Bill Fortenberry
STORYTELLER OF THE GREAT AMERICAN SOUTH
GEORGIA INDEPENDENT AUTHOR OF THE YEAR
I love stories, real-life, good-as-gold, character-driven stories. Growing up, I hung in doorways and on porches listening to my mom, my dad, my aunts and uncles tell stories, and I watched them happen right in front of me. They were amazing:
The time my dad mooned an entire funeral procession (not on purpose.)
The kind drunk who sometimes stayed at our house who always wanted to call "Granite-City-Illinois-Georgia."
Those holidays spent around the campfire at my Aunt Connie's, when an uncle or cousin would slip off behind the barn for drink of whiskey.
The overalls-wearing visitor who could conjure a wart off a hand and tell your fortune with a deck of cards and a Bible.
These are the people I write about, and I reckon y'all enjoy them. I've won a slew of awards from the Associated Press, the Georgia Press Association and the Georgia Society for Healthcare Planning and Marketing for my stories, and most recently, my debut novel, Lint Head, was recognized by the Georgia Independent Author Association for Author of the Year recognition in the Literary Fiction category and the GIAA Spotlight on Georgia Award for fiction.
I spent the first half of his career as a reporter, editor and columnist for the Rome News-Tribune in his hometown of Rome, Georgia. Since 2001, I have worked in healthcare communications and marketing. A late-in-life grad student, I am currently pursuing my Master's Degree in Professional Writing from Kennesaw State University.
My wife, Lisa, and I have been married more than three decades, and we are the parents of two children, Ethan and Autumn. You can read more about my family below. You can also learn more about how I'm continuing to write my own life story by checking out this Rome News-Tribune article.
LINT HEAD & AUNT CONNIE'S
I waited until my senior years to do it, but I always knew that one day I would write a novel. That novel was Lint Head, a story I had been building in my mind for more than 30 years. While waiting for Lint Head to be published, I asked an important question: What does a writer do while he's waiting on his novel to be published? I knew the answer: Write another one. I feel pretty certain there will be more books in the future, but in the meantime, check out my The Kudzudad Blog for more stories of the heroes and characters who have made life interesting.
KudzuDAD
My blog is called The Kudzudad Blog for two very good reasons: The stories I tell and write cover a lot of Southern ground, kind of like the kudzu that grows everywhere in my part of the world, and I am just about the proudest dad on the planet. So proud, in fact, that I can't imagine telling you about me, my books and my life without telling you about my amazing kids.
Autumn is my baby girl. She's engaged to Griffin. She's a public school teacher with a master's degree in literacy. She is a fierce advocate for her students. She's also an incredibly gifted watercolor and digital artist. You can bet that her lesson plans include her artwork, are fun for her students and involve storytelling. That's just the kind of woman she is. Recently, she discovered a love for gardening with a bevy of snapdragons and wild-flowers to prove it.
Ethan is my oldest. He's a Nashville (yes, THAT Nashville) based musician, singer and songwriter. Ethan started playing guitar after discovering my dad's old Yamaha in the attic. He asked for lessons, and the rest, as they say, is history. The picture on the right is him performing at Red Rocks with Jack Van Cleaf and Zach Bryan. He spends as much time on the road touring as he does at home. You can find his music on your favorite streaming service, including the following:
MRS. FORTENBERRY
My wife, Lisa, is pretty private. The most beautiful thing about her is her complete lack of pretension. She's not going to "put on airs" or change who she is to impress you. If you ask her opinion, she's gonna be honest with you, and if one of our kids is having a problem, she's not gonna rest until it's fixed.
BUT, she's also a talented artist. The woman can do anything: sculpt, paint, sketch, draw, sew, crochet, you name it. Most recently, she's been making jewelry. You can check out her jewelry in our hometown, Rome, Georgia, at Cecil T's Mercantile on Broad Street.
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