 |
Y’all remember Tammy singing “Our D-I-V-O-R-C-E …becomes final today?”
Well, dear readers (and I’m grateful for every one), this is something similar.
It’s official, this is the last column I’ll be writing.
Been doing it since 2012, never missed a deadline, every-other-week for 10 years and tried not to repeat myself, make every one different.
Publisher David Brown and the entire Cherokee Scout staff always treated me kindly, with patience. I was the oldest employee, the proverbial “old man” that every outfit has, been around longer than anyone.
I’ve enjoyed it but the time has come to hang it up. It says in the Good Book that there’s a time for everything and so it’s my time, before they have to run me off for dementia or general incompetence.
My four novels, and the three books of my columns, will continue to be available at the Scout office.
‘Real Mountain Tales’
Writing a column on alternating weeks year-round nets the author with 26 tales each year.
I’d already been paid for them, copyrighted in my name, decided to pick the best for each time period and started publishing Real Mountain Tales.
The first book came out in 2017, the second in 2019 and the final one, Real Mountain Tales #3, was printed in Atlanta in April.
It has the true story of a woman on a Delta Airlines flight from New York down to Atlanta who was caught breast-feeding her hairless cat. You might remember that one.
The earlier Tales books have the Lincoln link to our Harshaw cemetery here, various stories about logging, moonshining, country music, etc. Good stories everywhere.
For example, I said Burt Reynolds invented the whitewater industry with his role in the movie Deliverance. Till then, we’d caught trout in the fast river water, cared nothing about kayaks or canoes.
On writing novels
Wrote four novels in the 1990s and early 2000s, all four went to regular publishers, not self-published. Two set in the Civil War years, one in World War II and one in modern times.
All are based on various true incidents, but modified to fit plot line and time line of each book. All, of course, are fiction.
Rebel Bushwhacker, for example, is based roughly on a real Rebel guerrilla who massacred several youths going to join the Union Army in Cleveland, Tenn. It occurred where U.S. 64 crosses the Madden Branch on the backwaters of Parksville Lake. There’s a historical marker at McCaysville, Ga., with all the real names but the book is historical fiction.
Murder in Caney Fork has been optioned by an Atlanta film company to hopefully be made into a Netflix series. Others are in the pipeline in front, I hope to live long enough to see my name in the credits. And on the check.
Last book signing
I plan to do one more book signing in Murphy, have reserved the community room at the public library for this coming Saturday morning at 10 o’clock. You’re invited.
Hope to tell a few stories, sign and sell a few books.
I don’t see why you want me to sign the book, I told some friends. I’m the same old jerk I always was, nothing’s changed.
Yes, but you’re a famous jerk now, they said. Sign it, and it’ll probably be worth a lot of money in the future.
Don’t hold your breath, I said, but glad to sign for free all books they buy.
It’s been fun, thanks for reading my stories. Be good to each other, and take care.
Wally Avett first wrote for the Cherokee Scout as editor in 1969. His books are available as signed copies at the Scout office in Murphy. Call him at 837-5531 or email wallyavett@gmail.com.