Meet some really great folks!

The Lake Sinclair Book Club – a wonderful group of people!

This is a first installment to help everyone catch up on my recent activities.  I’ve been appearing at literary conferences, visiting book clubs and have been out promoting my new book, Blue Water, Red Blood.

Today’s post is dedicated to the Lake Sinclair Book Club located in the Eatonton – Milledgeville GA area. What a great group! I had the opportunity to talk to them about The Cross on Cotton Creek, my Civil War novel set in that area. I always enjoy meeting with book clubs – they reaffirm my contention that READERS ARE THINKERS – but this proved to be an extraordinary experience. First, the group was very well read. Their knowledge of authors and works, modern and classic, was, indeed,  extensive. Second, they’re completely versed on local history and asked excellent questions about my novel. They even provided info for the sequel I’m working on. Third, they proved just how small this world can be. One lady was from the same small community where my book September on Echo Creek was set and is a relative of one my friends who lives there. Another lady had lived next door to a friend and coaching opponent in Brunswick, GA in the past. A third had lived in the same community I’d resided in and we shared some common memories.

I’m reticent to “name names” in a blog, so I’ll use first names only and only a few of them. My most sincere thanks to Debra and Dennis for hosting the event.

Just a reminder – If you’d like a speaker at your book club, civic organization, library, or literary event, contact me through my web site – http://www.dlhavlin.com – and I’ll try my best to oblige. I don’t charge for appearances, but do ask that we find a way to defray my expense. We can work to come up with common sense ways to make it affordable for us both. (A stop on my way to another literary event, etc.)

Visit me at my other internet homes:

http://www.dlhavlin.com       and      http://www.sandysays1.wordpress.com

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“From the shores of Sarasota to the mountains of NC…”

The Manatees are back safely!

This is a “where I’ve been” and “where I’m going” update, related to you in a U.S. Marine Corps hymn fashion.  Why is that appropriate?  My new book, Blue Water, Red Blood was released May 1st and should be hitting bookstore book shelves by mid-month.  The “near-history” novel is an added verse to the famous Corps song that’s a tribute to its members heroism and actions of one of its most outstanding officers, Major General Holland M. Smith.  It tells the stories of Smith and Don Roebling (Grandson of the builder of the Brooklyn Bridge).  Their efforts developing amphibious tactics and the machine to carry them out plus some unbelievable coincidences, made the landings on WW II’s Pacific Island beaches, possible.  Visit my web site for more info on the book.

“From the shores of Sarasota” refers to my attendance at the Florida Sister Cities Conference.  Several authors including yours truly represented state writers at the “Florida Authors Showcase” sponsored by that organization.  Besides enjoying Lido Beach and the Helmsley Sandcastle Resort, I got to meet and enjoy a number of outstanding authors.  I particularly enjoyed my discussions with Virginia Czaja (aka Crane), Jane Kirshner-Tuccillo, and Gerard Hasenhuettl.  Pick up one of their books for a really quality read.  The Sarasota Sister Cities Folks…Gayle, Tom, Linda, Kim, sorry I don’t remember all the names…were so welcoming I felt like a true visiting “sister.”

“To the mountains of NC,” refers to my attendance at the Blue Ridge Bookfest, in Hendersonville, North Carolina.  I’ll be there Friday May17th and Saturday May 18th.  The Bookfest is held at the Blue Ridge Community College.  Visit me there!  Hendersonville is a very pretty and hospitable city in North Carolina’s mountain country, near an area renowned for its waterfalls.

On my way there I’ll be speaking at the Lake Sinclair Book Club.  It’s in Eatotnton GA where my novel, The Cross on Cotton Creek, is sited.  I picked the location because of the great impression I had when I met some of its friendly, wonderful people on a chance pass-through and the fact that it was part of the area Sherman marched over on his way to Savannah.  Little did I know that this picturesque area spawned three literary notables – Flannery O’Connor (Wise Blood/A good Man is Hard to Find), Alice Walker (The Color Purple), and Joel Chandler Harris the “father” of  Brer Fox, Brer Rabbit, and all the other characters devised for stories that became the the Disney movie Song of the South. 

A Hendersonville area waterfall

DL, Gerrard, & Virginia

Visit me if you can!

PS – Our manatees are back!  We were concerned the extended family that frequents our canal had fallen victim to the “red tide” algae that has killed so many.  We had seven that have returned as of yesterday.

 

Read my other sites  http://www.dlhavlin.com  and  http://www.sandysays1.wordpress.com  for more info and laughs.

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Sometimes you “Otter” be careful.

I learned something over this last weekend.  In fact, several things.  My wife and I invited some friends to go fishing with us.  It was a beautiful Florida day for it has turned more summer than spring here.  I know many of my readers might wince at that since the northern US continues to see colder than normal temps.  Try visualizing mid-80s, a moderate breeze, clear turquoise waters, palms swaying and white beach sands.  Ahhhhhhh!

We wanted our friends to have a day of fun.  J and I have enjoyed listening to our guest play Bluegrass on his banjo over the years and we wanted to “pay it back.”  Mr. Keith and his beautiful, intelligent wife, Darlene, produce bluegrass festivals and Keith leads his own band.  In my opinion he’s Florida’s Earl Scruggs.

Our friends, live inland, are busy folks, and don’t often get a chance to enjoy the coast.  The fishing wasn’t great, but it was good enough so that by noon we’d put five nice sea trout in the cooler.  They were 18 to 20 inches long.  Though supper was taken care of, we needed lunch.  And, we needed a rest from throwing back 14 inchers (one inch under the limit) so we headed to a little piece of paradise nestled in SW Florida.

Cabbage Key is that little piece of paradise.  Located in Pine Island Sound near Fort Myers, Sanibel and Captiva, it’s a resort and restaurant that’s only accessible by boat.  When you step off the vessel into its tropical splendor, you’re transported back in time to a slower life style…virtually, you feel like an extra in a Bogart-Becall movie.  Stress evaporates.  The slow moving ceiling fans, trophy fish hanging on the walls…walls that are papered with dollar bills… and the coconut palms, royal palms and banyon trees form picture frames for the blue-green waters surrounding the island— Well, the scene leaves the word paradise lacking.

While we were eating lunch, I was to learn that even if you are born in a place, think you know it and its critters, you can always learn something.  I returned to the boat before the others to straighten up a bit.  A man sitting in the craft next to mine smiled and said, “I think you’re gonna have to start over on your fishin’.”  He pointed to the floor of my boat. “A bunch of otters done crawled in and got your fish outta the cooler.”  Sure enough, all five trout were either gone completely or lie on the fiberglass, half masticated from the center out.

I know better than to leave anything in a boat after dark in Florida for it’s sure to have a visit from raccoons on an eat, destroy and poop mission.  But in mid-day light, with fifty folks milling around? No way!  I thought I had no worries.  Wrong.  Otters are a “wild” animal, unthinking critters, right.  Guess what?  They learn very quickly where the food comes from when a few well-meaning, misguided folks pull a fish out of the Coleman Cooler.

While I sat on the boat cleaning blood and guts from the floor, I glanced at the transom.  One of the culprits had his paws on the transom’s top as he peered at me, trying to decide if I’d object to him finishing his meal.  I couldn’t be upset with the cute little rascals.  There were five of them, mom, dad and three pups, swimming around the boat.  I wish I’d had a camera.  As bad as I wanted to, I fought the urge to simply toss the carcasses over the side.  In the long term it wouldn’t be fair to the otters.  Story shortened…we more than replenished the cooler with trout and mackerel…with ones as large and larger than those we’d caught in the morning.

Money for wallpaper

Odds & Ends:

I enjoyed meeting so many of my readers at the ABC Authors Market in Punta Gorda last Saturday.  Thanks for stopping by.  I’ll be at the Sister Cities convention in Sarasota this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. (May 2-4)  It’s held at the Helmsley Sandcastle Resort on the beach.  I’ll have copies of my new novel Blue Water, Red Blood that is released tomorrow!  If you’re in the area, stop and see me.  I’ll be in the Florida Author’s Showcase in the main lobby near the registration desk.

visit http://www.sandysays1.wordpress.com for my Golden Retriever’s latest thoughts  and my web site  http://www.dlhavlin.com

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Long Trips, pregnancies, and waiting for a book to be published…they all never seem to end.

“Are we there yet?” I don’t know a parent that hasn’t been subjected to the phrase. I’m sure I was guilty as a child. My father probably thought I was a broken record as we went on one of our many fishing trips. He learned to answer me with some generalized platitude he could mutter without giving much thought to the issue.

Most every woman I’ve ever met has told me the they had the same feeling toward the end of their nine months. One lady told me that she cold swear that her babies could, magically, reach out of her tummy and grasp the arms on the clock, slowing it to a crawl. That creates a weird visual for me every time I think about it.

My editor must feel the same about me as my father did and the ladies I’ve known who were expecting. This “trip baby”  is the publishing of my latest novel, Blue Water, Red Blood.  It seems like it took forever for this one to clear the womb. The long suffering Rebecca has had to listen to me whine as she went through the throes of completing a major up-grade to her publishing house. Like a trip with my dad, I can see the “lake” straight ahead. We’ll get there on May 1st! That’s for both print and electronic copies.

I’ll have copies of Blue Water, Red Blood for my next events.  I’ll be in Punta Gorda, FL at Fisherman’s Wharf for the ABC’s Authors Market on Saturday April 27th form 10 until 6.  The following Thursday, Friday and Saturday, I’ll be appearing at the Sister Cities of Florida’s Authors Showcase in Sarasota. The Event will be held in the Helmsley Sandcastle Resort, in the main lobby across from the registration desk.

All you Second World War and Florida history buffs will enjoy this “near history” novel about the development of amphibious warfare. Don Roebling grandson of the Brooklyn Bridge’s builder and Holland Smith the Marine General who led most of the island invasions across the central Pacific are two real-life characters who made this possible.  I’d worry about inventing them as pure fiction…their lives and personalities were way out there and might not be believable to some. A big part of the story starts and ends in Florida. The 1928 hurricane started its development as a rescue vehicle and ended with the Florida manufacture of the critical vehicle which made the amphibious war possible.

The cover for my new book – BLUE WATER, RED BLOOD – Cool isn’t it!

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Of Open Mics, Graphite Avengers, and Rotarians

The last three weeks were busy ones.  I mentioned places I’d be going in my last post.  I made all of those plus more.   To all of you I met during the Open Mic series of events in Jacksonville, thanks for your cordial hospitality.  A special thanks to very special friends Christina and Randy for putting up with me as their house guest and to Caryn Suarez for doing her usual magnificent job in setting up and running the events that were the kick-off for Open Mic.

Just a reminder, Open Mic is a book comprised of twenty Florida author’s works selected and donated for inclusion in this volume (a chapter from one of my “to be pubed” books is in it) whose sales are used to benefit the Optimus Literary Institute of America that attacks illiteracy.  You can obtain a copy of the book and help a great cause at  http://CDSPublicity.com

Know what a Graphite Avenger is?  I’m one.  It’s the name my son invented for our “good ol’ boys” fishing and hunting club.  We schedule one trip a year to some unique destination one member chooses.

Graphite Avengers 2013

The Avengers are a combo of good friends with a generational twist.  My son and grandson are members as are my best friend, his son, son-in-law, and grandson.  So is my boy’s frat brother and best friend. We have a great time whether we catch fish or not.  This year’s destination was in the Apalachicola area of Florida’s panhandle.  The weather was uncooperative – cold – rainy – VERY windy.  We had a great time, however, telling lies to each other and eating oysters, steak and shrimp.

Rotary Club Naples

The Rotary Club Naples

The high point of my last couple of weeks was my opportunity to visit with the Naples Rotary Club in its beautiful meeting place in the Naples Beach Hotel.  What a great group of ladies and gentlemen!  I discussed some of the little known historical facts contained in my new book Blue Water, Red Blood which will be released by my publisher on May 1st.  This “near history” novel high-lights how events in Florida and bizarre coincidences combined to shape world events.  If the question…How did the 1928 hurricane, the Brooklyn Bridge, a Christmas cocktail party, a man who’s anger earned him the name “Howlin’ Mad, and a wealthy boy with nothing to do combined to help win WW II?…intriques you…read the book!

Where I’ve been…Where I’m going…

The last couple weeks have been busy ones and the next two or three will be equally as hectic.  I did a book signing at Sandman Book Company in Punta Gorda Florida.  It’s one of my favorite places to go.  Sandman and its owner Heidi are throw-backs to the days when the small, high-service independent book store was the prevalent source of finding that right book purchase.  Those owners had the book market computer in their heads with the added advantage of knowing their customers and matching the book and person perfectly. Sandman has 60,000 titles on their shelves and Heidi seems to know something about each one! When I travel to Sandman I don’t expect to sell a truck load of titles – a large portion of the stores sales are via the Internet and I believe I’ll benefit from that portion of their business.  If there’s a special book you’re looking for, try going to my web site http://www.dlhavlin.com  and clinking on the Sandman Book Co. link.  Heidi can find it for you!

Of course, I participated in the Randell Research Center’s Calusa Heritage Day (that was the subject of my previous post – check it out, it’s interesting) so I’ll not say more about it.  That takes several days of prep, lots of work and it provides lots of enjoyment and satisfaction from helping a truly worth-while cause.

Last Saturday I attended the 14th Annual Southwest Florida Reading Festival in the beautiful Riverside Events Hall in downtown Ft. Myers, Florida.  What a great event!  The Lee County Library folks do a bang-up job in staging the festival.  One of the things I love about these opportunities is the chance to meet so many of my favorite type of people – readers.  I’ve gotten enough books out that many folks visit me to tell me how they like my work and, most importantly, buy my latest novels. Sales were great.  The festival was the first time I was able to try my “Table Theater” that uses a projected power point presentation to tell a mini story about each of my novels. It worked fine.

I’m in the process of preparing to go to Jacksonville for the “Open Mic” weekend and presentations.  Open Mic is a charitable project sponsored by the Optimus Literary Institute of America.  Led and made successful through the efforts of CDS’s President, Caryn Saurez, authors from the area and around the state provide short bit of authored material for a collection turned into a book. All of the sales from the book go to fighting illiteracy. Great isn’t it?  I’ll be at three events – Thursday 3/21 I’ll be at the Black Horse Winery from 7 to 9 PM – Friday 3/22 I’ll be at Crispers Restaurant on St Johns Blvd. from 6 to 9 PM – and at the Mandarin Barnes & Noble (San Jose Blvd.) from 12:30 to 3:30 PM. Come out and see me, Jacksonville’s mayor (I understand he’ll be at least one event) and help a great cause by buying a book.

I’ll also be back doing speaking engagements and signings in Southwest Florida in the following weeks.  On Wednesday, April 3rd I’ll be speaking to the Naples Rotary Club at the Naples Beach Hotel at noon to tell them about my new book Blue Water Red Blood and its connection with Florida history.  That Saturday, April 6th I’ll be doing a book signing at Barnes & Noble in Fort Myers on the South Tamiami Trail from 1 to 2:30 PM.  I hope to get to see you!

visit my web site at http://www.dlhavlin.com  and my Golden Retriever Sandy’s blog for commentary on humanity from a canine point-of-view.

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Isn’t it great when should do and fun to do are the same?!

A tour at Randell Research Center

Sunset on Pine Island Sound

The Sawfish Exhibit

Gumbo-Limbo tree

There are things we do because we feel we should. There are things we do because we want to share, with others, a “gold nugget”  that we’ve enjoyed.  And, of course, we do things because they’re fun. Isn’t it great when all three of these coincide? This last weekend was one of those occasions. The annual Calusa Heritage Day was held at the University of Florida’s Randell Research Center on Pine Island, Florida. Yep, I know there are multiple Pine Islands in the Sunshine State. This one is located near Fort Myers and Sanibel.

The event derives its name from the Indian tribe that dominated the southern portion of Florida for nearly 2000 years. It’s a celebration of their civilization. We often overlook the complexity and achievements of our native American fore-bearers. The Randell Research Center, a fifty-four acre archaeological site, provides ample proof that discounting those people’s achievements is a major error. The Randell family donated the land and the public at large owes this family a large thank you. It takes far-sighted, generous individuals to donate bay-front property in the center of one of the most desirable retirement and playground areas in the state.

The site is unique in that it is right on the water and the sandy soil permits salt water intrusion. This results in the preservation of materials that would normally succumb to oxidation and other forces time exerts on wood, seeds, etc. For example, it was widely believed the Spanish imported the papaya to Florida. Thanks to the conditions at Randell, 1900 year old papaya seeds have been found in the middens (mounds). There weren’t  any Conquistidores spreading seeds back then. The Calusa were sea-faring, mound-building folk that lived by fishing and gathering. For this reason, they kept their villages in close proximity to the water. Because the Gulf of Mexico’s level has changed six feet in the last 2000 years, the settlements yo-yoed back and forth. Dropped and buried items were preserved. (The Gulf of Mexico has been four feet higher and two feet lower than it is today during that time period.)

The Calusa had a highly efficient military establishment, very evolved spiritual beliefs, and were first-class engineers. Their engineering prowess is exemplified by a two-and-a-half mile canal they constructed across the island that was eight feet deep, thirty feet wide and featured recharge ponds… built so they didn’t have to paddle their canoes around the eighteen mile long island. They did this with shell tools!

Calusa Heritage Day celebrates this society through speakers led by UF’s Dr. Bill Marquardt, the sites director, Dr. Karen Walker, and many other noted historians and scientists that share their knowledge with the people that attend. And, that’s anyone who wants to learn. My small part in the celebration is the “Calusa Tastings.” We prepare the foods that the Calusa ate over open fires. Those attending get the opportunity to slurp an oyster, savor a clam, munch on a mullet, pop in a mouthful of papaya, chomp on chili peppers, or enjoy some heart of palm.

It’s too late to participate in Calusa Heritage Day this year, but you can visit the Randell Research Center all year round, enjoying artifacts displayed there and tours either guided… or by making the site path’s circuit, reading the explanations on display podiums. It’s a “do not miss” for all visitors to southwest Florida and all that’s required to enjoy this is a small donation that makes it affordable to everyone. Heritage Day will be back next March. Visit Margi, Jeanelle, Frank, Tom, Bo and me then. (That’s my terrific “tastings” team.) We’ll be shucking oysters and grilling mullet for all to try.

I’ve included a few pics to pique your appetite. For more info Google “Randell Research Center” or visit  http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/rrc/.

The Tastings Table before the rush

Ummm! Ummm! Mullet

visit my web site at  http://www.dlhavlin.com  and  visit my Golden Retrievers blog for a canine view of human behavior at http://www.sandysays1.wordpress.com

AND come visit me the Southwest Florida Reading Festival this Saturday, March 16th from 10 AM until 4 PM at the Riverside Event Center in downtown Ft. Myers.

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