As is often stated, music is the only art form that only exists in time.

As such, no other artist medium latches into our memories like a little jingle or perhaps – if you’re insanely hardcore – a full blown Ring cycle.

So I’m guessing I’m not the only one here who will put on an album or hear a song on the radio and be immediately dragged back – sometimes kicking and screaming – to my high school days.  Acne, social awkwardness and all.

What album is that for you?

I’ll chime in with mine in a bit.  (And no, its not Nirvana)

Booksellers Who Became Book Writers

or

A Long, Shameless Plug for Terra Elan McVoy

What does Nobel laureate and Pulitzer Prize winning author William Faulkner have in common with rocker Neil Young?

Before being published, both had worked in bookstores.  Faulkner briefly worked at the Doubleday bookstore in Greenwich Village in 1921.  Neil Young, whose memoir, Waging Heavy Peace, will be published later this year, worked for Coles bookstore in Toronto for two weeks in about 1964 before being let go for “irregularity.”  (Rock fans: note the Gregg Allman event below!)

Perhaps working in bookstores is good training for authors.  Other booksellers who made the leap include prolific German writer Gustav Falke, prolific British writer Brian Aldiss, Jonathan Lethem, and John Kessel.  S.E. Hinton, author of The Outsiders and Rumble Fish, once worked in a bookstore, as did children/YA writers Nick Bruel, Cory Doctorow, Ingrid Law, Megan McDonald, and Mark Teague.

Which brings us to YA author (and Decatur Book Festival program director) Terra Elan McVoy, who clearly owes all her writing success to her former job as manager of Little Shop of Stories.  Terra’s FOURTH novel, Being Friends With Boys, was published yesterday!

Terra Elan McVoy Book Release Party — and these are ALWAYS great parties  – will be held at Little Shop of Stories, Saturday, May 5th, at 7 p.m.  Whooohoooo!

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