Will Everett to appear at Paragraphs

Will Everett's website

Paragraphs is very excited to be the host for Will's book release event.  Will is a noted NPR correspondent and is looking forward to seeing you at his event.

Meet the Author Series at Paragraphs

Saturday Nov 14^th    6 - 7:30 PM

    Book signing, discussion and wine/cheese reception with author, Will Everett

Just back from five years in Afghanistan, Will Everett has selected South Padre Island for the launch of his first novel, We’ll Live Tomorrow. Paragraphs on Padre Boulevard is proud to be the site for this inaugural world roll-out.

We’ll Live Tomorrow follows Hunter Ames, an American aid worker grappling with a dark family history and a growing midlife malaise. In an aid compound in southern Afghanistan, under the watchful eyes of the Taliban, he meets the mysterious Karimullah, an exploited “dancing boy” hunted by his master. These two lost souls strike up an unusual friendship in war-torn Afghanistan – Karimullah looking for sanctuary after years of abuse at the hands of a violent master, and Hunter trying to come to terms with his own tragic past. But menacing forces surround them, imbuing their friendship with the promise of salvation and the prospect of tragedy.

While the novel explores a wide range of human-interest issues, such as the doldrums of middle age and the aftershocks of family tragedy, Everett says he had a larger purpose in writing this novel when he did. “Through the book and its layered characters, I hope to give readers an intimate look at a country the U.S. has spent so much time supporting, yet many know little about.”

Valley residents may remember Will’s work on NPR, such as his music and literature program Theme and Variations and his award-winning 2006 documentary, World War One Living History Project, which he produced with Walter Cronkite to honor the last surviving veterans of WWI.  His work has appeared in Newsweek as well as on NPR, the BBC and other outlets. Will holds a master's degree from the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

Early praise for We’ll Live Tomorrow:

“An insightful, impressively broad glimpse of a formidable mission. --Kirkus Reviews 

“Everett’s sensitive writing reflects his intimate knowledge of the land and its people while immersing us in an intriguing tale of questing for meaning and love. This is an important book for our one-world times.” --Jan Seale, 2012 Texas Poet Laureate

“A tribute to human tenderness, resilience, and ambiguity in the face of war. A cross between Graham Greene and Armistead Maupin. --Robert Calderisi, author of The Trouble with Africa: Why Foreign Aid Isn't Working

This event is free and open to the public.

Paragraphs On Padre Boulevard, 5505 Padre Blvd. South Padre Island, TX

For information call us at 956-433-5057

Meet the Author - Jan Dunlap

Meet the Author Series at Paragraphs

Sunday Nov 8^th    12-1:30 PM

              Book signing, discussion and reception with author, Jan Dunlap   

Illegal immigration, drug smuggling, and the advent of space tourism creates a deadly backdrop for a murder investigation when birder Bob White finds a famous Winter Texan dead in one of the Rio Grande Valley's World Birding Centers during his January escape from Minnesota's deep-freeze.

Jan Dunlap is the author of the humorous Bob White Birder Murder Mysteries (all six of which have been nominated for the annual Minnesota Book Awards) that follow the adventures of a really nice guy who finds dead bodies when he’s out birding. With readers across America and Europe, Jan’s brand of humorous storytelling has earned her accolades from critics and readers alike of all ages. Her characters are sketched from real life and real people; as a weekly humor columnist for her local newspapers for five years, Jan polished her skills of observation and human insight that continue to win her new fans of her mystery series.

There But for the Grace of Dog Go I . . . Author Jan Dunlap was suffering increasingly severe bouts of anxiety after a medical misdiagnosis slapped her in the face with an acute realization of the tenuous nature of human life. A degreed theologian, Jan found her personal faith in God and His promises severely shaken and her enthusiasm for life being replaced by growing fear and debilitating insecurity. Then a rescue-shelter black lab-mix by the name of Gracie came into her life as her daughter's new pet, and Jan determined to do whatever it took to provide both her daughter and the dog with the sense of security she herself no longer felt. She quickly discovered, however, that Gracie was helping her manage her anxiety. Jan also came to a new awareness of how a loving God provides healing through His own works of creation. Part memoir and part medical exploration of the truly healing gifts that God freely offers us through our interaction with animals and nature, Saved by Gracie is a story of God's redeeming love revealed at the paws of a dog.

A former adjunct instructor for both New Mexico State University and New Mexico Junior College (thanks to her master’s degree in English Studies from Minnesota State University-Mankato), Jan frequently speaks to book clubs, community service organizations, writers’ groups, birders, and senior living communities about birds, writing, and the importance of humor. Jan is the mother of five children and lives in Chaska, Minnesota, with her husband Tom and their dog Gracie. www.jandunlap.com

This event is free and open to the public.

Paragraphs On Padre Boulevard, 5505 Padre Blvd. South Padre Island, TX

For information call us at 956-433-5057

Houston Cougars in the 1960's -- Booksigning

Meet the Author Series at Paragraphs

Saturday Nov 7^th    1-3 PM

           Book signing, discussion and reception with author, Robert Jacobus

We are especially pleased to welcome Robert Jacobus to Paragraphs to sign this book which tells the story of Houston Cougars coach Guy Lewis -- father of local South Padre Island businessman and legend Vern Lewis.

On January 20^th, 1968, the University of Houston Cougar basketball team upset the UCLA Bruins, ending a 47 game winning streak.  Billed as the “Game of the Century,” the defeat of the UCLA hoopsters was witnessed by 52,693 fans and a national television audience – the first-ever regular-season broadcast nationally.

But the game would never have happened if Houston coach Guy Lewis had not recruited two young black men from Louisiana in 1964: Don Chaney and Elvin Hayes.  Despite facing some resistance in Houston and also on the road in East Texas junior college gyms their freshman season, by their senior campaign of 1967-68 Chaney and Hayes led the Cougars to a 32 game winning streak and to the second of two visits to the Final Four.

Similarly, in Cougar football coach Bill Yeoman integrated his program in 1964 with the nation’s top recruit, running back Warren McVea of San Antonio.  Throughout his Cougar career, McVea, and later his other black teammates, integrated college football venues throughout the South.

Houston Cougars in the 1960s: Death Threats, the Veer Offense, and the Game of the Century, features the first-person accounts of the players, the coaches and others involved in the integration of intercollegiate athletics not just in Houston, but also in the South as a whole.  

Houston Cougars in the 1960s tells the gripping story of the courageous players, visionary coaches, and the committed supporters who blazed a trail not only for athletic success but also racial equality in 1960s America.

Robert Jacobus – Recently retired from teaching history and coaching volleyball, basketball, and tennis in Texas public schools, his last 10 years were spent teaching dual credit US History through Wharton County Junior College at Foster High School in Richmond, Texas.  He currently teaches history at Lone Star College in Katy, Texas.  He resides in New Territory in Sugar Land.

This event is free and open to the public.

Paragraphs On Padre Boulevard, 5505 Padre Blvd. South Padre Island, TX

For information call us at 956-433-5057