GetOut Magazine

Big-name writers flock to the Valley
to raise money for charities
By BETTY WEBB
Get Out
Sept. 29, 2002

If you like books, youre either going to have a great time next weekend or a really bad time. A great time because chances are some of your favorite authors will be in town. A bad time because they just may be in different places at the same time, and youll have to choose between them.

Lovers of nonfiction might choose the Arizona Kidney Foundation Authors Luncheon, which features famed news anchor Peter Jennings, In Search of America; Bruce Feiler, Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths; actress Patricia Heaton, Motherhood and Hollywood; Arthur Phillips, Prague; and in a single nod to fiction, Carol Higgins Clark, Jinxed.

Feiler, who is also the author of the best-selling Walking the Bible, says people have been flocking to see authors like him who have tried to understand the conflicts between three of the worlds great religions: Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

You look back at the beginnings of all three and discover that all three have the same man in common Abraham, Feiler says. He was the shared ancestor of 12 million Jews, 2 billion Christians and 1 billion Muslims. Thats half of all the human beings alive today, and yet Abraham except for the story about him attempting to sacrifice his son to God is virtually unknown. I went back to Jerusalem because I wanted to understand if he was a font of war or a vessel for reconciliation.

Feiler traveled through Middle Eastern war zones, hearing gunfire and bombs; visited ancient shrines; and climbed through caves. He also interviewed Muslim clerics in the center of Hebron, where blood from terrorist attacks still stained the streets.

There is fanaticism in the story of Abraham, but there is also great hope, Feiler says. Although much attention has been paid to the fact that he was going to kill one son for God, he actually tried to kill two of them, the other one by abandoning him in the desert. And yet, when Abraham died, those very sons came together and prayed over his grave. That is the most wonderful story of reconciliation that I know of.

Over at the Mystery Authors Benefit Luncheon, the books concern fictional blood only, a fact that bemuses best-selling mystery writer Barbara Seranella, one of the speakers.

Youd think that in frightening times people might want more escapist fiction, but they are being drawn to mysteries in even greater numbers than before, Seranella says. But in a mystery, there is always justice at the end. The killer is caught and put away. Thats a nice change from real life, isnt it?

In her appearance at the mystery authors luncheon, Seranella, author of the recent No Man Standing (among other books), joins Diana Gabaldon, The Fiery Cross and Outlander; James Sallis, Gently Into the Land of the Meateaters; and Susan Slater, Yellow Lies.

She is especially glad to donate her time to this particular charity the Arizona Alliance for the Mentally Ill.

Unlike more physical ailments, there is a stigma attached to being mentally ill, and many people believe the patients could get well if they would just snap out of it, she says. Therefore, the mentally ill dont always get the help that they need.

When Seranella first introduced her detective, Munch Mancini, in No Human Involved, Munch was pretty wobbly in the mental health department herself. And Seranella is quick to admit that she modeled Munch on portions of her own life.

I hadnt originally meant to write a series, she says. All I wanted to do was write a book showing the physical, mental and spiritual growth of a person who had been addicted to heroin and hung out with bikers. I wanted to show her, after so many years of living in the subculture, making the transition to being a moral, honest and self-supporting citizen. In other words, I wanted Munch to travel the same path I traveled. But then the book caught on, and I found myself in the middle of a series.

The other writers symposium taking place the same day is the Writers Roundup Conference at Harrahs Ak-Chin Casino Resort. This is a hands-on conference where aspiring writers can learn the dos and donts of the writing business. Radio host Debbie Neckels (Book Crazy Radio) will oversee the event.

Speakers and workshop leaders include historical romance writer Denise Domning/Hampton, The Warriors Damsel; mystery author Elizabeth Gunn, Seventh Inning Stretch; and science-fiction writer Michael Stackpole, author of several Star Wars novels.

Mystery Authors Luncheon, with Diana Gabaldon, James Sallis, Barbara Seranella, Susan Slater (Camelback Inn, 5402 E. Lincoln Drive, Paradise Valley, ). The suspense and mystery authors discuss and sign their books at this benefit for the Arizona Alliance for the Mentally Ill. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sat. $65-$80.

Arizona Kidney Foundation Authors Luncheon, with Peter Jennings, Bruce Feiler, Patricia Heaton, Arthur Phillips, Carol Higgins Clark (The Phoenician, 6000 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix, ). The authors discuss and sign their books as a benefit for the Arizona Kidney Foundation. 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sat. $100.

Writers Roundup Conference (Harrahs Ak-Chin Casino Resort, 15046 Maricopa Road, Maricopa, ). Speakers and workshop leaders include radio host Debbie Neckels, mystery author Elizabeth Gunn, science-fiction author Michael Stackpole and historical romance author Denise Domning/Hampton. Their books are also available for signing. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sat. $50-$55.