Save the Date

After all my fussing about what to read at the Four-Eyed Frog, it turned out I probably should have fussed more.  There was a good turnout and a respectful audience.  What I had not considered was that Clarisse, the protagonist in the story of the same name, has a mouth like a sewer!  It’s not that it bothers me to use that language, but looking at the faces of some in the audience, I realized that it might not have been the best choice!  Not only that, but one of the things that I enjoy most about this story is how Clarisse names every color she sees.  That seems to work well in print because you can italicize the name of the color . . . you know it’s a color.  But I found it difficult when I was reading to make sure that I read in such a way that it was clear I was referring to a color.

It turns out Joel Crockett (who, with his brother, Jeremy owns the Four-Eyed Frog) and I went to and graduated from the same high school.  And in the same year!  We didn’t know each other but serendipity was at work!

Next up is a reading in Guerneville at Susan Ryan’s River Reader.  Should be fun and for sure I’ll read something else.   Here’s what Susan Ryan sent out about the reading:

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April 9, Thursday at 7:00 pm
Local Author Michael Fels
Gone to Ground
Reading, Signing, & Strawberry Shortcake

Gone to Ground is a collection of nine fictional short stories and one, three-part memoir. These stories are touching and heartwarming, rich with characters that burst with life and capture your heart. Silver Hawk, the fearless alter-ego of a boy ordered to burn his father’s books; Orin, a depressed Viet Nam vet who digs a hole in the west Texas desert and moves in; Clarisse, expert at helping her customers find the perfect paint but can’t manage to find the color in her own life: these are only three of the many characters who, after meeting in Gone to Ground, you will want to introduce to your friends.

About Michael Fels. Michael lives with his wife Luisa in Cazadero. He is the former principal and upper grades’ teacher at Fort Ross School and has held positions in education on the Navajo reservation in Chinle, Arizona and in El Paso, Texas. For twenty years he was an administrator at California State University, Los Angeles where he was the director of University Judicial Affairs and the director of International Student Services and Programs. He currently operates a consulting business in the field of international education exchange and serves as the volunteer Chairman of the Board for a non-profit hospital in the Los Angeles area. In his spare time Michael studies Brazilian Portuguese, enjoys photography, and writes stage plays. He and Luisa have twelve grandchildren.

River Reader, 16355 Main Street, Guerneville, CA 95446, 

707-869-2240