Last month, my sixth novel was tapped for a nice honor — WICKED CITY was chosen for a Community Wide Read by the Huntsville, Alabama public library system. This meant that every single book club in the city was discussing Lamar and Reuben, Hoyt Shepherd and Fannie Belle.
This really terrific honor was supposed to culminate with a talk at the end of the month. They screened “The Phenix City Story” and even had a local burlesque troupe perform a bawdy tribute to America’s Wickedest City.
This was the same week a batch of horrific storms devastated large parts of the state. While the burlesque troupe made the gig, I’m rescheduled for the night of Wednesday, May 25th, at the main branch of the library.
I have also heard from several teachers picking up WICKED CITY for both lit and Southern Studies courses. I recently spoke to my pal Jack Pendarvis‘s crime fiction class here at the University of Mississippi on WICKED CITY.
And, this just in, WICKED CITY is now in development for a major motion picture. I’ll be discussing more details as they develop. And everyone knows, it’s a long road from page until premiere. But I’m thrilled with the creative, native Alabama talent taking on the project.
One of the biggest compliments is to have a novel that continues to capture the imagination of readers. — Ace
(photo: PC kingpin Hoyt Shepherd)