Paul M. Howey
I am an author, editor, storyteller, poet, newspaper columnist, photographer, and occasional cartoonist and sculptor. Guess I wasn't busy enough, because I recently became editor of The Laurel of Asheville magazine, a fantastic and leading publication of the arts and communities of Western North Carolina.
Since starting AZTexts in 1995, I have written several books of my own — for adults, for young readers, and for children. I have written about subjects as varied as the Holocaust, embalming, outdoor fireplaces, and more, and I've just finished writing what will be the first of a series of historical fiction novels for young girls 7-12. I also write an opinion column every other Sunday for the Asheville Citizen-Times.
In the past eleven-plus years, I've also had the good fortune to edit more than 60 books for other authors and publishers around the globe. These books, most of which are now published, include both fiction and non-fiction written for a wide range of audiences from children to adults.
My favorite of the books I've written (favorite for many reasons) is Freckles: The Mystery of the Little White Dog in the Desert. You can read more about Freckles on her very own website: www.FrecklesFriends.org. This book won the ASPCA Henry Bergh Award for humane education in children's literature and was selected as one of the "Top Five Children's Books of the Year" by Copley News Service. And Freckles? The ASPCA named her their first ever Humane Hero of the Year! This dog and this book have changed my life. I love spending my days in elementary schools with Freckles and teaching the kids how important it is to be nice to animals (and each other). And, of course, there is the wonderfully soft but ever so effective pet therapy work that she does with youngsters, toddlers to teens.
A resumé stranger than fiction
"I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it." -- Pablo Picasso
After several diverse careers (photojournalist, reporter, landscape designer, newspaper publisher, professional fundraiser, U.S. Senate campaign manager, a governor's political finance director, congressional district chairperson, head of a state mental health association, and ten years selling registered securities to millionaires to finance wildcat oil and gas drilling), I worked for several years for a publisher of books for young readers (K-12). Yikes!
Through it all, an invisible spirituality arose and wound its way through my many lives, developing for the most part unseen and unappreciated. A few years ago, it broke through the surface of my consciousness and revealed itself to be born of an alchemy between Buddhism (with its inherent respect for all sentient beings) and ancient Christianity (as in the original belief system created by Jesus and his lovable band of love-for-all rebel hippies). Blended into this was a rediscovery of yoga (my beautiful wife Trish became a certified instructor) and qi gong taught by Umar Sharif, an incredible master. Mystic poet Jelaluddin Rumi, too, plays an ongoing role in my never-to-be-completed transformation.
Lover of critters
We recently moved from the deserts of Arizona to the mountains of western North Carolina where we live with our "empty-nest" zoo: Mocha (a most talkative African Grey parrot), Quila (a Golden Retriever who doesn't), Leegle (a short-legged Beagle), Freckles (our terrier mix who is now a certified pet therapy dog), Bagger Pants (a long-haired dachshund we discovered at the Humane Society in Tucson). We recently added four more parrots -- lovebirds we adopted from a parrot rescue organization.
I share my love of animals by teaching humane education classes and by volunteering for local animal rescue groups. I also especially enjoy the opportunity to show youngsters the joys of reading and writing!
AZTexts
My mission at AZTexts is to become involved in book projects that hopefully will make the world a better place in which to live, both through education and entertainment. So, how to go about achieving such an admittedly lofty goal? The stylized ancient Mexican pyramid in the AZTexts logo contains part of the answer. The soft sun at the top of the pyramid symbolizes our need as a global society to look gently to the past for our lessons — and from our past, to look forward to the future of our dreams. The goal, too, is to seek out solutions to problems rather than treating only the symptoms. The fallacy of peace through violence, is but one example.
Author
FRECKLES–The Mystery of the Little White Dog in the Desert
SHOAH–Journey from the Ashes
GARTH BROOKS–Chart Bustin' CountryWriter/Editor
60+ other adult & children's titlesMember
Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators
Association of Professional Humane Educators
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Humane Society of the United States
Animal Compassion Network of North Carolina
Asheville North Carolina Humane Society
