Book Signing

Tom’s Book Signing: Signing books at the Baylor County Free Library last evening (1/18/17), from 5-6 pm. Not a lot of visitors showed up, but we did enjoy talking with Jessica Myers, the Librarian, and the few who did stop by. We just took one picture. Here I am signing copies of THESE ALIEN SKIES, WORLDS OF TOMORROW and THE MAN IN THE BLACK FEDORA for Bill & June Sharon. Sadly, Seymour rolls up its streets at 5 pm, and few people will venture out after that hour. Plus, there were some heavy clouds overhead, and thunderstorms threatened.

Bill Wood

Bill Wood

Bill Wood of Stanford, Texas stopped by Seymour for a book signing on August 14^th. The Baylor County Free Library hosted him. Seymour author Tom Johnson stopped by to visit with Bill, and talk about writing and publishing. Bill has three novels in print, “The Circuit Riders”, “The Defenders”, and “And Nothing’s Been The Same Since”. Leta Slaggle, librarian, Baylor Country Free Library, took photographs.

The Circuit Riders

As America began to expand westward, a group of itinerant preachers rode across the plains and mountains to spread the Christian faith. They endured heat and cold, rain and drought, despair and loneliness to fulfill their calling They traveled from town to farm to stage-stop to anywhere people had settled, preaching the Gospel. These saddlebag-preachers spoke to anyone who would listen. They were rugged individuals who allowed neither rough terrain nor menacing weather to sway them from their appointed areas of service. These unsung heroes of the West helped bring true civilization to the American frontier. There would be little or no reward beyond the spiritual. This book is a fictionalized story of three such country preachers on the frontier of Texas and the problems they faced bringing the message of Christ to wilderness areas. Bill Wood was born and raised in a small town in Texas. Since 1975, he has pastored ten country churches in either Texas, Louisiana, or California or taught in a small Christian school... or both at the same time. When not preaching or studying or writing, Bro. Bill enjoys visiting antique stores, festivals, and historical places. He's been known to pick and grin some in church and is partial to anything having to do with the Old West (movies, artwork, decor, clothes, rodeos). Dr. Wood has been described by friends as "an old-fashioned, Southern gentleman with just a touch of John Wayne". In May of 2012, he became the pastor at Central Baptist Church in Stamford, Texas. A graduate of Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and Baptist Christian University in Shreveport, Louisiana, this is Bill's second book to be published through Xulon Press... the first being a fictional account of the birth of Jesus entitled "And Nothing's Been the Same Since".

Bill Wood & Tom Johnson

Book Signing

Book Signing

Seymour, Texas, June 7^th, 2014. What can one say about Seymour? What comes to mind is the comedian that used to say, “I get no respect.” Remember him? Now I’m not him. I do get respect, just not from Seymour (LOL). Let me tell you about a few of my book signings and see if you don’t agree. Several years ago, during the Fall Festival, I was booked for a signing at the county library; they put my table outside by the north door, on a cold windy day. Can you say, pneumonia? (brrr). Last year, also during the Fall Festival, I had a table, again outside on a cold, cold morning. Remember that pneumonia? See the picture below.

Haskell, Texas, lets me sign inside. See Below.

So does Books A Million & Hastings In Wichita Falls. See Below. Yes, I finally decided to shave off the gray hair, so please no comments (G).

Even The Senior Citizens Let Me Sign Indoors. See Below.

Now June 7^th, the day the Whiteside Museum of Natural History has its Grand Opening, I requested a table to sign books; not just any books, my books about dinosaurs and prehistoric reptiles. After all, I am the Author in residence, and these are subjects that coincide with the Museum of Natural History. Guess where they put me? Yep, you guessed it, outside again. This time I sat at a table in over 100-degree temperature. Now, if I just don’t get heat stroke this time. Anyone want me to come to their town to sign books? I believe I’ll forget about Seymour next time. Ah, maybe I should have been a comedian after all. Enjoy the pictures.

Thankfully, we were in the shade, and had a nice wind. The heat never became much of a problem, though we did get a little hot. The sudden wind gusts did prove a problem, however, as my books went flying several times. Not a great day, but not a bad one, either. TREASURE OF JUR sold best, as people liked the tiger head on the cover. I didn’t have any new edition copies of PANGAEA: EDEN’S PLANET, but I did have the poster on hand.

Ginger went through the new museum first, while I sat with the table, and she took the pictures. I went after she returned, but my blood sugar took a sudden dive while inside, and I had to get out to my jellybeans before someone called an ambulance. I barely made it back to the table before collapsing.

Bewitching Blog Tours & The Book Cave

Bewitching Blog Tours http://www.bewitchingbooktours.com will be hosting me during my book release of PANGAEA: EDEN’S PLANET, from FIRST REALM PUBLISHING the week of June 23^rd through June 30^th. I will update the information as I know more. I am also scheduled to tape an interview on THE BOOK CAVE on June 15^th, to air June 19^th. You can tune in to the Podcast throughout the week here http://thebookcave.libsyn.com/webpage I will be discussing the book and characters, and probably go off on a few tangents about paleontology, dinosaurs, and ancient reptiles. It should be fun so don’t miss it. I will also take pictures of the Whiteside Museum of Natural History that opens on June 7^th in Seymour, Texas. Seymour is the home of the Seymouria, a Permian reptile/amphibian that was discovered in the Craddock Redbeds in the early twentieth century and named after the town. Dr. Robert Bakker has discovered many Permian fossils during his Dig at the Site. The museum will feature fossils of Permian life as well as dinosaurs and mammals from other periods in our past. June is going to be an exciting month.

Tom's Book Signing

My book signing today went poorly, but I blame the cold weather for keeping people away, and the fact that I was put outside for the ordeal. I set up just before 9 AM, and it was in the mid thirties. By noon it began warming up, and people came by to talk, but no one was interested in buying books. That’s okay, I did get exposure (more ways than one), and enjoyed meeting and talking with people. Seymour has never been much for readers. I learned that when I owned and operated a used bookstore for thirty years. My sales continue to be from other sources; for instance, my Kindle books are still selling better than the print books, both in the US and overseas. Ginger only took one picture of me at the signing, and as you can see, I’m bundled up for the cold temperatures.