Faulkner could do this whether he was writing from the point of view of a mentally handicapped character or Harvard undergraduate.<br />
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Finally, Barton writes in an unhurried pace that allows the reader to savour his literary style even in scenes about intense physical conflict such as a fist fight. Having said that, Barton does not delve into complicated sentences and structures that take a doctorate in English to comprehend, much less appreciate. The average reader can enjoy his work as well as the sophisticated professor. This is a standard that Fitzgerald spoke about as the the goal of every great writer.<br />
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The feel of Barton is very Faulkner, including the richly rural settings. However, these are not fictional places that only exist in Barton's imagination; they are the lush and humid river world of western Alabama. Click on the websites in the Tourism Links at the end to learn how to visit these settings in real life for a scenic getaway.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">FROM <em>THE CROSS GARDEN</em> . . .</span></strong> <br />
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Nathan stood still for a moment, as if he were waiting on something to drive him on.<br />
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“Can I ask you a question?” James said.<br />
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“You’ll find out when we get there,” said Nathan.<br />
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“No, not that. Why do you think he didn’t go ahead and kill Arthur, shoot him in the head or something?” <br />
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“I don’t know. Maybe he thought he was dead. Or maybe he was scared to shoot him again, afraid of how it might look. It might be that he just plain got scared. Killing someone is a complicated thing to do, especially if you’ve had time to think about it for a while before you do it.” <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YQ9wTbb68u8/TqCYvsPXMZI/AAAAAAAAAr4/Uf2ZZ_O7BHQ/s1600/Book-rocksE.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" rda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YQ9wTbb68u8/TqCYvsPXMZI/AAAAAAAAAr4/Uf2ZZ_O7BHQ/s320/Book-rocksE.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The novel at the real Cross Garden in Alabama.</td></tr>
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James studied him intently, the same way he’d seen him studying the river’s surface at times. <br />
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“Sounds like you’ve thought on it some.” <br />
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“I only wondered the same thing you did,” Nathan said. He walked to his dock and motioned for James to follow and didn’t look back or wait. The nylon rope was soaked through and it took him a minute to untie the boat. Once he did, he pulled it close to the dock. “You ride up front,” he said. <br />
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James stepped into the boat and sat down. Nathan took his seat in back. He was afraid James might start asking questions again, and he didn’t want it that way. He wasn’t sure how he would tell it, or even how much he would tell. He had too many questions himself still to be able to answer the boy’s. He wanted to wait until they got there and let the words come as they would. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4vbt6LNNDIA/TqCWEQOryOI/AAAAAAAAArY/BFIjcXIFlls/s1600/Trestle+with+boatE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" rda="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4vbt6LNNDIA/TqCWEQOryOI/AAAAAAAAArY/BFIjcXIFlls/s640/Trestle+with+boatE.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Warrior River, called the Black Fork in the novel. Photo by Rhonda Goff Barton</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
After three pulls the engine caught, and the sound of it drowned any chance for more talk. He steered in the middle of the Black Fork, and the sight of the bridges loomed over them like monuments. The trestle was drawn and the ironwork above it and that of the bridge beyond made two great arches so large that the boat they sat in seemed dangerously small in comparison. He’d navigated the river beneath them many times, but at this moment the bridges seemed more grand in their proportions, as if they marked some unknown passage. <br />
<br />
They picked up speed as he turned the throttle and passed under. A light spray of river water pelted their faces and the smell of it reminded him of being out with his father all those years ago. He couldn’t hold that memory, though, the way he wanted. It seemed to slip past with the boat’s forward motion, but that same motion only carried him into another memory—the night on the river with Walter and Puckett. <br />
<br />
The water had felt so warm as he’d pushed Walter’s head beneath its dark surface, the same way the spray felt warm now. The river had always seemed to wind through his life, and he felt once again as though the water itself was his past and his memory made tangible, and that he had fought against those two currents for too long.<br />
<br />
He breathed in the rush of air coming toward him. He let it fill him and opened the throttle as far as it would go without turning the boat over. The wind against his face felt clean, but the warm spray came harder.<br />
<br />
They rounded the first bend, then the second. James hadn’t looked back, but as he edged toward the bank, the boy turned and looked at him as if to say, Where can you be taking me? <br />
<br />
Nathan slowed, cut the engine, and let the boat drift to the bank. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--HuAGr2uFzk/TqCZdafKFzI/AAAAAAAAAsA/zrRhLc6hAig/s1600/demopolis+statue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" rda="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--HuAGr2uFzk/TqCZdafKFzI/AAAAAAAAAsA/zrRhLc6hAig/s320/demopolis+statue.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A statue in the historic square of Demopolis, Alabama.<br />
Photo provided by city of Demopolis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
“Tie us,” he said. <br />
<br />
“You got some kind of camphouse here or something?” <br />
<br />
“No,” he said. <br />
<br />
James stepped off the boat. Nathan followed and then walked ahead. He wondered what James would think when they made their way up the bank and he first caught sight of the crosses. Maybe he’d understand immediately that this was the place he had always sought, if not on a conscious level then on some deeper one, perhaps in the very pull of his blood. <br />
<br />
Nathan made the climb to the top and turned to watch James. He could see the river below, its surface marked again by rain. James took his last steps up. Then he saw the cross garden spread out among the trunks of the trees, the crosses white and perfect in their random design. Some animal ran through the leaves just out of their sight.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6Gt6ACP76Ws/TqCWlMwxo0I/AAAAAAAAArg/IV5HATml_zw/s1600/CROSSMarlinE.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" rda="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6Gt6ACP76Ws/TqCWlMwxo0I/AAAAAAAAArg/IV5HATml_zw/s400/CROSSMarlinE.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Author Marlin Barton stands with a copy of his novel<br />
in the real Rice Cross Garden in Prattville, Alabama.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
“Is this some kind of old graveyard?” James said. His voice was raised just above a whisper, as if a burial were taking place and the preacher was in mid-prayer. <br />
<br />
“I suppose it is, but it’s not all that old,” he said. He walked into the center of the crosses. James started to follow but stopped outside their circumference. <br />
<br />
“You’re right,” he said. “It’s all just crosses. There aren’t any headstones. And wooden crosses don’t last. Besides, they all look new, mostly.” He paused as if trying to understand what he saw before him, as though he divined that the garden held some meaning. “Did you put them here?” he asked. <br />
<br />
Nathan nodded his head. <br />
<br />
“I made them, then planted them.” <br />
<br />
“What for?” <br />
<br />
Can’t you figure it out? he wanted to say. Don’t you know? But he didn’t. He would simply have to tell it now. He reached down and took a small handful of dirt from beneath the leaves. He tightened his fingers and felt the wet grains press into his skin and mold themselves into the hard shape of his fist. <br />
<br />
“There’s only one grave here,” he said. “I can’t remember where it is exactly.” <br />
<br />
James’ face paled with a sudden understanding. <br />
<br />
---Excerpted with permission from <em>The Cross Garden</em>, Copyright © 2011 by Marlin Barton. All rights reserved. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZXwixBgjJpE/TqCW-EaUFXI/AAAAAAAAAro/qSWOhUZmNqg/s1600/Demopolis+Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="101" rda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZXwixBgjJpE/TqCW-EaUFXI/AAAAAAAAAro/qSWOhUZmNqg/s640/Demopolis+Banner.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Demopolis Banner, provided by city of Demopolis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">TOURISM GUIDE</span></strong><br />
<br />
Like many settings in novels, the landscapes of Marlin Barton’s novel <em>The Cross Garden</em> have their real counterparts in the physical world. The Black Fork River named in the excerpt is the Black Warrior River in historic Demopolis, Alabama (a town called Demarville in the novel). The railroad trestle is quite real; in fact, Marlin used to dive off of it as a teenager for the incredible rush of adrenaline. The rivers and lakes of the Demopolis area offer wonderful outdoor recreation for families and literary enthusiasts looking for a scenic getaway from the stresses of city life. <br />
<br />
The cross garden also has a real inspiration in Rice’s Cross Garden near Prattville, Alabama. Unlike the fictional garden in the novel, Rice’s Cross Garden is easily accessible from the road and even offers parking for the casual tourist seeking a very unique attraction. Just click on the text in the Tourism Links below to learn more. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kT6OMkmtxQg/TqCaD4K7nnI/AAAAAAAAAsI/p5HbUoJLkRs/s1600/Square+fountain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" rda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kT6OMkmtxQg/TqCaD4K7nnI/AAAAAAAAAsI/p5HbUoJLkRs/s320/Square+fountain.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Historic Demopolis Square, a setting in the novel.<br />
Photo provided by city of Demopolis. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Demopolis and Rice’s Cross Garden are two hours drive away from each other, but both have something to offer the literary tourist. Just for an idea of Demopolis’ charm, consider the fact that its town square was laid out in 1819, making it one of the oldest town squares in Alabama. The best time to visit Demopolis is during one of its many public festivals, such as Sax in the City. Visit the websites in the Tourism Links below to learn more about visiting both Demopolis and Rice’s Cross Garden in Prattville. <br />
<br />
When I first opened up my media review copy of <em>The Cross Garden</em>, I immediately noticed the book's quality of physical production. That is not something I usually notice (I've never mentioned it before). Bart (Marlin Barton) later told me on the photoshoot that Frederic C. Beil, his publisher, is one of the few small presses that still use the old methods of producing high-quality books. That is quite a shock for someone like me so engrossed in the digital publishing revolution. <br />
<br />
Then I discovered that Beil is located in Savannah, Georgia, a southern city well-known both for its charming hospitality and complete disregard for changing its ways to keep up with the modern world. Savannah’s culture became famous after John Berendt’s non-fiction book <em>Midnight in the Garden of Good</em> <em>and Evil</em> became an international bestseller. Tourism skyrocketed after that, and the city continues to embrace the book with related tours even after a decade. A Hollywood movie version set in Savannah didn’t hurt tourism either. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7N8IRjkt-Z0/TqCah--auSI/AAAAAAAAAsQ/UpeORwgkGOc/s1600/Lyon+Hall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" rda="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7N8IRjkt-Z0/TqCah--auSI/AAAAAAAAAsQ/UpeORwgkGOc/s320/Lyon+Hall.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lyon Hall in Demopolis, Alabama. Photo provided <br />
by the city of Demopolis.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
One only wonders why city and state tourism departments didn’t attempt to attract novelists to repeat the performance through publicity incentives rather than just waiting for a novelist to become randomly inspired enough to write about their city's attractions. Maybe this project, the Southeastern Literary Tourism Initiative, will help inspire some ideas for that in the near future. After the <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/books/story/2011-10-09/literary-tourism/50712262/1">USA Today article</a> on the nation's first two tourism novels with interactive guides, things are likely to move fast in that direction.<br />
<br />
Nowadays, the new Kindle Fire and iPad tablet computers can take readers straight to a tourism website from inside a Kindle novel, if the writer adds an interactive tourism guide at the end. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MCHVyjJYr6Q/TqCa0IFfxRI/AAAAAAAAAsY/amBrUV8-w0E/s1600/BF-Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" rda="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MCHVyjJYr6Q/TqCa0IFfxRI/AAAAAAAAAsY/amBrUV8-w0E/s320/BF-Cover.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Blind Fate</em>, the first Kindle tourism<br />
novel with an interactive travel guide.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So far, the only two American Kindle tourism novels with travel guides are <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2010/09/tourism-mystery-kindles-romance-in.html">Blind Fate</a> and <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2011/08/dixie-noir-interactive-tourism-novel.html">Dixie Noir</a>. However, I have to wonder if <em>Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil</em> might include one in its Kindle edition. That way, today’s readers could instantly see some of the great book-related tours available in Savannah without having to do Google searches. They could just click on links from inside the Kindle book and jump right to the color tourism websites.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">TOURISM LINKS</span></b> <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cross-Garden-Marlin-Barton/dp/1929490402/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319079213&sr=8-1">The Cross Garden on Amazon</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.beil.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=116&Itemid=167">Recent titles from Frederic C. Beil Publisher, Inc.</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.demopolisal.gov/">Visit the city of Demopolis</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.thecross-photo.com/William_C._Rice's_Cross_Garden.htm">William C. Rice's Cross Garden</a><br />
<br />
Marlin Barton also teaches creative writing for the Writing Our Stories Program run by the <a href="http://www.writersforum.org/programs/">Alabama Writers Forum</a>.Patrick Brian Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381374242248506334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014201815760888634.post-3005221423849539342011-10-07T21:44:00.000-07:002012-02-10T20:29:16.437-08:00Game-changer: Will the Kindle Fire Ignite Tourism?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eVbWRWQ7mck/To_N5ZPyMpI/AAAAAAAAAqw/VUHv-2T9jDA/s1600/BF-Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eVbWRWQ7mck/To_N5ZPyMpI/AAAAAAAAAqw/VUHv-2T9jDA/s320/BF-Cover.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Blind Fate</em> is the first Kindle tourism novel<br />
with an interactive travel guide inside the book.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As Amazon's first color touch-screen model, the $199 Kindle Fire is sure to shake up the publishing world—but many have not discovered its most important feature: as a gateway to tourism through e-novels. <br />
<br />
Imagine Kindle novels that are set in real tourism attractions. Then imagine readers clicking on links from <em>inside</em> the novel and instantly browsing the color websites of the real places in the story. Only ereaders like the Kindle Fire can let readers do that. The concept is called <em>tourism fiction</em>: fiction that is written to directly promote tourism to specific attractions. <br />
<br />
Haven’t heard of it? That’s because there are only a few novels in the world that are taking advantage of the technology. Right now there is only one novel on the American Kindle market that has a tourism guide inside the book: <em>Blind Fate</em> by Patrick Miller. <br />
<br />
Read an excerpt of <em>Blind Fate</em> <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2010/09/tourism-mystery-kindles-romance-in.html">by clicking here.</a><br />
<br />
In the past, Kindles only offered web browsing in black and white, so the tourism guide in <em>Blind Fate</em> could only show the websites in black and white. The Kindle Fire will change all that in a month, making the tourism appeal of Kindle tourism novels much stronger. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P3frnLkpAzE/TzXrkjQne0I/AAAAAAAAAxw/u68hOTuKwoA/s1600/KFirE-Paradise.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P3frnLkpAzE/TzXrkjQne0I/AAAAAAAAAxw/u68hOTuKwoA/s320/KFirE-Paradise.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A tourism link from inside the novel <i>Dixie Noir.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
What will happen when tourism novels hit the market in large numbers? They will turn the entire national economy around by getting millions of new tourists traveling the country to new places. Imagine how much fun it will be for readers to visit the places they just read about in their favorite stories. Aren’t they the perfect potential tourists to market to? A tourism novel captures potential tourists' full attention for two hours and lets them engage emotionally with the characters—and the places.<br />
<br />
What will be the economic impact of millions of new tourists spending their consumer dollars in places all over the nation? You guessed it: finally, a light at the end of this dark economic tunnel that the nation has been driving down for too long. Tourism fiction is the game-changer that will let our nation turn the economic corner at last.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FTaD7mKjyC8/TpBDWGxjkKI/AAAAAAAAAq0/RVmS9KeWaMY/s1600/Dixiei+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FTaD7mKjyC8/TpBDWGxjkKI/AAAAAAAAAq0/RVmS9KeWaMY/s320/Dixiei+Cover.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
The tourism fiction market won't take long to heat up in America; I have already teamed up with southern writer Kirk Curnutt to produce an online tourism guide for his <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2011/08/dixie-noir-interactive-tourism-novel.html">steamy novel <em>Dixie Noir</em></a>. The Kindle edition of <em>Dixie Noir</em> also has a live link to Curnutt's website, which has links to the websites of settings in his novel. Curnutt has already said he will include a full tourism guide inside his next Kindle novel.<br />
<br />
One more thing: the iPad and iPhone already have a Kindle app, meaning you can experience the nation’s first Kindle tourism novel in color right now on an Apple device. There is even a Kindle for PC app and for just about any smart phone out there. So try out the future by <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blind-Fate-ebook/dp/B00427YP8K">ordering a copy of <em>Blind Fate</em> here.</a> The tourism guide for <em>Blind Fate</em> is at the end of the novel, so jump to the end to see how it works. Then, jump back to the beginning and enjoy a fast-paced suspense story from the <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt;">“unique” </span>perspective of a blind violinist.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">What is <i>USA Today</i> saying about Kindle tourism novels? <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/books/story/2011-10-09/literary-tourism/50712262/1">Find out by clickng here.</a></span></strong><br />
Check out <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=289783765813">all the SELTI novels on Facebook</a>Patrick Brian Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381374242248506334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014201815760888634.post-39800656401062630262011-09-26T20:00:00.000-07:002011-09-26T20:00:49.995-07:00Netflix Now Streaming Alabama Moon Tourism Movie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-75yh1Npf6z0/ToE6BYEgpKI/AAAAAAAAAqk/h38wUTYced4/s1600/Posterforemail.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" kca="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-75yh1Npf6z0/ToE6BYEgpKI/AAAAAAAAAqk/h38wUTYced4/s640/Posterforemail.JPG" width="432" /></a></div>
Netflix is now streaming the movie Alabama Moon, based on the popular young adult novel by Alabama author Watt Key. The only online tourism guide to the book and movie can be found here on SELTI: <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2010/06/todays-tom-sawyer-camping-under-alabama.html">Today's Tom Sawyer: Camping Under an Alabama Moon</a>. I saw Alabama Moon in the theaters, but now any fan of the novel can watch the movie about the Talladega National Forest on their TV or computer through their Netflix account. Unlike many movies that screw up the original story, this one was well-adapted to the novel. No surprise there, since Watt co-wrote the screenplay.<br />
<br />
What are some movies that turned out to be better or worse than the novels they were based on? I thought The Count of Monte Cristo movie was far superior as a whole story to the novel, even though Alexandre Dumas is an incredible scene writer. I'm currently reading The Last of the Mohicans on my Kindle to compare it to the film. One of the great things about Kindle is all the free classsic literature available for download in seconds.<br />
<br />
Kindle novels are also available on the iPad by downloading the Kindle for iPad app. A tourism novel with an interactive travel guide inside the book, like <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2010/09/tourism-mystery-kindles-romance-in.html">Blind Fate</a>, allows readers to browse the related tourism websites in color. That presents some wonderful opportunities for tourism novels in the near future. Patrick Brian Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381374242248506334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014201815760888634.post-12680332700840726402011-08-15T20:52:00.000-07:002011-08-16T16:50:37.498-07:00Dixie Noir: An Interactive Tourism Novel <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--vBappAelcA/TknPqlUHjrI/AAAAAAAAAp4/IRiDzjpIrF4/s1600/couch+laying.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" naa="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--vBappAelcA/TknPqlUHjrI/AAAAAAAAAp4/IRiDzjpIrF4/s640/couch+laying.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red, a fictional character from <em>Dixie Noir, </em>reads the novel in one of the real settings of the book: <br />
the Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<strong>Excerpt from:</strong> <em>Dixie Noir</em> by Kirk Curnutt </div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<strong>Tourism attractions:</strong> Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum, El Rey Lounge</div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<strong>Location:</strong> Montgomery, Alabama </div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<strong>Photos:</strong> Diane Prothro. Click to enlarge any photo.</div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<strong>Model:</strong> Audria Carr<br />
<br />
One of the most fun aspects of working with tourism fiction is experiencing my favorite books coming to life—not just in my imagination but literally right before my eyes. So far, it’s just been the places and the unique spirit that surrounds each one. But profiling Kirk Curnutt’s novel <em>Dixie Noir</em> was the first time that a <em>character</em> from a novel has come to life. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_UEfjS7Jlsc/TknRzPRIQaI/AAAAAAAAAp8/X_aDjiDWh18/s1600/Dixiei+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" naa="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_UEfjS7Jlsc/TknRzPRIQaI/AAAAAAAAAp8/X_aDjiDWh18/s320/Dixiei+Cover.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
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The character’s name is "Red," a spunky fictional waitress from the real El Rey Burrito Lounge in Montgomery, Alabama. Red has an apartment in the real Fitzgerald Museum in Montgomery, which does have both private apartments and a museum dedicated to the famous couple. As part of the photo shoot for this profile, we had a real waitress from El Rey, Audria Carr, pose as Red inside the museum, one of the main settings in the novel. </div>
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As soon as she came through the door, it was like seeing Red walk right out from the pages of the novel and into the real world. Red was certainly one of the characters that made <em>Dixie Noir</em> a memorable read, so please enjoy this short excerpt that captures her spirit below. </div>
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<em>Dixie Noir</em> is the only other interactive tourism novel I've profiled on SELTI. The first was <em>Blind Fate</em>. Both novels have interactive tourism guides inside the Kindle editions. These embedded tourism links take readers directly to the websites of the real settings in the books--all with one click from inside the novel. After the excerpt, learn how to visit the real places in this novel through SELTI's companion online Tourism Guide. This guide will show you how to visit real places in the novel, including the El Rey Lounge and Fitzgerald Museum—and of course how order the book! </div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">From <em>Dixie Noir</em> . . .</span></strong> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--wLWhvItVXw/TknSo4DrBgI/AAAAAAAAAqA/Q1Yb4W1pr70/s1600/grass+laying.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" naa="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--wLWhvItVXw/TknSo4DrBgI/AAAAAAAAAqA/Q1Yb4W1pr70/s400/grass+laying.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red reads <em>Dixie Noir</em> from the lawn of the Fitzgerald House in Montgomery</td></tr>
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I managed to keep it clean until my shift ended at eleven. It had been a twelve-hour workday, but there was no way I was going to be too tired to walk Red to the Fitzgerald house. As I clocked out, I took two shots of Jägermeister. Bubba agreed to deduct them from my paycheck since I was light on cash. Then I reminded Wookie to bring his scrapbooks the next day. <br />
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As Red and I walked up Boultier, I enjoyed the night smell of jasmine and crepe myrtle. Every few paces she brushed into me, and I would revel in a whiff of something even more powerful—her. I wanted like hell to put my arm around her and pull her close, but I was afraid to. </div>
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Twice while we worked I had caught her on her cell phone looking flustered. Even with the phone’s ringer turned off, Eric the ex wasn’t going away anytime soon. The first thing I noticed when we walked into her apartment was a sheet thrown over the mirror. </div>
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“I didn’t want you worrying about seeing your own kisser,” she said with a grin. “You’re not quite the Elephant Man, but I understand. Honestly, it’s kind of a relief. Eric couldn’t take two steps without stopping to admire his own reflection.”</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MMW7iMyB3ao/TknVH1PItoI/AAAAAAAAAqI/k_wdG1aj784/s1600/roof.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" naa="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MMW7iMyB3ao/TknVH1PItoI/AAAAAAAAAqI/k_wdG1aj784/s640/roof.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red reads from the roof of her apartment at the Fitzgerald House</td></tr>
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On her roof she spread out a down comforter and we stretched across the shingles, a few inches of safety between us. The shingles were still hot, but I didn’t care. Especially not when Red cracked her copy of <em>Save Me the Waltz</em> open and started reading from another tipped-in half-sheet of stationary. <br />
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<em>“Along the staircases of dark streets, men wandered in search of girls, searching with nothing to navigate them but tenuous wisps of jasmine that taunted them with their ephemeral tracings . . . The men peeked for them behind boxwoods and while tiptoeing through unbroken and untrammeled beds of corydalis and cowslip, never thinking that these sad, playful sprites of femininity know that a man’s craving is incommensurate with his nurturing and that therefore a woman’s best option is to remain a corona of his desire . . . </em><br />
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<em>“So the men were doomed to shadow the future of their own failure, wanting but incapable of truly having because truly having is truly giving, never realizing that the susurrations that said to them ‘If you can only find you are free to take’ mocked them with the lure of appetence . . . .” </em><br />
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That did it for me. I rolled over onto Red and kissed her, hard. I don’t think she was expecting it. At first she wedged the book against my shoulder and started to push me away. Only it didn’t seem like she really wanted me to stop, so I didn’t. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e7DMzogJ7vY/TkncToEE8MI/AAAAAAAAAqY/7cRl6_HbDPI/s1600/kirk+and+Red.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" naa="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e7DMzogJ7vY/TkncToEE8MI/AAAAAAAAAqY/7cRl6_HbDPI/s400/kirk+and+Red.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the Fitzgerald Museum, <em>Dixie Noir</em> author Kirk Curnutt meets<br />
"Red,"a fictional character from his novel who steps into the real world.</td></tr>
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Then a crazy thing happened. She tucked an arm around the back of my neck and instead of pushing she pulled my mouth to hers. I felt my tongue in her mouth and hers in mine. Then she did this wild thing with her teeth. She sunk them lightly into the thick part of my tongue, the back part, and slid them down the length of it. Over and over again. Her mouth closed tightly around my tongue, and she just kept going back and forth until I thought the electric tickle the move gave off would blow out my whole circuitry. <br />
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Goddamn she tasted good. <br />
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Just as suddenly she stopped. She put her hand over my mouth and whispered, her voice a feather in the heat. <br />
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“You understand I can’t go any farther than this tonight, don’t you? You understand why, too, right?” <br />
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Sure, I understood. Why wouldn’t I? I was an ex-con. She had an ex-boyfriend. One more X in the equation and this game of ours was over. I rolled onto my back, staring at the sequined stars. <br />
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“I just broke my cardinal rule,” I confessed. “I waited ten years to practice it: ‘Do No Bad.’ I’m sorry I pressured you, Red. St. Dominic needs to get on the case to make me a better choirboy.”<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ujru9q82BRs/TkneVMl4ZPI/AAAAAAAAAqg/H0G8G4dzLK0/s1600/porch+standing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" naa="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ujru9q82BRs/TkneVMl4ZPI/AAAAAAAAAqg/H0G8G4dzLK0/s400/porch+standing.JPG" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red stands on the porch of the Fitzgerald House</td></tr>
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She propped herself on her side, above me, so her hair hung down onto my throat. <br />
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“Don’t be too good of a choirboy, Hardboil. Just remember: you’ve got to sin to get saved.” <br />
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“You smell so damn good. You know what you smell like? You smell like freedom.” <br />
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“Dominic and that other saint of yours—Jude—they’re looking out for our best interests, aren’t they?” <br />
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“If they’re not, they’re out of a job. Bubba isn’t the only one who can fire someo—” <br />
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I didn’t finish because she had pressed the curve of her neck into my face just as she had at El Rey the day before. If I didn’t have a single more minute to live, I wouldn’t have cared. I would have died a happy bastard. <br />
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---Excerpted from DIXIE NOIR, Copyright © 2009 by Kirk Curnutt, All Rights Reserved<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">Tourism Guide</span></strong> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s-4R7HIKA5o/TknZ53Ptm4I/AAAAAAAAAqM/_PxNWlIm5Sc/s1600/El+Rey+menu.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" naa="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s-4R7HIKA5o/TknZ53Ptm4I/AAAAAAAAAqM/_PxNWlIm5Sc/s320/El+Rey+menu.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pull up the menu of the real El Rey from inside<br />
the Kindle tourism edition of <em>Dixie Noir</em>.</td></tr>
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<em>Dixie Noir</em> is the first novel profiled on SELTI other than <em>Blind Fate</em> with an interactive tourism link in the Kindle edition. This means that readers can, from the Kindle edition, click on links from inside the novel and visit the websites of the real places. One could, for example, pull up the menu of the real El Rey Lounge from the Kindle book or find out hours of operation directly from the Fitzgerald Museum website. It’s much easier to get this information instantly from the novel than having to go do web searches later on. <br />
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Keep in mind that Kindle novels can be downloaded to regular laptop or desktop computers, smart phones, iPads, and other devices besides the Kindle reader itself. Just go to Amazon to download the necessary software and start reading in a couple of minutes. <br />
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Some of the most intriguing places to set a novel happen to be operated by nonprofits with very limited marketing budgets, so interactive tourism novels are a great way for writers to promote the places they love and want to share with their readers. Kirk is on the board of the real Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum and often frequents the real El Rey lounge. <br />
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The Fitzgerald Museum offers rare collections of books, letters, and paintings from the famous couple. For example, there is a letter from Fitzgerald to Hemingway, letters he wrote to his daughter Scottie, and letters from Zelda to Fitzgerald. <br />
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The following is from an article Kirk wrote and provided to me about <em>Dixie Noir</em> and its inspirations: <br />
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<em>“The essence of Montgomery, Alabama—my home since 1993—is dialectical. Downtown, the house where Jefferson Davis oversaw Southern secession in February 1861 stands only paces from the church where Martin Luther King, Jr. directed the bus boycott ninety-five years later. The two attractions form the heart of our tourism, yet they exist in uneasy alliance, one preserving the very legacy of the Civil War that the Civil Rights Movement vowed to overcome. For every Rosa Parks we revere here, we’re urged to acknowledge (if not celebrate) Confederate valor, to appreciate states rights as intently as civic disobedience. The schism even cleaves our popular culture: Nat King Cole is our native son, Zelda Fitzgerald our wild child.”</em> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c0NlqYi2-tg/TknawMpkfXI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/NzbGufmOhIw/s1600/BF-Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" naa="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c0NlqYi2-tg/TknawMpkfXI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/NzbGufmOhIw/s320/BF-Cover.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another hot interactive tourism novel<br />
set in Montgomery: read an excerpt<br />
of <em>Blind Fate</em> by clicking the link in <br />
the Tourism Guide below.</td></tr>
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Kirk and I both wrote novels inspired by modern Montgomery. My novel, <em>Blind Fate</em>, is told from the perspective of a blind person and covers many of the same settings as <em>Dixie Noir</em>, which made Kirk’s novel an especially intriguing read for me. A southern city is not a usual place for setting a noir novel, which caught my attention when first reading about <em>Dixie Noir</em>. Kirk did a wonderful job at every level, from places to characterization. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-79cewQ4T-UU/TkndrXlqOgI/AAAAAAAAAqc/i001qdoEPNk/s1600/Kirk-Bubba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" naa="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-79cewQ4T-UU/TkndrXlqOgI/AAAAAAAAAqc/i001qdoEPNk/s320/Kirk-Bubba.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kirk Curnutt and the real "Bubba" <br />
from the El Rey Lounge at a <br />
Dixie Noir booksigning.</td></tr>
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A special thanks to Audria for bringing Red to life in the Fitzgerald Museum and to Diane, Kirk’s fiance, for her artistic and daring eye in taking the shots (some of which were on the roof!). Stay on the lookout for a sequel to <em>Dixie Noir</em> as the story switches over to Bubba’s storied life as a bartender and bouncer. <br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">Tourism Links</span></strong> <br />
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Start reading the rest of Dixie Noir right now on your Kindle, iPad, iPhone, smart phone, or computer (also available in hardback): <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dixie-Noir-ebook/dp/B003RWSASW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1306505107&sr=8-2">http://www.amazon.com/Dixie-Noir-ebook/dp/B003RWSASW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1306505107&sr=8-2</a> <br />
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Learn about all of Kirk Curnutt’s books at his official website: <a href="http://www.kirkcurnutt.com/">http://www.kirkcurnutt.com/</a> <br />
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Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum <a href="http://www.fitzgeraldmuseum.net/">http://www.fitzgeraldmuseum.net/</a> </div>
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Stop by for drinks and food at the real El Rey Burrito Lounge in Old Cloverdale, Montgomery’s boho district <a href="http://burritolounge.com/">http://burritolounge.com/</a> <br />
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Another interactive tourism novel about Montgomery, told from the voice of a young blind woman who turns out to be far more resourceful than her captor ever imagined: <em>Blind Fate</em>, a suspense/thriller mystery: <a href="http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2010/09/tourism-mystery-kindles-romance-in.html">http://southeasternliterarytourisminitiative.blogspot.com/2010/09/tourism-mystery-kindles-romance-in.html</a> <br />
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Learn about all that Montgomery has to offer: <a href="http://visitingmontgomery.com/">http://visitingmontgomery.com/</a><br />
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Patrick Brian Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381374242248506334noreply@blogger.com0