October is a tease (and Marcus plays along)

What's that red-gold flame on the horizon? A bird? A sailplane? The mountains set alight by October's mischievous, fleeting leave-taking? A magical realist poem in color and shape, painted by a man who laughs with his paintbrush in his mouth?

October is a month of warm colors and chilly winds. She's a tease, but we don't love her any less. In fact, she endears the days to us, tiding us over with golden light, woodsmoke, pumpkins and trees that burn with beauty, spoiling us before the austerity of winter.

The month has been full of bright activity for us. A reading at Mars Hill College homecoming officially gave the public a peek at the book and orders are well underway.  The Laurel of Asheville published a bright, friendly piece on Marcus and the book. And on the cusp of all this excitement, Marcus took to the skies himself.

In the spirit of October we've got a teaser of our own. In addition to the book, we are offering a DVD created by Bob Peck of Asheville Multimedia which delves deeper into Marcus' life, work and imagination. Below is a short excerpt from the film. Savor it as you would the days of October and enjoy it while it lasts!

Flights Made to Order

The time has come! We are proudly accepting orders for Flight of the Mind, the 25-year retrospective and true labor of love for Anne and Marcus Thomas.

Currently, we are tracking the progress of the book, still in the care of our publisher, as it leaves the presses, receives all the finishing touches - a little gold leaf here, an embossed image there - finally to be bundled up and released into the wide world. We expect the first printing to land on our doorstep in the first week of December. All orders will be fulfilled immediately at that time, soaring straight and true to light underneath your Christmas Tree.

We know, too well, how uncertain, time, life, and the weather can be, so the arrival date is not 100% guaranteed. But there's also a chance we are being conservative with our arrival estimate. We can promise to stay in touch as the shipment of the first printing approaches. Please visit our Ordering FAQ page for detailed information on the process.

From now until October 15th, you will receive a 15% preferred customer discount. Gold and Platinum Editions include wonderful supplements to Marcus' story, such as a classy slipcover, a DVD showcasing everyday rituals and a cast of characters from life and art, and original signed prints - hummingbirds to lift the roof of your mind to heights of inspiration.

On Saturday, October 13th at 11am, we will be offering a special reading and preview of the book and DVD at Mars Hill College Homecoming.  All weekend, Marcus will be exhibiting his work in the Montague Building on the college campus. On Saturday morning, Leslee Johnson, author, will give a reading of selections accompanied by slides of the book itself. We're excited to share this glimpse of our work and love and look forward to seeing as many of our faithful readers, in so many ways our beloved community far and wide for whom we built this book, as possible.

Flight of the Mind: The Multimedia Experience

Bob and Marcus in the recording studio.

Happy Independence Day to all. I am realizing this holiday was more fun when I was a child, a little more innocent and a lot more impressionable. These days, the fireworks I like best are of the mental, spiritual and creative sort.

Here in our camp, independence and freedom are treasures never to be taken lightly! Because of Marcus and Anne's determination to live independently after the accident, they embraced the creativity of the artist's life and have some metaphorical fireworks of their own to show for it. Marcus' personal quest for freedom led him straight to the realm of imagination realized in color and paint. And that's certainly something to celebrate.

Leslee reading the text.

We also have some fireworks up our sleeves (sounds dangerous!) of the multimedia variety, and this experience is sure to elicit 'oohs' and 'aahs.' As part of the offerings that come with the book, Flight of the Mind: A Painter's Journey through Paralysis, we've been working on a Flight of the Mind DVD, full of additional material and exclusive interviews with the artist, and an audio-book recording of the narrative text. Both of these broaden our reach and make a full experience of the work available to all.

We've recently completed the audiobook, recorded at ProComm studios in Fletcher, NC, by Bob Peck. Bob is also the mastermind behind the DVD portion of the project, and you can read about some of our early shoots here. Founder of Asheville Multimedia, Bob does good work bringing ideas to life with all the audiovisual arts at his disposal. Today's excerpt is courtesy of Bob and Asheville Multimedia, the first bit (a little teaser!) of the book, read by me, the author.