1997 - 04/1997 Meeting

Page Created: 09/25/10. Last Updated: 10/26/10. Last Google Group Page Update: 03/08/08.

PAUL STARK

Novels:

Honor the Keeper

MEETING SUMMARY:

Meeting Date: April 12, 1997.

Meeting Site: Yeager Residence, Paramus, New Jersey.

Official Attendance: 38.

Meeting Program: Talk by Horror Writer.

Notes:

Meeting Memories:

Newsletter Account:

Robert Yeager and family were once again kind enough to host the April 12, 1997 meeting of the Science Fiction Association of Bergen County. The Yeagers not only gave us the run of their house, but as usual provided a sumptuous array of food and beverages.

Author Paul Stark was our guest speaker. Paul Stark is the pen name used by long time area resident Paul Carnavale because he felt his real name sounds too festive to sell horror.

Mr Stark loves horror and loves to be scared. He was frightened about giving his first talk before a group, but since he likes to be scared, it also gave him a thrill.

He explained that he had taken a number of courses about writing over the years. Most of his output had been short fiction. Some was horror, others were slice-of-life vignettes and ruminations. None had sold.

When he decided to try writing a novel, he wrote letters of inquiry to a number of literary agents. He received three letters back. Only one was from a literary agent who did not demand a fee for reading his work, so he sent his book to her. She, in turn, made the sale to Commonwealth Press, a Canadian publisher.

HONOR THE KEEPER is a mass market paperback novel of supernatural horror set in the Rampo Mountains of Bergen County. It concerns an evil out of the area's native American past which comes back to menace a man of our time.

Mr Stark's talk sparked a far greater than usual number of questions about his background and the mechanics of how he writes his stories. He answered these queries with grace and sincerity.

After the meeting, Robert Yeager led two tours through his house. For those of you who have never been there, the Yeagers have been the collectors of any number of curios and bric-a-brac over the years. These have been arranged so that almost every room in the house has its own particular decor "theme": Spanish, nautical, oriental, south seas, and so on.

A large group went to the Forum Diner on Route 4 after we cleared out of the Yeager home. While we were there, we bumped into club member Jackie Hecht's sister, Joanie, and her friend Beth Gaitlan, so we called Jackie on her sister's cell phone and teased her for not making the meeting.

Mr Stark went the following letter to Philip De Parto:

"Please convey to everyone at the SFABC my sincere thanks and appreciation for the fantastic reception I received at your last meeting. It took only seconds for the group to make me feel accepted as a speaker. I could never have anticipated all the questions and interest in my work as an unknown writer. The experience was truly uplifting, and I now feel even more confident as I start my next novel."

"Please also thank the Yeagers for allowing me to view their home. I was struck, as my next story was to center around something similar. The varying themes were inspiring, to say the least."

"I hope all who purchased my book are enjoying the story, and thanks again."