Welcome to The Saturday Spotlight, a weekly feature showcasing debut, Indie, self-published and authors who specialize in Ebook publishing. This week I have the pleasure introducing readers to:
ARTIE VAN WHY
~author of That Day in September~
Remembering 9/11
by Artie Van Why- September 2011
The morning of September 12, 2001 I woke up after a fitful sleep. I had slept with the light on; as I continued to do for months afterwards. I finally listened to the many messages on my answering machine from the day before and read all the emails that had been sent from family and friends; all wanting to know if I was okay. I knew there was no way I’d be able to return every call or answer each email so I sat down at my computer to write a general email to send to everyone; telling them I was okay.
As I began to type I started describing what the previous morning had been like. What I had seen. What I had experienced. It was the first time I put into written words the events of 9/11. The words just seemed to flow; without my having to give any thought about what to put down. I didn’t realize at the time that I was actually in the beginning stages of trying to process all I had gone through. Writing was to become a catharsis for me.
I sent the email out and people began responding to it; thanking me for giving them a glimpse into what it had been like to be in the streets in surrounding the World Trade Center. Many encouraged me to keep writing. So I did. Over the following weeks I wrote 3 more emails; sending them to all I knew. I began to receive emails from people I didn't know; they having had my emails forwarded to them by my friends and family.
I quit my job the November after 9/11 and I just continued to write; mostly for myself. The words seemed to come effortlessly; as they did when I wrote that initial email on 9/12.
Written words became my way to express what I was feeling during that time. Eventually, all I had written became material for the script of a one man theater piece called That Day In September; which I performed in LA and Off Broadway in NY. That play ultimately became the book, That Day In September.
I don’t really consider myself an “author” although I have authored a book. I just think of myself as someone who writes to express himself. I couldn’t imagine just sitting in front of a computer and thinking “okay, today I’m going to start a novel about such and such”. For me, I have to write about what is personal to me; something of importance. I write to communicate my thoughts and emotions. Sometimes I share what I write with others; sometimes the words are for my eyes only. I don’t rule out the possibility that perhaps there will be yet another book that comes from my self expression with words.
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~Find out more about Artie at Goodreads and Facebook~
Artie, thank you so much for sharing that little piece of yourself.
9/11 means something to all of us, I remember that day being chaotic especially since I was on a military base. Fort Knox completely shut down, alarms were going off, and after the tragedy of that day came to quiet numb, everything on the base and in my life...changed... I've never seen Americans come together in a complete solidarity of an issue regarding our great country. My heart absolutely broke into pieces for the families who lost loved ones and I saw my husband off to Iraq a year later, it will always be a changing point in our history and a day none of us will forget.
GIVEAWAY
Today I have five copies of Artie's book That Day in September, in your choice of physical or ebook copy. Open to everyone, please leave a comment for an entry. Winners will be drawn 9/17. Please note only US entry's will be able to select physical copy's, thanks and goodluck!!
That Day In September by Artie Van Why
We all have our stories to tell of where we were the morning of September 11, 2001. This is one of them. In "That Day In September" Artie Van Why gives an eyewitness account of that fateful morning. From the moment he heard "a loud boom" in his office across from the World Trade Center, to stepping out onto the street, Artie vividly transports the reader back to the day that changed our lives and our country forever. "That Day In September" takes you beyond the events of that morning. By sharing his thoughts, fears, and hopes, Artie expresses what it was like to be in New York City in the weeks and months following. The reader comes away from "That Day In September" with not only a more intimate understanding of the events of that day, but also with a personal glimpse of how one person's life was dramatically changed forever.
I think anybody old enough to understand 9/11 will be forever changed by the events of that day... It was horrific.
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You know I've been watching all the coverage of 9/11 these past few days, replays of news broadcasts, etc. and I find myself in tears. It's amazing that 10 years later it can still affect me so much. Horrific is the perfect word for it Brunette.
ReplyDeleteCount me in please.
ReplyDelete-Britt T.
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i'm very interested in reading this book...thanks for the opportunity
ReplyDeletekarenk
kmkuka at yahoo dot com
Im very interested.
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After that day, people were desperate for comforting words, thanks for providing them.
ReplyDeleteI'm interested in reading this book! A lot has changed not only on that day, but since.
ReplyDeletemeredithfl at gmail dot com
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