Strangers Among Us

Strangers Among Us

Yesterday in her update on the Davies Shelter’s new building, the executive director (Allison Mitchell-Trask) was telling the group that some homeless people were reluctant to come to the shelter. She mentioned that some of them may not be ready to work toward becoming self-sustaining and that some of them may not like the idea of living with a group of strangers. She pointed out that, just as we often feel fearful of a homeless man on the street, some of them also are fearful. These other people are strangers. My latest novel, Our Pebble in the Pond, expresses that same message: homeless people come from a variety of experiences, just as the rest of us do. In attempting to help them, we must always remember that their homelessness does not define them.

See more at:

Website: http://merrilldavies.com

Facebook: Merrill J. Davies, Writer

Twitter: @MERRILLDAVIES

Terry Kay, Member of the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame

“Terry Kay, a member of the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame, is the author of sixteen works of fiction….”  That’s what it says on the cover of his latest novel, The King Who Made Paper Flowers. I saw Terry at Dogwood Books in Rome recently, and bought a copy of his book. Before I went to the book signing, I did not realize that his most recent book was about homelessness, just as mine is. 

When I first realized this, my heart sank. Why did this successful novelist have to come out with a book about homeless people the same year my book came out? But as we talked I realized that it didn’t really matter. Terry Kay is a wonderful inspiration to those of us who are less well known. He has also been a big help to Georgia English Teachers. I do think it is interesting though, that we both wrote about the same subject. And, although I am not finished reading his book yet, I think we may be trying to express some of the same message through our stories. 

I encourage you to find a copy of The King Who Made Paper Flowers (Mercer University Press, 2016) and read it. He is a terrific writer. 

At the same time I would like to have you visit my website (http://merrilldavies.com) and learn about my latest novel, Our Pebble in the Pond. Visit me on Facebook (Merrill J. Davies, Writer) and Twitter (@MERRILLDAVIES). You can also find me on Amazon.com.

I am also lining up some events which are listed on my website. I would particularly like to invite you to my first big signing in Rome—at First Baptist Church, Wednesday, June 29, at 1:00 P.M.