As an author and longtime keeper of books I forgot I even owned, bookends are necessities in my house. And what’s crazy is I don’t even have real bookends. You know, the fancy ones from Pier 1 and Wayfair. I just use whatever I can find — thicker hardbacks, wide picture frames, Bear Bryant-themed Coca-Cola … Continue reading Bookends on 2020
Sometimes, you just have to have fun with modern-day technology. In this case, that means memes. Enjoy them below. And don't forget, you can order Sonny Days: Struggles, Scenery and Solace with the World's Strangest Shelter Dog here.
TRUSSVILLE, Ala. -- Gary Lloyd has released his sixth book, Sonny Days: Struggles, Scenery and Solace with the World’s Strangest Shelter Dog. The book’s official release date is July 29. Sonny Days is the story of Sonny, a brown Labrador-hound mix strayed in Bessemer, Alabama, and rescued by the Greater Birmingham Humane Society. Before he … Continue reading ‘Sonny Days’ is available
The red bricks and thick mortar continue to rise high, but the green will always tower higher. I have written about Trussville a long time, lived here even longer, and only recently, sans a historical book project in 2013, have I been able to take a step back into the past. We moved to Trussville … Continue reading Green Quarantine
THIS STORY APPEARS IN GARY LLOYD’S BOOK, VALLEY ROAD: UPLIFTING STORIES FROM DOWN SOUTH. GET IT HERE. It sounds improbable, but I believe I am up to the task. I can sum up a city in just six stories. At the time, they were just stories, black ink filling up the pages of a yearly magazine in … Continue reading Six stories
THIS STORY APPEARS IN GARY LLOYD’S BOOK, VALLEY ROAD: UPLIFTING STORIES FROM DOWN SOUTH. GET IT HERE. So much about that high school football season was tough. A player dying during a gym workout prior to the season kicking off. The small town's grocery store, which produced a quarter of a million dollars in annual tax revenue, … Continue reading Tough runs
This story appears in Gary Lloyd’s book, Ray of Hope: One Man's Dream, Hundreds Served. Get it here. All proceeds benefit the Ray of Hope Wheelchair Ramp ministry in Pace, Florida. Chapter 23: Everybody helped everybody I have recorded and transcribed thousands of interviews. I have heard so many different things. I have heard … Continue reading Everybody helped everybody
This story appears as the prologue in Gary Lloyd’s book, Valley Road: Uplifting Stories from Down South. Get it here. Prologue: Unlikely stories Many crime-related articles become commonplace, when you are a newspaper reporter. You grow accustomed to dialing the phone number of a sheriff’s office, texting with a police captain, refreshing your email waiting … Continue reading Unlikely stories
By Gary Lloyd Presented without context, here are some memorable quotes that will appear in my next book, Sonny Days. “Dogs have been everything to me. My best friends were dogs. They were the ones who didn’t ask questions. They were the ones who unconditionally gave you that kind of fix that you needed, that … Continue reading ‘Sonny Days’ interview excerpts
This story appears in Gary Lloyd’s book, Valley Road: Uplifting Stories from Down South. Get it here. I was legitimately terrified. It was my first summer job, and I was ill-prepared. I knew nothing of carburetors and SAE-30, and I wasn’t strong enough to lift close to a hundred pounds of metal alone. A buddy’s parents … Continue reading The shop
