Stover, Charles E. 1947-

PERSONAL:

Born June 7, 1947, in Champaign, IL; son of Spurgeon and Delphia Stover; married November 11, 1979; wife's name Maria (an instructional support teacher); children: Christina Stover Wesson. Ethnicity: "Caucasian." Education: Almeda University, B.A., 2003. Politics: Republican. Religion: Greek Orthodox. Hobbies and other interests: Skiing, swimming, foreign travel.

ADDRESSES:

Home and office—1929 Deer Park Rd., Finksburg, MD 21048. E-mail—skipstover@msn.com.

CAREER:

Writer. Poetry Circle, Reisterstown, MD, president, 1977-2003; Koons Organization, Owings Mills, MD, financial advisor, 2003—. Hampden Business Association, president, 1978-81.

MEMBER:

Ahepa Organization.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Golden Poet Award, World of Poetry Press, 1982, for Unspoken Words.

WRITINGS:

Unspoken Words (poetry), privately printed, 1975.

SIDELIGHTS:

Charles E. Stover told CA: "I began writing in high school. I have always valued romance as the most important aspect in a relationship or marriage. I have studied many relationships and marriages and found romance on the verge of dying. Romance is forced upon people nationally one day per year: Valentine's Day. In my novel in progress, I show romance and love being stronger than a terrorist's mind.

"I set aside four hours a day to relax and get into the character I must be in my book. If I am writing love poetry, I think about what I have learned about love and relationships over the years. I listen when people talk, and try to feel the emotion they speak with. I have seen many people, happy and hurt, but unable to put that emotion into words. My best critics have been senior citizens who read my book Unspoken Words."

Stover later told CA: "I first became interested when I wrote a love poem and an older lady, who read it, stated I should write love poetry and publish it. I started writing love poetry over twenty-eight years ago and won several awards and also won the Golden Poet Award in 1982 from the World of Poetry. I am an avid reader and also give lectures at schools. I keep up with the news around the world and it gave me an idea to combine love and terrorism in a novel. That novel, Proven Love, is a story of how love overcomes a terrorist's mind. It is also being written to make citizens aware of what would happen if one were to be exploded in an area populated with people. I do very much research, on-line, to gather facts and other information. I do an outline of each chapter and write the novel from the outlines. After the novel is completed, I read it and interject sentences and whole paragraphs to add more detail to the book. I then read it backwards for editing purposes. It is then sent to my publisher for publication.

"I have learned a very important aspect of being published and that is, just because you are a published author, doesn't mean your book will be a success. I also knew ahead of my publishing, that a poetry book is not a way to make a living. Almost anyone in today's society can get published, given the number of vanity press organizations out there. It is very wise to do your homework prior to paying any money to a publisher. In the book market, book stores will not stock your book unless it is ‘returnable.’ Then, most of all, you should know as much about marketing as possible to market your book. The publisher will not do it for you if it is a vanity press. They will make it available on-line and through the suppliers, but you the

author must do most of the marketing work. I constantly schedule book signings. I also read my poetry on the radio at night. I constantly let people know I write. I am also being commissioned to write a story at a private school that will be similar to a Harry Potter series.

"My favorite books are always about love, in the sense that I feel love is the structure of the world. When romance dies in a relationship, the relationship usually dies.

"I am hoping that Proven Love, and the series of books I will be writing, will be marketable to the movie industry. The love poetry I write are real feelings that most people can relate to and bring out the feelings from the deepest part of their soul.

"If anyone feels they would like to get published, ask yourself, are you ready to commit yourself to the long hours of writing and editing and rejection? I was rejected many times but I never gave up and now I am writing more than I ever dreamed of and it is getting published. My goal is to eventually get people to come to me, instead of me going to them."