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Coeur d'Alene Chapter
Idaho Writers' League
Writer of the Year
2000
by
Mary Langer Smith
Having written Hollywood The Hard Way, one of the best-selling books ever published by the University of Nebraska Press, (Hollywood is in its 4th printing. The Press ran out of books at the end of March 2001) Patti is not resting on her laurels.
Recently, she wrote a brief biography of Jerry Van Meter, the real live hero of Hollywood and his "epic ride", which is part of an anthology out in May. The anthology is called The Mythical West, subtitled: Encyclopedia of Legend, Lore, and Popular Culture. It is published by ABC-CLIO and is a reference book targeting mainly libraries. Since it sells for $85, Patti doesn't think it will make the New York Times bestseller list.
The Spring quarterly magazine from Women Write the West used as their cover story a reprint of her ForeWord Magazine article on marketing, entitled Author
Platform. For those of you who attended last fall's state conference, this is the talk Patti gave. Website link is www.readthewest.com/pdickinson.htm.
Patti wrote a script of Hollywood and submitted it to Passport Productions. The producer may or may not use part of it, but he likes her dialogue. He hired a new writer who intends to start the movie like the book, with a character playing Patti going into a bar in Montana, hearing the story, and then tracking down Jerry Van Meter. James Garner is the man the producer wants to portray present-day Jerry. Patti says of the movie-making process, "I'm not a patient person. The project moves along like a herd of crippled worms, but it is moving." She says there is no word yet on the director or the filming date.
Simon Lipskar of Writers House Literary Agency has taken Patti on as his client. It is a large New York agency founded in 1974 by Al Zuckerman who is Ken Follett's agent. This is a great coup for Patti. Lipksar and Patti will be working on a rewrite of her political thriller, The Indian's Daughter, to make it "tighter and more focused". "There is never an end to learning!" Patti said This rewrite is her next order of writing.
But research must be done to even think of the next project, so the middle of April, she spent 10 days in Oklahoma, the first 5 of which were spent in Tahlequah where she completed research on her next true-hero story. While there she spoke before about 140 students and faculty at NSU, Northeastern State University. After wowing the students, she got into the details of authorship with a Creative Writing class at NSU and a class of high school students at Sequoyah High School, which is operated by the Cherokee Nation. Patti has graciously shared pictures of this experience with IWL and they accompany this article.
Sequoyah High School (its name now) is part of the story she is working on. The story, which takes place in the mid-40s to mid-50s, is about a Cherokee man who, together with his siblings, grew up in this school when it was an orphanage. Years after they left the orphanage, he returned to become Boys Advisor and Coach. He set out to give these orphaned boys a father, and that he did. Patti said, "My story is about the man, the school, and the boys (now in their 60s and 70s) whose lives he touched." No title as yet.
From Tahlequah she traveled to Poteau and McAlester, Oklahoma where she spoke at CASC, Carl Albert State College. Then, she addressed an audience of 60-70 students from combined classes at CASC, and a group at the McAlester Public Library. At McAlester High School her talk was filmed and broadcast simultaneously into other classrooms. These engagements were in conjunction with National Library Week. The April newsletter on her website at http://readthewest1.community.everyone.net/commun_v3/scripts/thread.pl covers in detail her Oklahoma trip.
Back home in Coeur d'Alene, Patti spoke before the Ramblin' Rovers Club, a group of seniors who like to travel. They heard about Jerry's "journey" and afterward she signed books.
Since she hasn't enough to do, Patti is the newsletter editor of the NIES, North Idaho Enological Society. "This is fun for me," she says, "writing monthly about upcoming functions, wines & tasting events—injecting humor at will." The newsletter goes out to 100+ members.
In the future for Patti----after she finishes the rewrite of The
Indian's Daughter, she will begin the first draft of the Cherokee orphanage story. After that comes the rewrite on her first novel, a romance with a delicious twist.
"Most importantly for me personally," she says, "is my church and studying to achieve a balanced life, spiritually and temporally." To this end she is mid-way through her 3rd spiritual class which she faithfully attends.
Patti is a wonderful example to all of us. She attends and serves IWL faithfully and promotes the cause of writing at every opportunity. We of the Idaho Writers League are blessed to have her as our Writer of the Year.
Click on images below to see larger pictures
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| Speaking in Sequoyah H.S. library, Tahlequah
OK |
Speaking in Sequoyah H.S. library, Tahlequah
OK |
W/Sequoyah students Anna McLemore & Delisha
Ross |
Cherokee student Jonathan Wilson at Sequoyah High
School, Tahlequah Oklahoma |
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| Presenting copy of Hollywood the Hard Way to
Sequoyah librarian Regina McLemore |
With McAlester High School writing students |
With McAlester Oklahoma High School Mascot |
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Updated: January 12, 2003
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