A Novel Idea

Written by FRANCES KIDD Photos Courtesy of SUSAN CRUTCHFIELD

Author Mike Brown decided to return to school after retiring from a career in the air cargo industry. He enrolled in the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and for a decade he worked as a pastor, a teacher and a coach.

Writing as T.M. Brown, he published his first book, “Sanctuary, A Legacy of Memories,” in January of 2018. That work was the beginning of his Shiloh Mystery Series, inspired by memories of his Southern childhood. Brown created the fictional rural town of Shiloh and its cast of memorable characters based on his own childhood experiences along with the stories passed along through his family.

Writing is often seen as a lonely business. There’s usually just a person and a laptop or pad and pencil. Even successful authors like Ernest Hemingway experienced the isolation. He wrote “Writing, at its best, is a lonely life. Organizations for writers palliate the writer's loneliness but I doubt if they improve his writing …”

As Brown began looking for a writing community, he found himself driving all the way to the north side of Atlanta to book and writers events. Seeing the need for something more local, he started setting up author events every other month at Rogers Bar-B-Que in Hogansville starting in the fall of 2018. That was the beginning of the Hometown Novel Writers Association (HNWA).

In June 2019, the HNWA developed a new partner when the Carnegie Library in Newnan began co-hosting “Hometown Novel Nights,” featuring local writers. That relationship has continued to develop and expand the reach of the HNWA. According to Carnegie Director Susan Crutchfield, “We were very excited for this program because it was a terrific way for local authors to come together and talk about their craft and their books.”

Hometown Novel Nights at the Carnegie were the perfect way to introduce local audiences to local authors south of Atlanta, which is one of the goals of the Hometown Novel Writers Association.

Crutchfield added, “We continued to host them every other month until early 2020 when Covid-19 hit.” After that, they switched to virtual events, which, Crutchfield says, “… gave us a unique opportunity to have people from other states join the fun.” She added, “This also allowed us to record the programs for posterity.” The recordings are available on the Carnegie’s YouTube channel.

The every-other-month author nights resumed in person in May 2021. Crutchfield says, “The crowds have remained steady and it’s a delight to see a lot of the same people come to each program.”

Sharpsburg Mayor and author Blue Cole, one of the early writers to join Brown’s efforts, says, “Given Coweta's history with storytellers – and not just writers, but storytellers, famous and infamous – it’s natural that such a group would coalesce. It's natural for writers to come together. As much as we appear introverts, we're starved for attention and sometimes like to talk and complain.”

Brown is delighted that the HNWA now offers a variety of things to help aspiring writers: mini workshops, in-person writing groups, a virtual critique group, author appearances and book signings, and author panels and roundtables.

Jenny Jones’s Corner Arts Gallery, Studio & Gift Shop has become another important partner with the HNWA. Jones sells books by Georgia authors in her shop and often hosts local authors on Friday and Saturday. “It’s a good mix of very local authors and more experienced authors,” Brown says. Jones also hosts Writers Helping Writers, a weekly meeting of creative-minded people seeking to write their story. The meetings offer regular discussions on relevant writing, publishing, and book promotion topics. The meetings welcome writers of all stages.

Cole adds, “What I like is how the group has changed over the years to meet the need. At first, we met to sell books and talk about writing. Then we started talking about writing more and doing more educational stuff. We're also starting to engage with studentssending them to writers conventions, saving money for scholarships, etc.”

Brown’s proudest accomplishment after seeing the Hometown Novel Writers Association’s growth was the success of the 2022 inaugural Sharpsburg Book Fair.

In February 2022, Cole proposed the idea for the Sharpsburg Book Fair. The town of Sharpsburg was the host and sponsored the music for the day. “Fortyone authors paid for tables and welcomed an audience of between 250 and 300 people, many of whom purchased books,” Brown says. Part of the proceeds goes to scholarships for high school seniors to go to the Atlanta Writers Conference; the event also supports the Sharpsburg Old Town Library on Terrentine Road.

Mayor Cole was excited about the success of the event and is helping get the word out about the upcoming second edition. “The 2023 book fair will take place on August 26, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.” Cole says, “I love to bring people to Sharpsburg and to bring writers and readers together. It makes a perfect Saturday morning or early afternoon. We'd like to invite everyone down.”

What’s next for the Hometown Novel Writer’s Association?

Building on the success of the Sharpsburg Book Fair is a primary goal. “In 2023,” Brown says, “we’re not only gonna get bigger, we’re gonna get better.”

Continuing and expanding the success of the Hometown Novel Writers Association and its events is another goal. The group has already experienced growth. Says Cole, “It's been organic. It's grown slowly but steadily, and each writer that's involved tells one or two others. Most of that is due to Mike steadily pushing the organization forward, but part of it is he has cut such a wide path. Beginner? Romance? Self Help? Paranormal? Biography? He's welcomed them all.”

As for Brown, his fourth book, a historical novel, “The Last Laird of Sapelo,” is set for publication by Koehler Books in summer 2023. In addition, readers can follow Brown’s “Southern Ponderings” on his website. NCM