A Novel Idea Plans Salute To Veterans With Four Local Authors Nov. 9

A Novel Idea, the Atlanta Writers Club, Bookmiser and Brimstone Restaurant and Tavern will present an evening honoring veterans with four local authors Thursday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. at Brimstone Restaurant and Tavern, Alpharetta.

The featured writers and books include Rona Simmons, “A Gathering of Men” and “The Other Veterans of World War II;” Jan Slimming, “Code Breaker Girls,” “Captured at Singapore” and “The Secret Life of an American Code Breaker;” Rita Roberts, “I Can’t Wait to Call You My Wife;” and Ed Gruber, “Tony the Kneebreaker” and “Seeking Intimacy.”

Simmons is a frequent speaker to book, author and general audiences, but she particularly enjoys speaking on the several occasions when America celebrates those who are serving and have served.

She will discuss her recent works, “A Gathering of Men” and “The Other Veterans of World War II,” both stories of World War II that you have not heard before. Simmons, who writes both historical fiction and nonfiction, will also discuss her participation in Stories Behind the Stars, an all-volunteer group of individuals that are preserving the memories of the 400,000 Americans who paid the ultimate price during the Second World War.

She is the daughter of a WWII fighter pilot and wife of a US Navy pilot and is proud to honor veterans and their histories through her work. In both her recent works, Simmons gives a voice to all those who served whether command officers, airmen, or ground crews. Her stories, articles and interviews have appeared in regional and national literary journals and in print and online magazines.

Slimming is an award-winning author and former publishing professional in the British educational and international publishing industry. “Codebreaker Girls: A Secret Life at Bletchley Park” is her first book, followed by “Codebreaker Girls: The Secret Life of an American Codebreaker” and “Captured at Singapore: A Diary of a Far East Prisoner of War.”

As director of three companies, Slimming chaired committees and fund-raising initiatives in aid of children's education before delving into historical research. Born in London, she was 6 when she first heard about Bletchley Park, but it was decades later that secrets about this wartime facility were revealed, and she was compelled to research and write about this little-known part of her mother's life.

Slimming is a member of Atlanta Writers Club and an active member of her community in local events and WWII matters, of which she also writes with her twin sister. She has first class-qualifications from the Royal Society of Arts in English, Business and Publishing from Wimbledon College and the University of the Arts (formerly London College of Printing and Graphic Arts). She lives in Atlanta with her husband and growing family.

Emeritus Professor Roberts is the former Nathaniel Wright Stephenson Professor of History and Biography at Scripps College and Professor of Africana Studies at the Claremont Colleges. She is the author of several articles and two books, “Evangelicalism and the Politics of Reform in Northern Black Political Thought, 1776-1863” and “I Can’t Wait to Call You My Wife: African American Correspondence in the Civil War Era."

Roberts is currently researching the Southern free Black experience from the early colonial era to the late nineteenth century and the role of race in the history of U.S. asylums.

Born and raised in the borough of the Bronx, New York City, 95-year-old Gruber is a former U.S. Navy combat correspondent.

During the Korean War he served aboard several naval vessels – aircraft carriers, destroyers and an LST Pilot Rescue craft. He also survived numerous nighttime combat patrols with the U.S. Marines.

At his home base in the Navy’s Pacific Fleet Public Information Office at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Gruber worked with many celebrities (Bob Hope, John Wayne, Walter Brennan, James Arness and others), and had remarkable experiences with a variety of notable military, business, journalism, creative arts and political VIPs.

After his military service, he became a writer and creative director at international advertising agencies serving blue-chip clients from offices in New York, Detroit and Toronto.

He is currently finishing his memoirs and mentoring a young writer who is interviewing Korean War veterans, helping him convert taped interviews into a book that remembers Korea, “the Forgotten War.” Aside from writing, the Woodstock resident also enjoys golfing and fishing.

Attendees are encouraged to come early, have dinner, register for giveaways and, in the process, support metro Atlanta’s writing community. Bookmiser will have copies of all four authors’ books for sale. For more information, go to anovelidea.us/events.

There is no charge to attend but registration is requested here.

About A Novel Idea
Begun in 2016, ANI provides a forum for authors to exhibit their works in an informal and welcoming setting, in collaboration with the Atlanta Writers Club. For more information, visit anovelidea.us. Authors interested in being considered for future ANI presentations or in volunteering to help should contact Jeremy Logan at anovelidea.authorshowcase@gmail.com.

About Atlanta Writers Club
Founded in 1914, the AWC teaches the business and craft of writing, supports the local literary community and encourages more reading by the public. For more information, visit atlantawritersclub.org.

About Bookmiser
Since 1998, Bookmiser, an independent bookseller in Marietta, has been selling new and used books, hosting author events and facilitating store-hosted book clubs. Bookmiser will be on hand at all ANI events as its primary bookseller. For more information, visit bookmiser.net.