After 30 years of being indoctrinated with the South Florida police mentality, who would have ever thought that I’d be spending my retirement attending writer’s workshops and conferences, commiserating with the brightest eggheads of Western North Carolina and plugging my first two novels amid an audience of accomplished novelists and poets.

A couple of weeks ago, I found myself high atop a mountain peak overlooking the city of Asheville where the Writer’s Workshop was holding its mid-summer celebration at the Governor’s Western Residence. We all know about mountain views, but this must take one of the prizes. Built in 1948 by Tom Brimer, the owner of Good Humor Ice Cream, this mini-mansion sits on 20 acres of rolling hills and was purchased by the state and converted into a Governor’s Western Residence in 1973. Besides providing the presiding governor with a mountain pad, it now serves as a meeting place for special groups, like the Writer’s Workshop, and many others.

Twenty-four writers of various genre and style, some published, some pending, gathered for wine, cheese and thought amid this idyllic setting where I bathed in the ideas and experiences of others who share my same passion.

Award-winning poet Kathryn Stripling Byer captivated us with various selections from her collection while enlightening attendees with tips and advice about structuring and voice. She is the author of several books of poetry about life in the southern mountains, including Wildwood Flower, Black Shawl and The Girl In The Midst Of The Harvest. I am no expert on poetry, but I found the flow of her words like the fingers of Mozart swimming across a piano keyboard.

Rick Boyer, professor of English at Western Carolina University and an author of many mystery novels, charmed this eclectic audience with amazing references to scores of literary giants past and present, quoting passages from memory and denoting page numbers of books he had read ages ago. A virtual encyclopedia of the written word, Boyer fielded numerous questions about the craft of writing fiction, offering new insights for the inexperienced as well as published writers. His first novel, Billingsgate Shoal, won the prestigious Edgar Award for the best mystery novel of the year in 1982. Since then he has penned at least a dozen more books that now adorn bookshelves throughout the nation.

From a personal standpoint, I was most engrossed with the presentation by author John P. (Pat) McAfee, who openly shared some of his poignant moments when serving with the Special Forces in Vietnam, which is what inspired his novel, Slow Walk In A Sad Rain. One war veteran said his book “captured the essence of the Vietnam conflict”.

As McAfee spoke, I felt a kindred attachment because I, too, had spent my time combating a domestic street war, which has inspired my novels as well. “No movie tells the true story, the way it really was,” he said in somber tone. Chills ran down many spines as he described one gut-wrenching scene from a chapter of his book when the squadron was entrenched behind enemy lines and the lives of one stranded old man and his grandson had to be silently spared with a blade to the throat in order to save the lives of American troops. Those are the kinds of things engrossing stories are made of. McAfee is also the author of On Rims Of Empty Moons.

As with all gatherings of literary success stories, I walked away more humbled than the last. In this case, I not only learned more about my newly chosen craft, but also sensed a spirit of pride that I had finally arrived where, perhaps, I should have been a long time ago. Being at the Governor’s Western Residence symbolized, for me, reaching the top of a mountain, in more ways than one.

(The Writers Workshop hosts regular classes, discussion groups and workshops throughout the year in downtown Asheville. More information is available via e-mail at WritrWkshp@aol.com or by phone at 828.254.8111. See you there.)

 

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The Smoky Mountain News