“Damn the Torpedoes! Full Speed Ahead!” How Historic Sites Could Help Save the Future of the Economy

Fort Morgan in Mobile Bay, site of the famous
Battle of Mobile Bay in the Civil War 

Part of my job is scouting out areas that would make ideal settings for tourism novels and short stories. The Mobile Bay area—where Admiral David Farragut shouted the famous lines above during the Civil War—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.

For example, when I walk through historic Fort Morgan, 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 Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines 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.

 

A creepy tunnel in Fort Morgan, the possible setting
for a modern suspense novel?

This wouldn’t be the first time that a historic site was the setting for a tourism short story contest. The mysterious Moundville Archaeological Park near Tuscaloosa 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 "Digging Up Bones".

Tourism short story competitions can also cover a larger area like Mobile Bay, as in the Lookout Alabama SELTI Writing Contest in northeast Alabama’s beautiful Lookout Mountain region. Originally, only the top story from the five finalists in that contest was going to be published in Lookout Alabama magazine, but the final five were so good that the magazine is publishing all of them in separate editions. The first place winner, "The Totem" 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.

 

Fort Conde in Mobile, a French colonial fort and museum.

So what does the Mobile Bay area offer for tourism fiction? A ferry runs between Fort Morgan and its sister historic site Fort Gaines across the Mobile Bay on Dauphin Island. A bridge runs from Dauphin Island up to the city of Mobile, where two more historical attractions could serve as inspirations. Fort Conde is a restored French colonial fort with a museum, and the Museum of Mobile offers a very impressive two-story collection in the historic town hall. The USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park offers its own dramatic settings with a full-size World War II battleship and submarine along with countless other military vehicles on display.

The rooftop pool of the Battle House Hotel overlooks
Mobile Bay and the city skyline.

The historic Battle House Renaissance Hotel offers high-end accommodations with a full-service spa next to a rooftop outdoor pool that overlooks the scenic Mobile skyline and bay. Or tourists can choose the smaller bed and breakfast option with places like the charming Fort Conde Inn.

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 Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (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 Mobile a colorful and festive flavor much like New Orleans. There’s the Mobile Carnival Museum by itself and another great carnival collection in the Museum of Mobile.

 

French architecture gives downtown
Mobile a colorful character.

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 Mobile Bay could be the setting for multiple 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.

 

Blind Fate, the first novel with an
interactive tourism guide. Could Mobile
be the setting of a future tourism novel?

If you would like to read tourism novels that do include the links already, try the suspense novel Blind Fate or This Side of Paradise: Interactive Tourism Edition, two special publishing projects of SELTI. Blind Fate is set in real tourism attractions of the Montgomery area (told from the unique “perspective” of a blind protagonist), and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel This Side of Paradise (from 1920) is largely set in Princeton. Blind Fate was featured in USA Today for its innovation in tourism promotion within a novel.

After visiting the Mobile Bay 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.

The potential certainly exists in Mobile Bay for a bestselling tourism novel that could bring in millions in new revenue, like Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil did for Savannah. The Alabama Legislature recently passed a joint resolution inviting authors to write about real Alabama 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.

 

Beautiful Bienville Square in downtown Mobile

With the nation’s economy on such shaky ground, most cities would love to pursue a new way to attract tourism revenue, so a Mobile Bay 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 Mobile, then wouldn’t it work for San Francisco, Atlanta, New York, and Seattle? 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—exactly the kind of spending produced by tourism.

 

Charming Cathedral Square in downtown Mobile.

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.

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!

Natalie Cone's Story "The Totem" Wins Lookout Alabama SELTI Writing Contest

Laurel Falls in DeSoto State Park, the inspirational setting for Natalie Cone's tourism short story "The Totem,"
winner of the Lookout Alabama SELTI Writing Contest.

Story By: Natalie Cone
Tourism Attractions: DeSoto State Park, The Bookshelf Etc.
Location: Fort Payne, Alabama
Photos By: Randy Grider, Lookout Alabama Magazine. Click any photo to enlarge!

Natalie Cone,
winner of the Lookout Alabama SELTI Writing Contest

Congratulations to Natalie Cone, whose tourism short story "The Totem" won the Lookout Alabama SELTI Writing Contest! Read Natalie's story below, which will be published in the inaugural issue of Lookout Alabama 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 Cook Castle in Fort Payne, Alabama.

Senator Clay Scofield awards Natalie Cone the
2013 SELTI Tourism Fiction Award and a $500 check
from the Alabama Tourism Department.

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.

"THE TOTEM"

The real Connie from the Bookshelf Etc. bookstore in
Fort Payne, Alabama, sells a magical book with an
eagle totem to the fictional character Roy.

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. Connie, he thought, drawing her name to mind.

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. Roy tossed the book beneath the dog's feet and twisted the key in the ignition, returning back to his quiet campsite at DeSoto State Park.

Sitting in a lawn chair, Roy 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.

 

Roy reads the magical book before falling asleep at his
DeSoto State Park campsite.

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.

Roy 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.

It was the warmth of the sun that woke him. Roy uncurled from his lawn chair and yawned, feeling refreshed after such a deep nap. Roy 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.

 

Roy awakes in his ten year-old body.

“What the...” he muttered as he looked over at Beville, who stood as tall as his chest.

“Beville, you're huge.” It was when he spoke the words that he realized his voice had lost its depth. Roy 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.

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.

“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. Roy shook his head. “This can't be real.”

The woman from the neighboring campsite stared as she hung clothes on the line. He tugged at his shirt awkwardly.

“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.

“Hey, what do you think you're doing?” a voice called from behind him.

Roy turned, unable to think of a lie quickly enough. “If I told you, you'd never believe me.”

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 Roy. “Try me.”

“I fell asleep a grown man, and woke up like this.” The boy blinked, glanced at Roy's over-sized shirt, then nodded. Roy 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...” Roy held out his arms. “See?”

“That's so cool,” the boy said, then stuck out his hand. “I'm Aiden.”

“I'm Roy,” he said, shaking Aiden's hand. “So, you believe me, then?”

“Of course I do. Don't you believe in magic?”

“No. That's ridiculous.”

Aiden shook his head and sighed. “Let's see this book of yours.”

He thumbed through the book while Roy changed.

“Did you notice the map at the end of the book? It matches the one for DeSoto State Park. It says that a Cherokee figured out the secret of true life, but it's hidden at Laurel Falls.”

“What are you suggesting?”

Before Aiden could answer, Beville slurped a long tongue over his arm. “Great dog you have,” Aiden laughed. “He should come with us.”

“Come where?”

“To Laurel Falls. If we can find this totem, maybe it will have some kind of reverse effect and make you into a man again.”

“What totem?”

“It's the way Cherokee Indians stored magic, by making totems.”

“I don't know. I mean, how do we even know what it looks like?”

Aiden held up the book. “It's on the cover.”

Roy laughed, despite himself. “Well, I guess we should go try to find this totem.”

 

Roy and Aiden prepare to hike to Laurel Falls in
DeSoto State Park.

At the trail head, Aiden spread out the map. “If we start here it will lead us right to Laurel Falls. 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.”

Roy grinned. “You're pretty smart for a kid. How old are you?”

“Ten.”

“Me, too. I think.”

“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.”

“Why don't you have a dad?”

Roy and Aiden hike the real trail to Laurel Falls.

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.”

“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.”

Aiden nodded, straightening his backpack. “Yeah, I know what you mean. So, are you ready to go?”

Roy eyed Aiden's full pack. “Is all that really necessary?”

“Like I learned in boy scouts, always be prepared.”

Roy chuckled. “You would make a great soldier.”

Within minutes, Roy found Aiden to be very inquisitive. As Aiden fired off questions, Roy 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.

The boys arrive at Laurel falls

When the boys finally reached the falls, Aiden led the way around the other side. Laurel Falls 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.

“I think if you crawled over from this side and flatten yourself between the tiers, you could search behind the falls,” Aiden said.

Roy 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 Roy 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.

Roy finds the totem from the book
buried behind Laurel Falls.

Just before giving up, Roy 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.

It was the totem. An eagle with outstretched wings, just like the cover of the book.

Roy sighed with relief, gripping the small carved stone. He held it to his forehead and wished himself back into his real body. Nothing happened.

“Did you find anything?” Aiden shouted.

Roy 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.

Roy attempts to use the totem's magic
to make himself older again.

“I found it, alright,” he said. “But it doesn't work. All of this was for nothing.”

Roy tossed the totem into the pool of water and stormed away, leaving Aiden behind.

By the time Roy 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.

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.”

“I'm sorry, Aiden. I should have never left you like that.”

“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.

Aiden returns the totem to Roy.

Roy took it, the stone warm from Aiden's hand. “Did you learn that in scouts, too?”

“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.”

Roy slipped the totem around his neck. “I'll always remember you,” he said. “You're the best friend I never had.”

Aiden smiled. “Goodbye, Roy. 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.

Roy curled up to the fire. With the totem clutched in his fist, he drifted off to sleep.

Roy 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.

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. 

“Hi, Roy.”

Once Roy returns to his older body, he meets
Aiden's mother, Rachel.

Aiden's mother stood, her glossy brown hair hanging in waves at her shoulders. She held out a small hand. 

“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.”

“And a fourth,” Aiden laughed as Beville snagged a hot dog from the table.

Rachel giggled. Roy couldn't help but notice that her eyes glittered when she laughed.

Aiden patted the seat next to him. “Do you believe in magic, now?”

Roy smiled. “Sure do.”

***

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.

She smiled. “Good for you, Roy. One adventure down, another to go.”

THE END

Official Lookout Alabama SELTI Writing Contest Results

First Place "The Totem" by Natalie Cone

Second Place "Canyon Casanova" by Neal Wooten

Third Place "Coming Home" by Shawn Blankenship

Fourth Place "Mountain Memories" by Dedra Tuten

Fifth Place "Udowhi Odalv (Beautiful Mountain)" by Melonie M. King

SELTI and Lookout Alabama 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 Lookout Alabama magazine, so be sure and sign up for a subscription.

TOURISM GUIDE

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 Lookout Alabama SELTI Writing Contest. 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!

TOURISM LINKS

Story Links

The Bookshelf Etc.
The Book Shelf Etc. on Facebook

Desoto State Park

Area Links

Little River Canyon National Preserve

Dekalb County Tourism (wonderful area guide!)

Etowah County Tourism (another wonderful guide!)

Mentone. Featured in several finalists' tourism short stories

Lake Guntersville. Right next door and great fishing!

Alabama Tourism Department. Full state online tourism guide

Lookout Alabama SELTI Writing Contest Finalists Announced

Cook Castle, the venue where the winner of the Lookout Alabama SELTI Writing Contest will be announced.
Cook Castle is the home of Jeff Cook, of the famous Fort Payne music group Alabama.
Photo by Cook Castle Events.

The winner of the Lookout Alabama SELTI Writing Contest 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 Lookout Alabama magazine. 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 Lookout Alabama magazine in June, which will be distributed throughout the Southeast.

Lookout Alabama SELTI Writing Contest Finalists 

(in alphabetical order)

Shawn Blankenship for "Coming Home"

Natalie Cone for "The Totem"

Melonie A. McClenden-King for "Udowhi Odalv (Beautiful Mountain)"

Dedra Tuten for "Mountain Memories"

Neal Wooten for "Canyon Casanova"

One of these finalists will be declared the winner of the Lookout Alabama SELTI Writing Contest and receive the 2013 SELTI Tourism Fiction Award. Many thanks go out to everyone who entered this year's writing contest. Lookout Alabama magazine plans to publish more of the finalists' stories in future editions of the magazine.