Dr Bob

Ponca City, Oklahoma

2010-06-22T18:38:00.001-07:00

How should I describe the journey to Ponca and back? Magical – I think I’ll go with that. The conversations were just unbelievable and the way folks honored me was – well, magical.

First there was Friday night at Ody’s… The girls of ’79 stopped by to visit – Sandy, Collette, Lori (see I do know who you are), Keri, Jackie, and Darla (never could keep you two straight). Edie and Kris completed the chicks that hovered around me and Brad, boy we were having some fun.

Sandy presented me with a gift from her son Ian. In fine Native American tradition he gifted me something that had been given to him at Ted’s funeral. To say I was touched would be a massive understatement… it was the first time I cried this fine weekend, but would not be the last. I worried that the fictionalization of Ted in my book might not hit just right. Guess I got my answer.

The book signing at Brace Books was beyond spectacular!! Sandy brought Ted’s mom and little brother… I cried again. Then there was a string of old friends, classmates, folks I’d gone to church with, men and women I’d gone to school with, man it was AWESOME!!

I sold out of books, plus six more on order… then in walked an old man who asked me if I knew who he was. I responded with “I’m gonna call you Chuck Schneider” I hadn’t seen my 9th grade football coach in over 30 years, but I knew him in an instant. I owe him a debt no little boy can repay. He made a man out of me during a very difficult year. He trusted me and he guided me and he was clearly the man I wanted to be. I got misty-eyed a bit again. I’ll have to continue to try to pay that debt forward.

Edie and I toured the town, took pictures and found that the descriptions of Ponca Lake (oops, Flint Lake) in my book were accurate enough to produce a painting by her that matched a photo taken by her this past weekend (her first time to Ponca Lake).
It was an amazing journey and I owe a great debt of gratitude to all who came out to see the “author” and his cover artist. We all had a grand time, thanks so very, very much!!! We think we might just have to try this again closer to the holiday season, so if you missed us this time – please keep in touch and maybe we can see you then!

The Larimer family included us in their entire weekend and we had a wonderful time with them, maybe we should do that more often too! Go Wildcats!!!!

Ponca City in June

2010-06-02T17:33:00.000-07:00

Ponca City is set, June 19th 2:00 to 3:30 and June 20th 1:00 to 2:30 both at BRACE BOOKS. If you want to buy a book there - some will be available, otherwise purchase at Amazon.com and bring your copy in for autograph. Hope to see everyone there! I am very excited. Special thanks to Brad, Kristi and Edie for making it all possible.... Jerry Brace is pretty awesome too :)

Ponca City here we come

2010-05-17T16:41:00.001-07:00

Yes, that's my daughter at the book signing at TCU last week. I am going to assume - by the expression - she had a fun time. It is glorious to enjoy conversations with the hundreds of people I have been associated with through this process. However, I must admit that the affection and approval of a daughter (and son) mean so much more!!!

NEXT UP WE ARE HEADED TO PONCA CITY. Yea, so Ponca boy does good, publishes a novel and gets to come back home for a book signing. Life is great!

Brace Bookstore
June 19th (and hopefully the 20th)
More details will follow, specific times for each day. It's looking like 2-3:30 on Saturday. You can purchase FLINT online and bring it to be signed, or you can buy a copy at the store thaat day. Either way, come out and see us!!

Seriously, if you are in the Central/North Oklahoma region come see me. If you grew up in Ponca, I can assure you you will recognize "Flint". The book is a fun read I think (well, fun with the serial killer thing woven in), and the conversations around an event like we are planning will be worth your time.

More details later!

Dickinson High School

2010-05-17T16:36:00.000-07:00

The Career Fair at Dickinson HS was a tremendous success. They made me feel like a true "rock star".... I even had one youngster come up to me after one of the sessions and ask me to sign her hand (said she'd never met a real author) hahaha. It was great. I know true rock stars usually sign other body parts --- but hey, keep it clean it was a high school after all.

We talked about SHSU, the writing process, the publishing process, and how to write a "kick-ass first line". Thanks Steve Sherwood. Yea it was a wonderful time, hosted by Celeste Brooks and Mrs. Gray - they treated me like royalty and the kiddos were awesome!

Whether or not I make any money on my first novel, I can certainly say that the expereinces afforded me on this journey have fully exceeded my wildest imagination. The conversations at all of the signings, parties, and now the career day have been so spectacular it would diminish them if I tried to elaborate.

The Latest

2010-05-03T12:13:00.000-07:00

SATURDAY, MAY 8TH 11:00 TO 2:00 BOOK SIGNING AT THE TCU CAMPUS BOOKSTORE (B&N).

That being said, I should also include that the book party at the Bone House in Huntsville was a HUGE success. We had many, many in attendance - much good conversation and the band was superb.

We had dignitaries from the Huntsville area that were gracious and kind - keeping me entertained as well. I think the whole affair was wonderful.

The book signing the night before at Hasting's here in Huntsville was quite well attended as well. Many good conversations about writing and publishing and about FLINT.

Hope to see you all out on the road at some point!!! Remember, if you like the book - tell everyone you know!

Next Up

2010-04-15T17:26:00.000-07:00

March 23 - Friday....
Book signing at the Hastings in Huntsville, TX. All my south Texas followers who were unable to make it to the signings at SHSU are certainly welcome to come out and see me starting at 6:30! We will have a grand time!

Possibilities? Career day at a local high school in May

Certainties? A book signing in my home town of Ponca City (probably in June) stay tuned!!!

Thanks to you all for your continued support.... if you liked the book - suggest it to all your friends!

SHSU Book Signings

2010-03-26T08:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I have to admit the signings at Sam Houston this week were quite successful. We sold a bunch of copies of FLINT... but more significantly were the people who came out.

I had several current and former students stop by to get the signature - which was very flattering. Great conversations and great to see all of you. I also had some folks just wander by and come over and entertained me with great questions and conversation.

The add to that my wonderful colleagues that stopped by... Dean Brown, Dean Irby, The Ezelles, The LaPrairie family, The Jessica Garrett family, Chair of C&I Daphne Johnson, Sam Sullivan, Bill Edgington, they all came by to chat and the conversations were rich and wonderful!!

The cool thing about book parties and signings is not so much the sales, but the conversations and questions. Thought provoking questions are the best... especially from students that are thinking they want to write.

How long did it take to find a publisher
How long did it take to write
How did you accomplish character development

So many great questions... such a wonderful time. I even had several conversations with students that were critical of certain parts of the book - and those conversations were GREAT, very enlightening and right on the money I thought!

I hope y'all had half the fun I did!!

Remember... if you love FLINT tell everyone you know. If you don't like it - well, keep that to yourself!

The First Book Signing for FLINT

2010-03-17T08:58:00.000-07:00

The first signing was a huge success!! Jack and Gail Hartsfield hosted the party at their home, just like the many Xmas parties and other gatherings they have hosted through the years. The crowd was awesome, the friendships rich, and the conversations light and fun. The reading that I chose was from a section of the book that describes two of the main characters attending a party at Frank and Gayle Hart's home..... yea I know, but sometimes you just can't make this stuff up. I think everyone had a great time, I know I did. It was a very honoring moment in my life. The fact that friends will gather and place one in a position of "spotlight" is quite humbling! Spectacular!! There was good food, excellent drink, oh - and some musical numbers from the CRESTLINERS. Too much fun!

The next event will be on campus here at Sam Houston State University!
Tuesday, March 23 12-2:00 and Thursday, March 25 6-8:00 at the LSC (university bookstore)
Copies of FLINT will be available there and I will be on-site to sign. I hope to see all my friends in south Texas there for these events!

Coming soon in April (24th) will be a gathering at the BoneHouse. A chance for all of my friends and all of Dan Phillip's friends to gather.... check out the progress of the BoneHouse and hear a reading by me from FLINT. A combined event for viewing the house and the book!! How much fun could that be???

Flint available now!

2010-02-20T09:51:00.000-08:00

You can purchase your copy of the novel FLINT by going to www.aberdeenbay.com or searching amazon.com.

If you are going to attend a book signing or a book party I respectfully request that you purchase a copy online and bring it with you to the event. That will help me in many ways.

We are working on a couple of book signing events at the campus bookstore on campus at SHSU (a Barnes and Noble). When I get specific events I will post them all over! We are looking at weekday dates the first weeks of March.

The first book party will be in Ft Worth at my great freinds Jack and Gail Hartsfield's place. It will be a wonderful gathering at which there will be the normal fun and excitement provided by our wonderful hosts, plus a conversation with me including a reading from Flint! This event will take place March 13th.

The second book party will be at the Bonehouse in Huntsville later in March.... more details to come.

The third event will be in Ponca City, Oklahoma (it is the setting) sometime in April... still working on that!!

Also, centered around these parties will be bookstore signings.... so if you can't crash the party you can catch me at a local bookstore. These places and dates will also be communicated ASAP.

It's a fun read, not a long one... The plot centers around a serial killer that is on the loose. Also central to the theme of the book is many Native American traditions and involvements. I also added a few old "school stories" as the main character is just an "old school guy" who happens to know a little something about Native American history and how it all threads together!

Thanks in advance for your interest in the book, and in me. I appreciate it more than you could ever know! I look forward to having many "Flint conversations" with everyone. I will see you all very soon! Oh, and if you love the book tell everyone you know..... if you like it - tell everyone you know.... if you hate it - well tell me and then keep that to yourself -- ha ha ha.

Bob

More about FLINT

2010-01-28T12:31:00.000-08:00

Okay, so now we have a release date... February 21st and we are all busy running around scheduling things for such a happening. There will be book parties, book signings, cultural institutes, press releases, radio shows, wow. If you want a sneak peak at the cover (artwork by Edie Wells) go to ....

www.aberdeenbay.com

There it is on teh front page! (well for now)... also i am on the Author page.

I want to say a big thank you to Kristie Stevens for all of her awesome help. She is my publicist and she is phenomenal. I will have a difficult time keeping up with her, lol.

We have plans, but no solid dates yet. I await an email with some answers, then we will set some dates and let the WHOLE world know.... be prepared.

Flint - A Novel by Me

2010-01-14T13:30:00.000-08:00

Okay, the risk here is that humility may fly out the window. Maybe not. I have written a novel, and it looks like I have found a publisher (Aberdeen Bay Press). It may soon go to press and be available 90 days after that day. The name of the piece is FLINT and it is set in the fictional town of Flint, Oklahoma. The synopsis goes something like this....

In the small Oklahoma community of Flint, Dr. Bill Spence pursues a ruthless serial killer. The murderer is determined to make these crimes appear as though the Cheyenne are responsible. Diamond Oil Company refinery workers have gone out on strike and the tension is mounting. The evidence at the crime scene is a graphic replication of Native American battlefield mutilations. Bill Spence’s area of expertise leads him to uncover the killer’s intended scenario replicating the Greasy Grass battlefield. Bill receives assistance from his good friend and Cheyenne insider, Ben Freeman, as he navigates each terrifying crime collecting clues to help the local police solve these grizzly murders. Ben is implicated even though he appears to be above such a crime spree, because he keeps showing up at the scene at the wrong time. The Cheyenne decide it is time to step outside the law and perform the Sun Dance to purify their people. Bill relies on his friend Kristine to keep him focused on the terrible discoveries he makes as the killer seems to be focusing on Bill and intending to clue him in on the next move. Bill Spence starts to put the elements of the crimes together when he runs into an old high school sweetheart who has mysteriously moved back to Flint to date a man that suddenly becomes a person of interest in Bill’s mind. Bill swings by Kristine’s place to see her and discovers that she is missing. The police chase that ensues takes them to Tommy Nash and the Diamond Oil museum housed in the old family mansion. Can Bill make it to the serial killer before he ends Kristine’s life or will she be his latest victim?

Wish me luck and I will involve everyone I can in this new journey. I have no idea what all lies ahead, but certainly book parties and book signings as frequently as I can schedule them, probably starting in May?

The story is about a "school guy" who gets twisted into a serial killer's spree and ends up solving the murders. If you like that kind of book, get ready to buy a copy. It will be on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Ask any questions you like and I will do my best to be attentive.....

Cheers,
Bob