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Sonny

I am here for Friends and Networking

About Me

Ever have one of those lives? Have you ever found yourself stuck behind land yachts? Do telemarketers have your number? Are you tired of people telling you everything you like is bad for you? Does technology gang up on you? Do you miss the days of soda fountains, cheap gasoline and when hamburgers didn't cost $6? Do you ever wonder whatever really happened to Randolph Scott? (More importantly, do you even remember Randolph Scott?) So does Sonny Garrett, and from the hills of the Ozarks he ponders these and other of life's questions in his weekly newspaper column. These are some of his observations on life, the universe and the benefits of a good cup of coffee.Hi, I'm Thomas Garrett -- AKA Sonny Garrett, and sometimes "Sonny G" -- and "A View from the Hills" is my first book. It's a collection of my newspaper columns that have a little bit of everything -- humor, nostalgia, commentary about the state of humanity, and my thoughts on the need for a good cup of coffee. These are observations I've made through the years from here in the heart of the Ozarks."A View from the Hills" is published by Outskirts Press and currently is available through Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble online and through the publisher. You can read more about my book, and order, at my Web site, www.outskirtspress.com/aviewfromthehills.I live in Mountain Home, Arkansas, in the heart of the Ozarks where I'm a jack-of-all-trades at The Baxter Bulletin -- editorial page editor and writer, senior writer, entertainment editor, "community conversation desk" manager (that has to do with our online work) and all-around cook and bottle washer.I'm married, have a 22-year-old son, Eli, and an 11-year-old daughter, Amelia. (Kim and I didn't get in a hurry expanding our family.) On the whole, life is good 99 percent of the time. The other 1 percent is what makes it challenging and an adventure.


Contact Tables

My Interests

Writing, reading, photography,cooking and food (that should be obvious from the picture, the outdoors, camping (when I can), travel, movies, TV, music, live music and shows, just having fun and enjoying life.

I'd like to meet:

Let's see -- Jimmy Buffett, Clive Cussler, Gordon Ramsay, Angelina Jolie, Robin Williams, Louis L'Amour (if he were alive), Johnny Depp, Jerry Bruckheimer (just to find out how he does it all), John Wayne (if he were alive), Paula Deen, Rachael Ray, Stephen King, several of my MySpace friends, just to name a few.

Music:

Almost anything (except opera, at least the vocal part -- I like the orchestral music -- and most hip-hop, which all sounds the same to me, even though I keep trying). I particularly like country, Southern rock, blues -- especially female blues singers with really big voices (I like women's voices with the sound of experience, not little girl voices)-- movie music, folk and Celtic (which can make you want to cry and dance at the same time). I like listening to local performers and those talented folks who haven't made the "big time" but sound better than those who have. I love live music when I can go listen.

Movies:

Way too many to name. I like adventure movies, Westerns, comedies, classics, dramas, some musicals and even a few romance and chick flicks. Among my favorites are Casablanca, Forrest Gump, Titanic, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Magnificent Seven, Tombstone, The Maltese Falcon, Treasure of Sierra Madre, all the Indiana Jones and Star Wars movies.I also have guilty pleasures, such as Kill Bill, From Dusk til Dawn, Andy Sidaris movies, lots of B-movies and videos, the kind that usually go straight to DVD then to cable (often Cinemax), then to the five-for-$5 bin.

My Blog

Hacked again

What's the deal with these jerks who sit around out there  wherever there is  looking for ways to hack into people's MySpace pages? I thought I'd taken care of it quite a while back. I made a few ad...
Posted by Sonny on Fri, 18 Jan 2008 05:28:00 PST

Its true -- you cant go home again

Remember Thomas Wolfe? He's the writer whose best-known novel gave us an expression that, sadly, proves too true --"You Can't Go Home Again." I went back for a visit this weekend, and Mr. Wolfe was ri...
Posted by Sonny on Tue, 27 Nov 2007 09:47:00 PST

New photo album

I've created a new photo album with sohts from the Greater Ozarks Blues Festival last weekend at Springfield, Mo. These folks made some mighty fine music. Check out the pix.
Posted by Sonny on Sun, 16 Sep 2007 03:12:00 PST

My newspaper blog

From the looks of things, I haven't posted anything here in a while. Like the butcher who backed into the sausage grinder, I tend to get a little behind in my work now and then. Sometimes, I get a lot...
Posted by Sonny on Fri, 31 Aug 2007 05:04:00 PST

Hastings book signing went well

My book signing at the local Hastings went well last weekend. Better than I'd expected. I had a sense of excitement and dread as it approached. My dread was that no one would show up. I was excited be...
Posted by Sonny on Mon, 09 Jul 2007 06:47:00 PST

My book is here!

My book is finally here! I've just received my author copies of "A View from the Hills." This is the big moment, the one I've dreamed about for years. From my first scribblings (including an unfinishe...
Posted by Sonny on Thu, 07 Jun 2007 09:46:00 PST

It's official -- My book is published!

It is now official: I am a published author. "A View from the Hills" has been released by Outskirts Press and is available through Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble online, as well as from the publish...
Posted by Sonny on Fri, 01 Jun 2007 10:50:00 PST

The first "dirty" book I read is back

I was at Wal-Mart the other day when I noticed on their book rack that the first "dirty" book I ever read is back in an new edition. It's "The Carpetbaggers" by Harold Robbins, featuring a protagonist...
Posted by Sonny on Sun, 20 May 2007 02:07:00 PST

Here we go

Well, I just sent back the corrections to my galleys. That means I should soon know when "A View from the Hills" will be ready to release. I'm getting more and more anxious. As a first-timer, I'm not ...
Posted by Sonny on Wed, 18 Apr 2007 07:21:00 PST

My galleys are ready!

The galleys for my book, "A View from the Hills," are ready for proofing, as is the cover. The front cover is my page. (I figure if worse comes to worse, folks can use the cover in their gardens to sc...
Posted by Sonny on Wed, 04 Apr 2007 06:28:00 PST