Welcome to the 2024 ARIA Author Showcase and Giveaway Event! 

  

  

How to enter – Comment on the daily showcases to enter the daily giveaway. Comments close four days after the initial Showcase post. GRAND PRIZE drawn on Dec 5th (1 -$250, 1 -$100, or a 1 -$50 Amazon gift card. One grand prize pp) – For every showcase you post on, you automatically gain one entry to the grand prize. 30 Authors = 30 entries.    

Bob Curley will be at the Rhode Island Author Expo   

On to the Showcase! 

 

What name do you like to write under? Bob Curley

Where do you call home? North Kingstown, RI

What genre(s) do you write? Travel and Local History

What genre(s) were you drawn to when you were younger? Was there a reason that genre(s) appealed to you the most? Science Fiction, the science appealed to me as much as the fiction so I always preferred stories that were plausibly grounded as opposed to complete flights of fancy/fantasy.

What were some of your favorite books growing up? Why?  Anything by Robert Heinlein, Issac Asimov or Arthur C. Clarke

What are some of your favorite books today? I tend toward historical nonfiction these days. I'm right in the middle of reading a trilogy about the Second World War that includes the campaigns in North Africa, Italy, and Europe from D-Day on.

What inspired you to become a writer? An insatiable curiosity, mostly. I just like knowing about things, how things work, and why things are the way they are. All of which comes into play when writing about local travel and history, of course.

Secret Rhode Island: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure.

 

Why is the most iconic building on the Providence skyline called the Superman Building? What’s that giant termite hovering over I-95 in Providence? Why does Rhode Island have a monument to a chicken? Rhode Island packs a whole lot of weird, wonderful, and obscure into a little package, and you’ll learn all about the smallest state’s fascinating history and unique quirks in Secret Rhode Island. From Newport to Narragansett, Woonsocket to Westerly, comb through nearly 400 years of Rhode Island history and the state’s diverse culture.  Explore forgotten World War II prisoner-of-war camps, hidden beaches, “poison” tomatoes and Mr. Potato Head statues, Hobbit houses, and the final resting place of the man who gave us Thanksgiving. Did you hear the one about the tree that ate the priest? The tale of how Rhode Island founder Roger Williams wound up in a woody embrace is just one of the 90 unusual stories unveiled in this fun and fascinating book. You’ll also learn about street battles over the price of pasta, the infamous murder of a beloved elephant, a collection of books bound in human skin, and how the most famous ship in Australian history came to an ignominious end at the bottom of Newport Harbor.  Local author Bob Curley takes you through some of the biggest secrets in the smallest state. You’ll find the answers to all your questions, new places to visit, and more in Secret Rhode Island: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure.

Tell us a little about how “Secret Rhode Island: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure.” came to be. Did it start with an image, a voice, a concept, a dilemma or something else?  This book is part of a series that covers other states and cities, but there was no title for Rhode Island which I felt was a huge oversight, because few other places hold onto their secrets and quirkly local traditions as much as the Ocean State. I loved the challenge of diving into the state's three centuries of history, it's diverse population and cultures, and the endless about of "weird" that makes Rhode Island the unique and loveable place it is.

What do you like best about being a writer? I really enjoy the storytelling aspect of my job -- sharing information about the place I live with other locals and visitors to the state.

If you could collaborate with any author past or present, who would it be? What would the title of the book be? (If possible) - Give us a one sentence blurb.  In my current line of work, probably Bill Bryson -- we could do a local travel book called "Notes from a Strange State," maybe.

You can follow Bob Curley here - 

Website - https://bobcurleybooks.square.site/ 

FaceBook - https://www.facebook.com/RhodeIslandTravel 

Instagram -instagram.com/rhodytravel 

 

Bob Curley is giving away a copy of Secret Rhode Island: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure.

To enter, comment below → Have you ever visited the state of Rhode Island? If so, where is your favorite place to go? If not, what is your current read?

(Comments are open for 4 days)