Reynolds Homestead will host Ibby Greer for a Wednesday, June 7, author talk. Elizabeth Taylor Greer will discuss her late husband’s legal history, The Great Moonshine Conspiracy Trial of 1935 (2002). Greer edited the work. And she’s done a whole lot more. For a quick sample, we checked in with the Roanoke resident, a woman of words and brushes, on her current creative direction.
BOOK CITY ★ Roanoke: You edited The Great Moonshine Conspiracy Trial of 1935, but you have quite a range.
ETG: I do enjoy editing, but, yes, I write and paint as well. The Great Moonshine Conspiracy Trial of 1935 was, of course, a very special effort, since I worked on it with my late husband [Thomas Keister Greer, Esq. 1921-2008], but I’ve also now edited 16 books for other authors and gotten them published through CreateSpace. This week, I’ll also be discussing my own work, Moonshine Corner.
BCR: Is that a legal history as well?
ETG: Moonshine Corner: Keys to Rocky Mount is a novel but it uses some of the same historic material. It’s a ghost story that involves time travel. It’s set in three points in time: 1864, 1933, and 2014.
BCR: Those are all dramatic points, each for different reasons.
ETG: Yes, there’s inspiration everywhere. There’s no shortage of material.
BCR: What’s inspiring you now?
ETG: I’m currently working on a cozy mystery set in the horse world of north Florida. There are more than 900 horse farms in that area.
BCR: And, no doubt, countless opportunities for intrigue. So we’ve got editing, and writing mystery and ghostly time travel. What else do you have your hands in?
ETG: I primarily write fiction. But I’ve also published a free verse memoir. I assembled my late husband’s notes for his memoir, and I wrote an epistolary novel, Moving Day: A Season of Letters. That was set in Colorado. I have also put together an adult coloring book and have written two books for children.
BCR: Certainly, no one’s going to pin down Ibby Greer!
ETG: Not if I can help it! I like to share my writing and have written for all age groups, from young children to older people. And I enjoy public speaking about writing and my books.
BCR: And we’ll get a chance to hear you on Wednesday. wWe haven’t even talked about your gourds! But we’ll do that next time. For now, how about leaving us with a reading recommendation.
ETG: I’m currently reading Michael Connelly’s legal thrillers. I enjoy his blend of narrative and dialogue.
BCR: Thanks for the chat. Have a great presentation on Wednesday.
Ibby Greer will speak at the Reynolds Homestead in Critz, Virginia, on Wednesday, June 7, at noon. Learn more about Elizabeth Taylor Greer and her gourds at her www.moonshinewidow.com.
BOOK CITY ★ Roanoke 