By Lewis Chapman
The literary arts take center stage at the Johnson County Center for the Arts with local writers sharing their stories through book signings and author talks.
The Johnson County Center for the Arts is excited to host first time author Deena Madonna for a book signing and talk this coming Friday, October 9 at 3:30 p.m.
Madonna’s novel, The Bloodhound Trials, tells the story of retired war hero Gimiah Brimstone who lived in isolation.
“The Bloodhound Trials is my first complete manuscript,” said Madonna. “Though I work on several books at a time, this one is the first one I finished and the first one to be published. It is very special for me.”
Asked whether there is a connection between her books Madonna said, “No, all my books are quite different from each other. This one is a standalone, but I keep a few staple things throughout all my books that hopefully readers will notice.”
“After a tragedy in my life when I was 17 all the other stories I was writing took a backseat to this one that kept flowing and demanding my attention,” said Madonna. “Writing it really helped me heal. Art is strange and fantastic that way.”
Multi-talented, Madonna performs traditional and original Celtic music in the Voices of Valverda band with her sister and cousin. “I also sing original rock music,” said Madonna. “I’m a photographer, specializing in abstract, cinematic photography. My business is called Strange Folk Photography.”
Madonna’s next book is a single-volume epic fantasy titled The Gray Slave. She is also working on a fantasy Duology. “Writing is my life’s work,” said Madonna.
On Saturday, September 12 author Alice Diane Price held a book signing for her novel The Raising of Ida Kate; a story of an East Tennessee family during the Great Depression where hard times have left them with two difficult options: place mother and daughter in a state institution or entrust five-year-old Ida Kate to kind strangers.
Although she has lived in the Todd, NC area for the past thirty years, Price was born and raised in Rogersville, the second oldest town in Tennessee. The town and surrounding counties had an abundance of characters who always stoked her imagination.
“Since I was a teenager, I wanted to be a journalist. I started college with that in mind, but a series of unfortunate events upturned my plans, and I became a registered nurse instead,” said Price. “As my career grew, so did my desire to return to journalism. An opportunity presented itself, and I was able to get my journalism degree from the University of North Dakota.”
Price found her inspiration for The Raising of Ida Kate from stories told to her by family members, especially her grandmother. “After traveling and living away, I realized how unique the people and stories from my hometown and the Appalachian mountains were. Drawing on this insight and combining it with tales and experiences from my life, I put together The Raising of Ida Kate,” said Price.
“After obtaining my Family Nurse Practitioner degree and my journalism degree, I ran across a story in the Minneapolis Tribune featuring a physician seeking healthcare workers to travel clandestinely into war-torn Afghanistan to treat the wounded, as well as women and children who had dire health care needs,” said Price. “After accomplishing that mission, I traveled by train from Peshawar, Pakistan, to Calcutta, India, where I met and worked with Mother Teresa in her House of the Dying. I also was able to provide care in a leprosy colony she set up outside Calcutta. Working with Mother Teresa was a dream and honor of a lifetime.”
Most of Price’s characters are composites of people she has known through the years that seemed to be waiting for her to write their story. Many of the scenes are from real life. “One of the hardest scenes to write was of a lynching,” said Price. “After finishing that part of the book, I traveled to The Equal Justice Initiative museum in Montgomery, Alabama, to confirm certain details. To my dismay, the scene I wrote was not unusual, and, if anything, was less dramatic than it could have been.”
Currently Price is working on a sequel to The Raising of Ida Kate, as well as putting together a book/memoir of her time in Afghanistan.
On the first Saturday of September author Chuck Walsh gave a very informative and entertaining presentation for his recent novel The Isolate: The Saga of Nick Grindstaff.
You can find books from these local authors and others at the Johnson Center for the Arts Gallery on Main at 129 W. Main St., Mountain City, TN
