Organizers say Dayton Valley Library authors event was success

The Friends of the Dayton Valley Library held the first August Authors Event on Saturday, August 16 at the Dayton Valley Branch Library. There were approximately 50 attendees and the library parking lot was full. Residents of Dayton were invited to interact with five local Nevada writers, discuss their writing, purchase books and have them signed by the authors.

Five authors presented a variety of styles and subject matter. Ron Bell from Silver Springs talked and wrote about the Pony Express and its history. He also read some of his poems written while out along the trail doing the annual re-ride of the Pony Express across Nevada.

Ron brought along a well-worn mochila (mail bag) from past use on re-rides. Ron shared information about the Pony Express Organization and invited people to join. For membership information and application go here.

Lin Wilder lives in Smith Valley and uses her past experiences in the medical field to weave a murder-suspense novel titled, “The Fragrance Shed by a Violet”. Lin was very excited at the opportunity to interact with the library patrons and stated,” I travel to some very large city libraries but this has been one of the best authors event that I have attended. I really appreciated the enthusiastic audience and the hard work from the Friends group that organized the event“. You can find more information about Lin’s work on her Facebook site here.

Christopher Coake, from Reno, teaches creative writing at UNR and talked about his inspiration for his book, “You came back”. It is a supernatural thriller written in a style similar to Stephen King. Christopher is also author of “We’re in Trouble” which was chosen for a PEN/Bingham Award in 2006. He was selected as one of Granta’s “Best of Young American Novelists” in 2007. You can find more information about Christopher Coake and his writing here.

Suzanne Williams from Washoe Valley talked about her book “Bull Rider” which has won the Western Writers Award for 2009. She also brought several children’s books. These included the following titles: China’s Daughter, Made in China, and Piñatas and Smiling Skeletons. For more information, visit Suzanne’s website here.
Sally Mooney from Carson City signed her book “On the Sunnyside of Life” for guests. Her book is about her life growing up on an isolated ranch in Eastern Nevada. Her experiences growing up on the ranch formed many of her views and perspective on life. According to Sally, “Anywhere she goes, she tries to create her own Sunnyside Ranch.” More information about Sally Mooney’s book can be found here.

The authors generously donated half of their proceeds (over $100.00) from book sales to the Lyon County Library System Gift Fund. This fund is used to purchase books for the library system. Several of
the authors also donated copies of their books to the library. You can find all these titles available for check out at Dayton Library or any of the Lyon County Library System branches.

Dayton residents enjoyed lively discussions with the authors and many commented on how much fun they had and that they learned a lot about writing a book. One patron commented that she lived near the Dayton Library and has walked over nearly every day for the last 20 years. According to her, this was one of the best things she had ever attended at the library.

Commissioner Bob Hastings also attended and he stated, “This event shows how our libraries are important to our communities and can provide a nice atmosphere for a cultural experience for our local residents”. Several Lyon County Public Library Trustees also attended and enjoyed a glass of wine and a chance to visit with library patrons. The trustees included Audrey Allan (chair), Mandy Bennett, David Ray, and John Hartley.

Marty Lewis, President of the Friends of the Dayton Valley Library, commented “The success of this event was because we had an excellent group of local writers and because we have a wonderful and hard working group of Friends of the Library that performed flawlessly behind the scene to ensure a successful event.”

Several members of the audience signed up to become Friends of the Dayton Valley Library. If you would like to join the Friends of the Library organization, stop by your local Lyon County Public Library Branch and ask for an application and the date of the next meeting. You will be welcomed into the organization and will find supporting the library to be a very rewarding undertaking.