Austin Texas is the state capitol, home of the UT, ACL, SXSW, and now the TX Book Festival.
Book lovers and authors from all over travel to Austin, Texas to meet and celebrate the written word, raising money to support literacy through Library Grants at the same time.
For me, the Texas Book Festival was like combining the book fairs from my childhood and the conventions of my adulthood into one. Authors participated in book signings and panels, taking photos with fans. There was even a bit of dancing, food, vendors, and music. And of course, the streets were lined for two days with books to browse and buy.
The weather, which can be fickle in Texas to say the least, even graced the festivities with sunshine and gentle temperatures.
The festival hosts over 300 authors each year, including Tom Hanks, Dan Rather, and this year author line up included John Grisham. Most people know that name, but if not think The Firm, A Time To Kill, Runaway Jury, Pelican Brief, The Chamber, and Bleachers. John Grisham has written over 30 books and if you can’t tell already, is one of my favorite authors.
Listening to him speak about writing, the way he comes up with and creates his stories, committing them to paper and sharing them with the world was absolutely inspiring. His answers were witty and thoughtful, getting laughs one moment and “aww”s the next. What a captivating personality.
Some of the things he said that stood out to me was how he got his ideas from newspapers and how sometimes he would go visit a place because he knew there was potential for a story, even if it took a while for the story to come together. He said he goes to his office, which is a little building out behind their house, no phone, no tv, no radio, no fax, just nothing except him and the story he is trying to write.
As for advice to aspiring authors, he said write a page a day, no matter what and in a year you have a book. If you aren’t doing that, nothing will ever happen. You have to be committed to it.
When asked if there were any of his books that he really wanted to see made into movies, he said enthusiasticly “All of them!”
Written by Melissa Fudge
