Last night, Nancy Scott and I (Angel Ackerman) went to Nazareth, Pa., to hear Larry Sceurman’s presentation, “Scary Stories for Adults,” at their public library. Larry, in addition to being Parisian Phoenix’s latest fiction author, is a member of the Lehigh Valley Storytelling Guild.
The storytelling guild, apparently with funds from the Pennsylvania Council for the Arts and another agency I can’t remember, is giving presentations across the Lehigh Valley. Another storyteller will appear at my local library (Mary Meuser Memorial Library where I also serve as a board member) with a family friendly event.
The evening included three main stories: “(Bag)Piper’s Revenge,” “The Legend of the Loup-Garou,” and “Taily Bone.” Larry also offered personal and somewhat magical (as in illusions not spellwork) interludes, providing a delightful time. He talked about ghosts and family tragedy.
Larry had asked me to invite and transport Nancy, as he hadn’t seen her in a long time. But more importantly, I had an opportunity to see a Parisian Phoenix author doing something he loved, and I could appreciate his passion. Larry’s oral storytelling voice provides the backbone for his writing, and transitioning to the written word is not simply “writing it down.”
Larry has been extremely patient with the whole process. He even gave me kind recognition at the presentation and good for him for marketing his book to the crowd that had gathered to hear him. I had talked to my staff about the prospect of rushing his novella, “The Death of Big Butch,” so it could have a soft launch at this event and we could surprise him.
But, while in theory, the beauty of such a surprise is magnificent, it would prove a detriment to the quality of what we publish as a realistic timeline, depending on the time needed for final edits, is three to four weeks out.
Parisian Phoenix Publishing 