"Back Where It All Began..."

This weekend I had the privilege to return to the very place that inspired my debut literary novel: Proud Souls. I visited Seymour, Texas on Friday the 14th to shoot some videos, meet new friends and sign some books. It was an incredible trip and for a writer who was fortunate to visit a small chapter of the world that would later lead to the opening pages of a draft that would then become a novel length manuscript--the end result was nothing short of amazing. I was reminded both in the moment where I stood at the cabin porch looking over the same settings as my hero--Justin Olerude Bower--and again when I sat down with the members of the Seymour Writer's Group--that despite what I felt about my progress as an artist...I have moved forward and I have something to offer other would-be writers.

I started the trip with some footage of me discussing the concept of creating Proud Souls while driving West on Highway 199/114. Before arriving in town however I contacted the good people (Jo Petty & Samantha Spurgeon) at the Seymour Police Department to help formulate a practical joke on the Chief of Police--Tommy Duncan. With the help of Officer Mike Hansen, we simulated an arrest (and Mike even processed my license to make the arrest seem real) and waited to see if Tommy would take the bait. I had to warn Mike that although he was working to make the joke seem more real--once I heard them call out prior addresses and my parents info I had to warn him there might actually find something on me!!! Needless, Mike took me in handcuffed and by the time we got to the station, Tommy said he wouldn't come out until I was arraigned. Well that ended the joke...I wasn't about to spend any time in cell #3.

Tommy and I spent a few moments talking before we received notice that a house was on fire! I got to ride (in the front seat this time) with Tommy and watch the Seymour Volunteer Fire Department put out the fire while Mike Hansen made an arrest. I had lunch with Tommy and his wife over at Diaz restaurant and when I returned from the lunch I signed some books and made some new friends. I want to thank Jo Petty, Samantha Spurgeon, Gerald Livingston and Mike Hansen from their support! My next stop was Lake Kemp and Justin's cabin...
I shot a series of videos I will be posting in the next few days on the road to/from Seymour and more importantly, a video while at "the" cabin. It was strange because like my character (at the end of the book), I didn't see the cabin like I did before, like Justin did in the opening to the story. It was cleaner and in a rugged solitary way--it was beautiful. I shot some scenes and gave a brief narration and hopefully gave a better view of what inspired the story. I tell people every chance I get--you never know where inspiration will strike--nor do you know what experiences will make their way into the pages of your next big story. I will be posting the videos over the next few days; I shot them in an unscripted manner, simply talking as I would if I were writing.
I finished the weekend on Saturday with a 2-hour meeting with some of the members of the Seymour Writer's Group. We met down at the Senior Center and it was wonderful! Like most things I do, the meeting was unscripted; I sat at the end of a long table and talked and answered the questions as the members threw them at me. And I have to say: they were GREAT questions! I wasn't sure how to feel about the meeting, but boy was I glad I did it. The people asked tough personal questions--important questions all relevant to my writing style, my approach to drafting a story and how I process a draft into a completed manuscript. Thank you everyone! Thank you Myra Busby for working with me to help get me in town and thank you Kelly Fest for being so proactive and helping to spread the word to the Writer's Group! I cannot thank-you enough!
I finished the trip with a few more photos from around town...and although the story Proud Souls was completely fictional..ironically I took a few pictures that you might find similar to images I created in my story.

Bobby on CultureFeast.com:

Continuing with my list of contest specifically designed and targeted to independently published authors, this week I add to that list with two more contest! Click here to read more...

Bobby's Useless Information: Love
The British, using sophisticated brain scanning techniques, found in 1999 that the sites in the brain that are most active when a person falls in love are generally the same as those stimulated by cocaine. The Italians added to this by looking at the changes in the brain chemicals of people in love. Their conclusion was that love is a form of obsessive-compulsive behavior.

*The Encyclopedia of Useless Information ISBN: 978-1-4022-0828-7 William Hartston*