Darden North, MD

For years, organizers dreamed of the first ever Mississippi Book Festival. Beginning at 9:00 am on Saturday, August, 22, 2015, that dream became a reality. Of course, they say that when the Mississippi legislature, Greg Iles, and John Grisham signed on to participate, corporate sponsorship followed and it was a done deal. The Mississippi State Capitol Building in Jackson And despite the expected summer heat that continued to deal a blow to downtown Jackson, Mississippi, an estimated crowd of 2500 to 3500 ascended the halls and grounds of the early 1900s State Capitol Building, the location of the festival billed as “A Literary Lawn Party.”  "A Literary Lawn Party" Mississippi Capitol Building packed at the Book Festival About 100 authors participated in writing discussion panels in rooms filled to capacity by book lovers. I squeezed in to attend the author panel “Across Literary Boundaries,” moderated by Michael Farris Smith...

Fourth of July 2015 was more than a piece of cake for me, but this red, white, & blue concoction sure made our treasured national holiday a sweet one.  The cake was my wife Sally’s idea, but guess who ate most of it! After all, the calories were a just reward, I thought, for using the time off to finish ten rough-draft pages of my upcoming novel, the thriller “When the Bee Stings”—a follow-up story to “Wiggle Room.”  Instead of this photo, I thought about posting the “after” picture with only part of “Happy Fourth of July” remaining in the icing and the cake towering in the stand over a sea of red, white, and blue crumbs.  Because I am a blessed and proud American, I was able to enjoy this treat and an extended, leisurely weekend with family and friends, either here with me in Jackson, Mississippi, or via cell phone and photo texts.  Although this weekend was a special time, we should take pride every day in what we can offer others and what our country means to...

A recent publication discussed the growing role of powerful female characters in many popular televison series and that many times the male lead becomes their kryptonite. This theme also drives the plot of many murder mysteries and thrillers. Whether on television, in the movies, or in novels, those of us seeking escape are drawn to flawed characters. Male and female characters create many conlicts with the opposite sex and drive a novel's plot. Murder mysteries and mystery fiction novels abound with men who lose the sexual battle but somehow find redemption. Are audiences as forgiving when a female protagonist is derailed by a love interest? Contemporary television does not seem to think so, and that concept helps this writer create flawed female characters that practically write award winner books themselves . To read more:  http://bit.ly/174GWC1 Darden North is the author of four novels including "Points of Origin," awarded an IPPY in Southern Fictio...

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