Author talk to annual library gathering to focus on self publishing

Next Thursday (Jan. 27) I will be the speaker at the Friends of the Mobile Public Library Annual Meeting. The event will be at the West Regional branch, on Grelot Road.  As we speak, I'm putting together a talk about self-publishing, which, at least in my case, was one helluva challenge.

Below is the announcement on the library's web-page, with all the relevant information.

Come join us for our annual meeting. We'll begin with a social hour and light refreshments and then have a brief business meeting at 6 p.m. in which we will elect new officers for 2011 and vote on other matters pertinent to the FOL. All current FOL members and those who wish to join are invited to this event. Following the meeting we'll hear from our guest speaker, Eddie Curran, author of TheGovernor of Goat Hill.

Eddie Curran is author of The Governor of Goat Hill, a searing exposé of former Alabama governor Don Siegelman's corrupt administration and the hoaxing of the national media's coverage of the story. He was born in Mobile and has spent most of his life here. A graduate of St. Paul's Episcopal School and Washington & Lee University, he majored in American History and began his career at the Big Spring Herald in West Texas. He moved back to Mobile in 1988 to began what would become almost 20 years at the Press-Register. He was a sports writer until moving to news in 1994 and soon gravitated to investigative-type reporting, primarily regarding politics and the courts until 2007, when he left the newspaper to write The Governor of Goat Hill.

Mr. Curran will entertain attendees with his experiences in the pleasures and pitfalls of self-publishing and will also announce the winner of the Writing Contest for Mobile's high school students, for which the FOL provides awards.

Like last year, tickets will be issued at the door to FOL members for a post-meeting drawing for signed first editions and advance reading copies of books provided by Bienville Books. Authors include William Peter Blatty, Michael Connelly, Kim Edwards, Rohdi Hawk, River Jordan, Sharyn McCrumb, Bernadette Peters and many others.

Please RSVP to bienvillebooks@aol.com or call 432-1421 and leave a message to let us know if you will attend. Reservations are not necessary but are strongly encouraged so we may plan the refreshment budget. 

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