Michael David Fels, Author and Playwright

Book Signing in Calistoga

2010-01-11T14:02:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, January 16th, I will be signing copies of Gone to Ground at Copperfield's Books on Lincoln Avenue in downtown Calistoga (Napa County) from 1:30 to 3:00 PM. If you are in the area, please drop by and say hello. If you have a copy of Gone to Ground that you would like signed, please bring it along.

Since Thanksgiving, it's been more difficult than usual to settle into my writing routine. Hopefully the worst is behind me and the routine will get reestablished. At the moment, I'm working on several projects and that might be part of the problem. The most pressing is the long-form memoir that is built around the life of my daughter who died at age 24 in 1994. I've finished a first draft and I'm now slogging back through.

Another project is a second collection of short stories. It's a bit more than half finished but is second priority to the new draft of the memoir. Finally, there are the plays, the farthest along of which is In Defence of Beauty that has had two theatrical readings and is being considered for a full production in late 2010 or early 2011. Nothing definite, but encouraging. In Defense of Beauty is a fictionalized version of the true story of M. Jean Herman, real-estate holdout in Manhattan during the 1970's. The story has resonated well with the audiences who have seen it at the theatrical readings. I'm pleased.

Happy 2010!

Michael

Book Signing at Copperfield's

2009-11-15T20:08:00.001-08:00

Saturday, the 14th was a book signing event at Copperfield's, Petaluma. There were several surprises for me as friends from Oakland as well as Sonoma/Napa counties dropped in. The display that Judy Rosales (Creative Marketing Solutions) had designed was great, but Copperfield's had set the book price so high ($29.99) that even folks who wanted the book, were put off by the price.

But, it was a very pleasant afternoon with a few sales and lots of good conversations. Went to an early dinner at a local Turkish Restaurant and enjoyed good, middle-eastern food at the Real Donar in Petaluma.

In Defense of Beauty

2009-10-31T18:47:00.000-07:00

Over the past few weeks, my new play about New York real-estate holdout, M. Jean Herman, In Defense of Beauty, had two very successful public readings by the Pegasus Theatre. These readings are designed give the playwright feedback from the public and the actors.

After the first public reading, it became clear that one of three puppet scenes had to be cut. As with mimes, puppets are best in small doses.

The second reading, at the historic Druids' Hall at Plantation Ranch greatly benefited from the cut, as well as from the outstanding venue.

Druids' Hall is a 19th century building, recently restored and converted into a museum of local memorabilia. It was the perfect setting for a play dealing with one woman's unwaivering determination to save a rapidly vanishing piece of Manhattan.

Pegasus actors, Lois Pearlman and John Rowan, were terrific in their multiple roles.

Will In Defense of Beauty see a full production? Stay tuned!

Meanwhile, if you are planning to be in Sonoma County on the 14th of November, please join me at Copperfield's Bookstore in Petaluma between 1:30 and 3:30 PM where I will be signing my book of short fiction, Gone to Ground.

Here's to good reading and good writing!

In Defense of Beauty

2009-10-18T18:18:00.000-07:00

Pegasus Theatre Company in Sonoma County has now done two staged readings of my new play, In Defense of Beauty. The first reading was done in Guerneville, at the River Lane Resort. The reading was well received but it was obvious to me that there needed to be some cuts and edits made to the script. I did that, and then, yesterday, Pegasus did a second reading with the revised script, at the Druids Hall at Plantation Ranch (Western Sonoma County).

New projects and events

2009-08-20T12:31:00.000-07:00

What a fine, albeit too short, summer! Close friends and family came to visit; two middle-aged, female miniature Sicilian donkeys, Molly and Tuxedo, came to stay; an indoor bathroom became a reality; and I did a lot of writing.

Since April, I’ve been working on a memoir exploring the life and death of our daughter, Kirsten Shoshana. It’s been an emotionally wrenching project but one that I hope will make a small contribution to the personal literature of chronic illness and its impact on family dynamics. My plan is to finish the first draft by the end of the year and then to rewrite. With a good tailwind, I should have it off to a publisher by this time next year.

With the end of summer, comes the start of renewed activity for my first compilation of short fiction, Gone to Ground. Judy Rosales, who continues to manage the book’s promotion, has arranged for it to be featured at the Sonoma County Book Festival on Saturday, September 19. If you are in the neighborhood of the Old Courthouse in Santa Rosa between 10:00 and 4:00, please stop by!

The next afternoon (Sunday, September 20), a full-length play that I’ve worked on for several years will be afforded a public reading by the Pegasus Theatre Company in Guerneville. In Defense of Beauty tells the story of my second cousin, M. Jean Herman’s, principled, but eccentric, battle to remain in her tiny, rent-controlled apartment across from Bloomingdale's on Manhattan’s East Side. The largest real-estate development corporation in the United States needs Jean to move so they can knock down her building and construct a high-rise office tower. Jean holds out and stays, but pays an enormous price for victory.

The play will be read by actors Lois Pearlman and John Rowan. The reading will take place at 4:00 PM at the River Lane Resort in Guerneville, CA. There is no admission fee and the public is invited.

Finally (and a while off), I'll be reading from Gone to Ground and signing books at the Petaluma Branch of the Sonoma County Public Library. The date is October 8th from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. Mark your calendar!

Enjoy the rest of summer!

2009-06-03T14:28:00.000-07:00

What I particularly enjoyed was the voice of poignancy that seems to me to run through the stories; the poignancy of human beings trying to find their place in the world & with others, and as a reader, being able to see that from the inside.

Good Review of Gone to Ground!

2009-04-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

Below is the full text of the review of Gone to Ground that appeared in the special Spring Lit edition of the North Bay Bohemian (April 8 - 14, Vol 30.47).

"It was about a week after my sixth birthday when this social worker showed up where Mom and me lived in Redding. She found me asleep on the sofa, TV still on. Woke me up and told me she'd died. Mom." So begins "Learning to See Fish," one of 10 stories in Sonoma County writer Michael David Fels' new collection 'Gone to Ground.' The title piece finds a divorced father of two rather happily living in a nice, big hole that he's dug, a pleasure marred only because the boys aren't allowed to spend their weekend with him in it, 10 feet below the earth's crust. Using many different narrative voices, employing dialect and setting his characters in rough circumstances as well as more "ordinary" arcs familiar to North Bay residents, Fels has created a lovely swath of humanity to people his pages.

Gone to Ground is now available through independent and on-line booksellers.

Book Signing at the Russian River Reader

2009-04-16T17:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Susan Ryan, proprietor of the excellent Russian River Reader bookstore, for hosting an evening that highlighted Gone to Ground on April 9.

The room was filled to capacity and after forty-minutes of reading (I read the title story, "Gone to Ground" and one of the three, short memoirs, "Mr. Bulldozer) and answering questions, Susan served strawberry shortcake and soft drinks.

I signed quite a few books and chatted with several several folks, including the Poet Laureate of Sonoma County, Mike Tuggle.

A nice review in the "Local Lit" section of the North Bay Bohemian had come out that morning, so all-in-all, it was a good day!

Gone to Ground is available
through independent and on-line booksellers everywhere

Save the date!

2009-04-07T18:58:00.000-07:00

I'll be reading from Gone to Ground this Thursday, April 9th, at the River Reader in Guerneville. Seven PM. Refreshments? Sure, and from what I hear, they are delicious.

Susan Ryan is the proprietor of the River Reader and she is looking forward to a good turnout. Before the reading, Luisa and I will be having dinner at the Taco Truck in the Safeway Parking lot. It's supposed to be terrific!

See you there?

Save the Date

2009-03-26T16:43:00.000-07:00

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:

- - - -

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

2009-03-20T17:08:00.000-07:00

Preparing to read this afternoon at the Four-Eyed Frog in Gualala is more stressful than I had imagined. You think it would be simple to choose a couple of stories to read but it turns out to be complicated.

The idea behind a bookstore reading is to generate a "buzz" about the book; to support the bookstore by encouraging attendance at an interesting event; and to let the author and readers meet face to face. So, do you read your personal favorite? The one that is most "entertaining?" Or the one that is best suited to pique the interest of your audience? With luck, they are all the same. That's what I've been grousing about.

Right now, I'm leaning toward reading, "Clarisse." Why? It's a good example of how I like to write. I hope that it will entertain the audience and that Clarisse, the main character, will be somebody with whom, by the end of story, a listener/reader can identify. Clarisse is not charismatic; quite the opposite. She is opinionated, tough and often her own worst enemy. She can cope with the world but now, maybe, she is on the verge of doing more.

Then, I think I'll also read one of my three, short Lebanese memoirs. I read "The Professor" on the radio and the recording is posted on this blog. So maybe I'll read "Up at Harissa." I haven't read that before and I think it's an amazing story. Click the link to watch a short video of Harissa.

I'm hoping that I'll have time to put the story into context for the audience since it's important for them to know how I came to be in Lebanon and to meet the men who are the subjects of the memoir. My hope with these three pieces is that they will help us see the Lebanese as people with whom we can empathize.

Next up is a reading at the River Reader in Guerneville (April 9th, 7:00 PM).

I'll be a pro by then!

Here's to good writing and good reading!

Gone to Ground is available at Amazon.com; PublishAmerica and at Independent Bookstores everywhere.

Will you write a review?

2009-03-09T23:05:00.000-07:00

I've just finished reading another of Michael Pollan's books: In Defense of Food. The point he makes, and supports and elaborates in fascinating detail is "Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much." If you haven't read it, put it on your list!

Now I want to do more to promote my own Gone to Ground. Yes, books have been sold! (I've just received my February royalty check and we're going out for pizza!) Most sales have been through Amazon.com. We've planned readings/signings at The Four-eyed Frog in Gualala at 4:00 PM on Saturday, 21 March, and at The River Reader in Guerneville but I'd like to do more.

My question: If you've read Gone to Ground, would you be willing to write a short review for Amazon.com? You needn't have purchased the book from them. Just log on to www.amazon.com, click on "books" go to "Michael David Fels," click on Gone to Ground and write something about the book.

What can it hurt?

And . . . . if you enjoyed my book and think others might too, would you consider asking your local bookstore if they would host a reading/signing? I'll arrange for a complimentary copy of the book to be sent to them so they know what they are getting into. If your bookstore is interested, please have them contact Judy Rosales at her email: jrosales@mcn.org.

Here's to good reading and writing!

Gone to Ground is available at amazon.com, publishamerica.com,
and at independent bookstores everywhere.

2009-03-09T22:50:00.000-07:00

I've just finished reading two Michael Pollan books: The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food. Each is a powerful and clarifying statement illuminating what and how we eat and how that impacts our health and the health of the planet.

Next, I want to do more to promote Gone to Ground. Yes, books have been sold (I just received my royalty check for February and we're going out for pizza!!). Most sales have been through Amazon.com. We've planned readings/signings at the Four-Eyed Frog in Gualala and the River Reader in Guerneville for March, but we can do more.

My question: If you've read Gone to Ground, would you be willing to write a short review for Amazon.com? You needn't have purchased the book from them. Just log on to www.amazon.com, go to "books"; go to "Michael David Fels"; click on Gone to Ground and say something about the book.

What can it hurt?

Also . . . if you enjoyed the book and think others might, too, would you consider asking your local bookstore, wherever, if they would consider hosting a reading/signing? I'll arrange for a complimentary copy of the book to be sent to the bookstore so they know what they are getting into.

Here's to good reading, good writing, good sharing!

Michael

Gone to Ground is available at amazon.com, publishamerica.com, and at independent bookstores everywhere.

Gone to Ground is available on Amazon.com; through the publisher (PublishAmerica) or through independent booksellers everywhere.

Can you help?

2009-03-09T22:37:00.000-07:00

I've just finished reading two Michael Pollan books: The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food. Each is a powerful and clarifying statement illuminating what and how we eat and how that impacts our health and the health of the planet.

Now, I want to do more to promote Gone to Ground. Yes, books have been sold (I just received my royalty check for February and we're going out for pizza!!). Most sales have been through Amazon.com. We've planned readings/signings at the Four-Eyed Frog in Gualala and the River Reader in Guerneville for March, but we can do more.

My question: If you've read Gone to Ground, would you be willing to write a short review for Amazon.com? You needn't have purchased the book from them. Just log on to www.amazon.com, go to "books"; go to "Michael David Fels"; click on Gone to Ground and say something about the book.

What can it hurt?

Also . . . if you enjoyed the book and think others might, too, would you consider asking your local bookstore, wherever, if they would consider hosting a reading/signing? I'll arrange for a complimentary copy of the book to be sent to the bookstore so they know what they are getting into.

Here's to good reading, good writing, good sharing!

Michael
Gone to Ground is available at amazon.com, publishamerica.com, and at independent bookstores everywhere.

Care to write a review?

2009-03-09T17:42:00.000-07:00

I've just finished reading two Michael Pollan books: The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food. Both are powerful and clarifying statements that illuminate what and how we eat and how that impacts our health and the health of the planet.

Now (thanks to Anthony Solana) I'm engaged in reading The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. If you think that I'm behind in my non-fiction reading, you're right!!

The Tipping Point has made me realize that I'm not doing enough to promote Gone to Ground. Yes, books have been sold (I just received my royalty check for February and we're going out for pizza!!). Most sales have been through Amazon.com. Readings/signings at the Four-Eyed Frog in Gualala and the River Reader in Guerneville are planned for March, but I think there is more to do.

Here's my question: If you have read Gone to Ground, would you be willing to write a short review for Amazon.com? You needn't have bought the book from them. Just log on to www.amazon.com, go to "books"; go to "Michael David Fels"; click on Gone to Ground and say something about the book.

What can it hurt?

Also . . . if you enjoyed reading the book and think that others might, would you consider asking your local bookstore (anywhere!) if they would consider to host a reading/signing? I will arrange for a complimentary copy of the book to be sent to the bookstore so they know what they are getting into.

Have books, will travel.

Here's to good reading, good writing, good sharing!

Michael

Gone to Ground is available at amazon.com; publishamerica.com and at independent bookstores everywhere.

Mark the dates!

2009-02-26T16:44:00.000-08:00

Good news!

Two wonderful, independent bookstores have invited me to read from and sign copies of Gone to Ground in March.

The first reading is scheduled at the Four-Eyed Frog in the beautiful, sea-side town of Gualala, perched above the Pacific where the Gualala River empties into the ocean. It is the southernmost town in Mendocino County. Check the links for maps and directions.

The reading is scheduled for the afternoon of Saturday, March 21. Come early, enjoy the Mendocino Coast, maybe lunch at the Gualala Hotel and finish up at the Four-Eyed Frog.

The second reading/signing is also in a beautiful spot. The River Reader in the Russian River resort town of Guerneville. Follow the links for maps and directions

This reading is scheduled for the evening of Thursday, March 26.

There are lots of nice places to eat or enjoy a glass of locally produced wine (I’m partial to Porter-Bass Zin both because it's delicious and my niece and nephew make it). If you want to make an evening of it, it should be fun.

Of course I’m hoping for good turnouts so if you and/or any of your friends can make it to either or both readings, I’ll be very happy.

More to come with specific times for both events.

If you haven’t read it, please, please, please read The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan. It’s informative, entertaining and as important a book as you are likely to find.

Here's to good reading, good writing and good wine!

Gone to Ground is available on Amazon.com; through the publisher (PublishAmerica) or through independent booksellers everywhere.

Creative Works In Progress Public Workshop Series

2009-02-13T15:40:00.000-08:00

I have loved living in the sparsely-populated coastal hills of Western Sonoma County, but I’ve missed joining with other writers to discuss our work and to benefit from their constructive feedback.

Last Sunday that changed!

In Los Angeles, I was part of a writing group which met every couple of weeks and moved from home to home like a floating crap game to read, critique, eat and drink. One member was working on a novel informed by his years as a medical student in the 1960's; another was finishing a detective novel set in the San Fernando Valley; a third was working on a coming-of-age novel set in rural Santa Barbara county; a fourth was working on a romantic novel set in Nepal. I was the only short-story writer. Many of the stories published in Gone to Ground were developed and improved thanks to this group.

The process was simple. One of us would read from her or his work and the others would comment. Sometimes a few pages would be handed out to be reviewed at the next meeting. I liked that. It gave me a chance to think and reflect on my comments.

There is a different process for playwrights; after all, it's a medium meant to be seen and heard, not to be read in silence. Because playwrights need to hear their work, when a piece has been developed to the point that you don't feel embarrassed asking others to commit some of their time, a "table reading" is held. If you're lucky, some of the readers are actors; if not, willing friends will do. You pass out scripts, assign parts and go for it.

But back to Sunday: With the help and encouragement of a local non-profit (the Coastal Hills Community Project), Sunday saw the first assembly of our Creative Works in Progress Public Workshop Series. What we launched was an amalgam of the typical writing group such as the Los Angeles one and a playwright's table reading.

People were invited to participate any or all of three ways. They could:

1. submit their own writing to be read and critiqued;
2. read/perform the works that others had submitted;
3. respond to what was read.

A fourth way was simply to come and listen.

The invitation was open to any form of writing including poetry, fiction, essays, memoirs, screen plays and so on. And, guess what—it worked! We had people who wanted their work read (including yours truly); others who wanted to read/perform; and still others who just wanted to listen and respond. Nobody opted to to stay quiet.

We met in Raymond's Bakery in Cazadero, and, as in LA, we shared work, received insightful feedback, ate delicious goodies, and drank good coffee!

Gretchen Butler a terrific graphic artist and memoirist shared portions of her wonderful work-in-progress about life from scratch in the Sonoma County boonies. New Zealand actress, now western Sonoma County resident, Jessie Alsop, read. She said it gave her a chance to work on her American accent and meet more of her neighbors.

I also shared a memoir, Melody at the Stone Forest, based on a trip to Yunnan Province, China. Radio host, David Kenly read the story. I thought the feedback I received was thoughtful, accurate and helpful.

Among those who chose to comment, rather than contribute writing was Dixie Lewis, writer, editor and publisher whose company, PenHouseInk is a local treasure.

We went away happy, caffeinated and restored. The next iteration of the Creative Works in Progress Public Workshops is planned for April 26 at the Ratna Ling retreat center on Hauser Bridge Road.

If you are interested in participating in any capacity please let me know!

Here's to more writing, more reading and more sharing!

Gone to Ground is available on Amazon.com; through the publisher (PublishAmerica) or through independent booksellers everywhere.

Context for "The Professor"

2009-02-09T09:57:00.000-08:00

When one reader of this blog noted, "...listening to your reading of The Professor was like walking in on someone else's conversation ..." I realized I should have provided more context. Here it is:

The Professor is the third of a three-part memoir about my experiences in Lebanon in 2000. I read the piece on the radio during an interview about Gone To Ground in December with David Kenly (KGGV-FM) on his show, Rivermouth. David was good enough to provide me with a digital recording of the reading and that is the clip that ended up here.

About The Professor: In 2000 I was the Director of International Programs and Services at California State University, Los Angeles. The Governor of our Rotary District, Garbis der Yeghian, invited me, an active member of the Rotary Club of East Los Angeles, to lead a delegation of three young non-Rotarian educators to Lebanon where we would spend one month, meeting with our vocational counterparts and living with local families. The program, called the Rotary Group Study Exchange, is one of Rotary's best. If you are under 30 and can get leave from your job for a month, check it out!

Over the course of the month, I lived in the homes of three Lebanese families; one in the north (Tripoli); one in the center (Beirut); and one in the South (Sidon). The three-part memoir in Gone to Ground is my attempt to show Lebanon as more than an international "hot spot" on the evening news, but rather a place where people make friends, fall in love, raise children, worry about the future and do their best to make their lives work.

Gone to Ground

2009-01-24T16:45:00.000-08:00

Gone to Ground, is my recently published collection of short-stories and memoirs.

Subscribing to the Gone to Ground blog will insure that you will receive timely information such as:

Upcoming author readings;
Upcoming book signings
What readers are saying;
How to schedule a reading and / or a book signing;
How to use Gone to Ground in your book club;
If you don’t have a book club, how to start one;
and much more!

Reader Comment: Mr. Fels has given us great short stories and a wonderful memoir. Writing flows well, and you sense that you know the characters. In the memoir, you are there enjoying the meals! L. Tony, California

Gone to Ground is available at www.Amazon.com as well as at other on-line and “bricks and mortar” bookstores everywhere.

To arrange an author reading or book signing, please contact: Judy Rosales, Creative Marketing Solutions, by email at jrosales@mcn.org or by phone at 707-847-3944