There is one nice advantage to being an outdoors writer and getting to attend annual conferences of writing organizations. One such group that is no longer in existence is the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association that when active, held annual conferences somewhere in the southeastern United States.
I got to meet and rub shoulders with other writers whose works I have long admired and it means lot to get to pick the brains of and hang out with such folks.
One writer I met years ago – I don’t remember which conference I was attending when we met – is South Carolina humor writer, Jim Mize. I found him to be a guy so easy to chat with who always left me with a smile and chuckle. I looked forward to conference each year when we could get to visit again.
Jim always did me the honor of sharing his latest books with me and my library now holds each of the several ones he has written.
Last week, my mail contained his latest book, one I first learned about when he posted the book’s release on Facebook. When I saw the title, I knew it was one I hoped I’d find in my mailbox and true to form, it showed up last week.
The name, “The Haunted Outhouse”, caught my attention and I knew it was one that was sure to create some giggles and maybe even a guffaw or two.
Mize has a fictitious friend, “Beanpole” who is featured in most of his funny stories. “Beanpole is a character with whom most outdoors-oriented guys can identify. He’s the guy who always shows up late and when he does, he turns what is supposed to be a normal day afield or on the water into a comedy of errors and mishaps,” Mize explained when I chatted with him last week.
In the Acknowledgements of the book, Mize writes, “I’ve confessed before that I sometimes use the mishaps of others in my stories by asking, ‘What if this happened to Beanpole?’ So, for those of you who recognize yourself in these stories, I offer my thanks for sharing your predicaments. I’ve disguised them by giving them to my characters and allowing you to dodge the embarrassment unless you tell the story yourself that inspired Beanpole’s misfortunes.
“I should add that many of these pitfalls were my own, repurposed and sometimes elaborated on to give the story more life. My own ineptitude as an outdoorsman probably means that Beanpole will have a long life of misadventures.”
The book contains over 30 stories of Beanpole’s adventures that I can just about guarantee you’ll enjoy. These stories are perfect for settling down in a favorite chair with a cup of coffee and smile and chuckle as you read and sip.
In addition to “The Haunted Outhouse”, Jim has written six other books including “The Winter of our Discount Tent”, “A Creek Trickles Through It”, “The Jon Boat Years”, “Hunting with Beanpole”, “Fishing with Beanpole” and “Funny You Asked Me That”.
The books are available at Amazon.com and for autographed copies, head to www.acreektricklesthroughit.com.
Anytime I need something to tickle my funny bone, I reach up on the shelf and grab one of these books. If you like to read good clean humor, you can’t go wrong by treating yourself to any of these fine publications written by Jim Mize, one of this country’s best known humor writers.