BJ Tassin might hold the record for novels delayed. She says she started her first one, "Bona-Fide," 16 years ago.
"I had made several attempts at writing other books in my earlier years, but they didn't seem to flow well," she says. "I felt good about ['Bona-Fide'] from the start. It was completed four years later but pushed to the back burner, where it sat for nine years while 'real life' took the front fires. But not one day passed that I didn't think about this book and wonder if it could ever make it into the hands of readers who might enjoy it."
FAQ
Local Author Showcase
WHEN — 10 a.m.-noon Saturday
WHERE — Bella Vista Public Library
COST — Free
INFO — 855-1753
Published in 2016, "Bona-Fide" is set in the 1960s, deep in the Ozarks, 22 miles from the nearest town. Its heroine, 10-year-old Sassy, lives in an old, broken-down school bus -- a fine life until her mother falls ill, and she and her siblings must set out on foot to get help.
"As a child, I loved reading," Tassin says. "I remember pasting together my own little picture 'story books' and playing library with my younger siblings. This led to poetry, short stories, articles, songwriting -- some of which were published in local newspapers and magazines back home in Louisiana."
Now, she says, there are three companion books in the works to go with "Bona-Fide" -- "a prequel, a sequel and a spin-off story of one of the characters. My hope is that each of these can stand alone, but 'Bona-Fide' fans will recognize the link between them all, finding familiar characters and hidden clues to some of the mystery in each of the other stories."
Tassin, along with half a dozen other authors, will share their books and their inspiration with readers at the third Local Author Showcase Saturday at the Bella Vista Public Library.
"We have such a wide swath of talent here in Northwest Arkansas that we really wanted to showcase it and help these authors gain exposure," says BVPL event coordinator Bailley Kinser. "This event is fun because it's very informal. The authors are set up at tables around the library, and people get the opportunity to actually chat one on one with the authors themselves, buy their books, and connect with this very strong artistic element that exists within our community."
-- Becca Martin-Brown
NAN What's Up on 04/12/2019