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David McRaney | Journalist
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Lecturecasting comes to USM Published this year, "Quest for the Mace" is one of those mysterious and perhaps dangerous books that end up being passed around in the shadows and discussed behind locked doors at USM.Available through lulu.com for download or in print, the book details the corrupt presidency of a university president in southern Mississippi named Timothy F. Shelton, and the attempts of the disgruntled faculty and others to usurp him. Though the author, Theron Manly, asserts the book is pure fiction, some similarities to USM do jump right out at the reader. Shelton's desk is made of polymer, the university mascot is the silver falcon, his son's name is Forrest, his father's is Lamar and Austin Lucent was the previous president. The Student Printz was able to interview Manly this week, and here is what he had to say: So, exactly who is this Theron Manly? I am a native of Alabama, a present resident of Florida, and a former resident of Mississippi. It was my good fortune to spend 29 years as a member of the faculty on the USM Gulf Coast Campus. I retired in June 2002 with many excellent memories of USM, its wonderful people and the beautiful campus where I taught on the coast. How long have you been working on this novel? When I retired in 2002 I knew there were still many things that I wanted to do in life. I knew there was only so much golf I could play and only so many miles I could ride my bike. I realized I needed to be busy. So, I decided to do something I had never done…. write a novel. I began writing "Quest for the Mace" in late 2002 and wrote on an intermittent schedule. The work was basically complete in 2005 and publication began on May 20, 2006. The characters and setting of this novel seem very familiar. What inspired them? I think we are all the sum of our experiences and interactions with others. During my professional career, I had ample opportunity to interact with numerous people in higher education from across the South. Many times, we traded stories about our experiences at our respective institutions. This interaction and the tales that were related certainly influenced my imagination. The names, characters, places and incidents in my novel are the product of my imagination or are used fictitiously. I know from responses that I have had from readers that readers also have active imaginations. The novel could have been set in any college or university. Also, the setting did not have to be in a university setting. It could have been a business setting, a government setting, or any organization in which people vie for power. What kind of response has it received? I have been pleased with the response. It is available only from a single source: lulu.com. Since this was my first attempt at writing fiction, I chose to test the water to see how the novel would be received. If the response from readers continues to be positive, and if a greater demand develops for the book, I will seek other ways of distributing the novel on a wider scale. The book is not yet available at your local bookstore. I have been encouraged to seek a mainstream publisher but have not yet pursued that suggestion. I know the novel still needs some refinement. Why did you write it? As I stated earlier, I needed something new to do when I retired. Also, long ago, I recognized that there were individuals in all walks of life with an unhealthy thirst for power. It was my intent to show that individuals with this unhealthy thirst sometimes face challenges from those that are more honorable and ethical. Are you worried about the controversy it may create? No. I cannot visualize that a fictional story such as this would create controversy. We have enough controversy in our real life situations. Hopefully, readers can focus on positive things in the novel, such as the good character of the Gulf States University students. What does the future hold for you? I may or may not continue to live in Florida. I miss Mississippi and all of the wonderful people that live in my adopted state. We moved from Biloxi before Katrina stuck and have been back to try to assist friends in their recovery. As far as writing, I do plan to write something new and different. I certainly enjoyed the sports part of the novel so I may write a sports oriented novel. I realize that the readers will ultimately determine the success of "Quest for the Mace". I know that the novel is still in the evaluation stage, and if it has enough merit there will be an avenue for a wider promotion and distribution. Any chance for a book signing on campus? Not at this time. If the book is successful, I am confident that events like this could occur in a number of locations. Originally published in The Student Printz on September 21, 2007
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