Front Street's ArtWalk Celebration!

Diane Garner will be "in the reading room" of Front Street Books this Saturday, November 19, 2011 at 7pm discussing Letters from the Big Bend: Legacy of a Pioneer. 

Front Street Books is located at 201 E. Holland Ave., Alpine, TX 79830.  For more information on Front Street's ArtWalk Celebration, call (432) 837-3360 or visit the website via the link above.

Following Diane, at 8pm, Don Cadden and Apache Adams will discuss their book Tied Hard & Fast: Apache Adams, Big Bend Cowboy.  Historian, author and journalist Mike Cox will talk about his recent books West Texas Tales and Big Bend Tales at 8:30pm.

Join the celebration if you're in Alpine, Texas!

Texas Word Wrangler Festival

Article Copy from the Thursday, September 8, 2011 Times & News, Giddings, TX:

Diane Garner to talk about book at Word Wrangler Festival

Diane Garner of Houston will be at the Texas Word Wrangler Festival in Giddings this Friday to talk about her book, "Letters from the Big Bend: Legacy of a Pioneer."

Diane grew up in Giddings where her mother lived and worked as the hospital administrator for many years.

Some of the people mentioned in the book include her grandfather, Jim Landrum, who wrote 130 letters from Big Bend to his relatives in Pensacola, Florida between 1908 and 1914.

Also included is her mother, Mary Susan Landrum, who lived in Big Bend from 1914 through about 1928. People in Giddings knew her as Mary Tate Fields, Lee County Hospital administrator. It also tells about the Texas Rangers who were friends of her mother in Big Bend circa 1926 when she was a child.

Beside my Display Table
at the Texas Word Wrangler Festival
Giddings Public Library

I appreciate the opportunity to showcase Letters from the Big Bend: Legacy of a Pioneer in my home town of Giddings, TX. Event photos follow ...

Signing and Selling Books

Janis Hannes, me, Peggy Borchers and Nellie Kress

Caleb Pirtle, Peggy Borchers, Billie & Dottie Placke

Kick-Off Book Signing Party

Promotional Flyer for Kick-Off Event

This was a momentous occasion for me. My family and friends all pitched in to help me set up on that hot July Saturday, since it was to be a party to announce my published book and give a presentation about it. My husband and son placed the signs around the church property to make sure everyone could find the Fellowship Hall of the Memorial Lutheran Church. We arranged the stack of newly printed books as I looked forward to the event with great anticipation. I was hoping to sell a lot of copies of my first book, Letters from the Big Bend: Legacy of a Pioneer to those attending.

My daughter surprised me with a bouquet of flowers in honor of the big day. They added just the right touch to the table on which the books were displayed and sold.



 

 

 

 

One of our pastors, Pastor St. Onge, helped me set up my laptop and make the appropriate connections so that my PowerPoint presentation would project on the large screen behind me for the program. Friends helped arrange the refreshments and tea for the guests.
Friends and acquaintances from near and far began to arrive. As they found their seats I was able to visit with them briefly. Soon I began telling the story of my grandfather and my mother. I was pleasantly surprised with all their interest and pertinent questions during the Q&A that followed.

The Presentation

More visiting followed with those friends I hadn't seen in a while. As a line formed to have me sign each of their books, I was able to answer more questions. It was such a unique feeling of honor to be asked to place my name in each of the books. What a wonderful feeling to know people were interested in reading about my ancestors.

Guests in Line for Autographs

This Saturday was a great day for me. It's very gratifying to know people are interested in my family's history and a small part of the history of Big Bend.

 My son, Greg, and me

 

 

Cousin Mark, Greg, and me