Authors gather to discuss published works

Local writers and community members gathered Friday at the Showers Inn Bed & Breakfast to listen to authors Brian Stoner, Margaret Clark and Ladi Terry read excerpts from their books, which were published by Bloomington-based Holon Publishing & Collective Press.

Holon and Morrison Media & Marketing, which promotes the authors, organized the event. About 20 people mingled and enjoyed food donated from La Torre Mexican Bar and Grill.

“I love working with authors. I consider them to be artists,” said Lisa Morrison, who also promotes multiple businesses and nonprofits in central and south central Indiana. “They have important things to say, ideas to share, and I really enjoy promoting their stories. That’s what tonight is about.”

Holon also presented the poetry book “The Never Ending Cosmic Show” by Riley Evans, a World War II veteran and lyricist from Florida who was not present at the event.

Bloomington local Terry read from her book “Celebrate the Messengers (Don’t Shoot Them!),” a book that is intended to help readers unleash their creativity and leadership through the workforce.

Terry is also the president of Success Work Online, an initiative that sponsors national workshops and seminars. Her upcoming seminar, “Creative Indiana,” will take place April 30 at Ivy Tech Liberty Crossing and will consist of a three-hour workshop to help people improve individual and team creativity.

“The more you know about your own creativity and other people’s creativity and encourage and support that, the more successful you’re going to be,” Terry said.

Stoner read from his most recent novel, “Prophecy of the Ancients.” He also wrote the Dark Angel Chronicles and the Dragon Mage Chronicles trilogies.

“The majority of books that I started writing and the ones that I’m still working on are actually from dreams that I had,” said Stoner, who is also a computer programmer and musician. “I have extremely vivid dreams, and they’re a bit weird sometimes, but they make really good stories.”

Baltimore native Clark read from her book “I Left My Heart in Harlem: He Made it BIG in Hollywood,” which she wrote in 2008. It is about six children and their mother who move into the Harlem housing projects in New York City. Liz, the main character, was based off of Clark, who grew up as the seventh child in a family of 13 children and was born and raised in Harlem.

“It was therapeutic, as well, because it made me see things the way other people see it and yet the reality part of it,” she said. “When you live in a place like the projects, a lot of people think you’re not going to make it out, but somebody does make it out, and sometimes they come back and help the neighborhood.”