More books coauthored with Frank Bryan
After the Real Vermonters Don't Milk Goats' striking success, Frank and I went on to write three more Vermont volumes in six years, Frank leading the charge on two of them and me out front on the third. [Find out more about Real Vermonters Don't Milk Goats.]
The first of these three, OUT! THE VERMONT SECESSION BOOK! was a full-blown satire about Vermont leaving the Union. Based on the "discovery" of a fictional Moscow (VT) Covenant "signed" by George Washington and Ethan Allen, we contended that Vermont had never joined the Union. The Union joined Vermont, and after 200 years of intrusive bureaucracy, federal mismanagement, and other un-Vermont-like actions, Vermont wanted OUT!
For the next collaboration, Frank and I decided that it was not so important who was born here and who wasn't. What mattered was keeping Vermont unique and that was not going to be easy. Frank and I, "intrepid defenders of democracy and the Vermont way of life," had an answer. Don't just appreciate Vermont - OWN it, at least a few square feet of it. The Vermont Owner's Manual would show readers how.
In truth, these two books were largely Frank's creations. They sprang from his life-long study of Vermont and my ideas were mostly icing on his cakes. Both of the books became graphically arresting with illustrations by the incomparable Jeff Danziger.
Our last collaboration was Out of Order, a collection of mostly true political stories that I elaborated on from my six years as a state legislator. I created a narrative of two State House custodians who collected rumors and tales and hid them in the basement men's room. For illustrations, we gave Danziger a rest. I found a "local" artist to do the illustrations, namely fellow legislator, Don Hooper. His whacky style was just right.
The cumulative effect of partnering with Frank was that I became an accident humorist.
— Bill Mares
Frank Bryan & Bill Mares
Contact Bill Mares, or click here to find an independent Vermont bookseller near you. Also available at Abe Books
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