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PO Box 3201
Martinsville, VA 24115
United States

Stephen H. Provost is an author of paranormal adventures and historical non-fiction. “Memortality” is his debut novel on Pace Press, set for release Feb. 1, 2017.

An editor and columnist with more than 30 years of experience as a journalist, he has written on subjects as diverse as history, religion, politics and language and has served as an editor for fiction and non-fiction projects. His book “Fresno Growing Up,” a history of Fresno, California, during the postwar years, is available on Craven Street Books. His next non-fiction work, “Highway 99: The History of California’s Main Street,” is scheduled for release in June.

For the past two years, the editor has served as managing editor for an award-winning weekly, The Cambrian, and is also a columnist for The Tribune in San Luis Obispo.

He lives on the California coast with his wife, stepson and cats Tyrion Fluffybutt and Allie Twinkletail.

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On Writing

Starting 2023 with a bang: 15 ebook releases and big plans ahead

Stephen H. Provost

Big news: All the books in my Highways of the West series, as well as my Century Cities books, are now available as ebooks for Kindle! So is Martinsville Memories, which profiles a small town in southern Virginia with a fascinating history in tobacco, textiles, and furniture-making. So when you’re out exploring, you can take my historical travel guides along with you in handy, electronic form for easy reference.

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How not to write a twist: the LOTR prequel (spoilers)

Stephen H. Provost

I haven’t written much fiction lately, but if you’re familiar with my novels and short stories, you know that I love a good twist. … The writers of The Rings of Power seem to share that affection. Unfortunately, their series on Amazon Prime is a textbook example of how NOT to write a twist.

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"Step foot" isn't just a secondary usage, it's wrong

Stephen H. Provost

Grammar experts use an odd standard when deciding what’s acceptable and what isn’t. They often argue that a word or phrase can be used in a certain way based on precedent: if it was used that way a long time ago, it must be OK now. In other words, “If it’s old, it must be right.”

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If you like Images of America books, you'll love these

Stephen H. Provost

If you know authors, you know we’re always on the lookout for good ideas, books that inspire us and may even prompt us to say to ourselves: “I could do that, only better!” That might sound a bit arrogant, and we’re not always right. Sometimes we are, though, and even when we’re not, the results can still be pretty damn good. The more good books there are, the better — especially when it comes to history.

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Greensboro, from blue jeans to Woolworth's, explored in new book

Stephen H. Provost

From blue jeans and textiles to the Woolworth’s lunch counter Greensboro Century is filled with stories of milestones in the city’s history during the 20th century. Packed with historical images and contemporary photos I took myself, it’s a year-by-year chronicle of how Greensboro has grown and changed over the years.

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Why independent publishing is so tough for many authors

Stephen H. Provost

Writing is, as the saying goes, a lonely profession — and many authors like it that way. J.D. Salinger, William Faulkner, Emily Dickinson, Harper Lee, and others have preferred the comforts of home to the discomforts of the cold, cruel world. Some write to escape that world, and others escape the world to write. I do both.

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7 things we all hate about our news feed... that newspapers would never do

Stephen H. Provost

I laugh and cringe in equal measure when I see the lengths to which online sites go in their quest for clicks and ad exposure. It’s become almost comical: way beyond pop-up ads and clickbait. I’m sure you’ve probably run across these seven examples.

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Goldfield Century: Prizefights, ghosts, and lots of gold

Stephen H. Provost

Here’s a quiz-show stumper for you: What did boxing’s first great promoter, Virgil Earp from the O.K. Corral, the richest man in Nevada, and the founder of UPS have in common? They all spent time in Goldfield.

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Charleston, West Virginia, shines in new book profiling city

Stephen H. Provost

As you arrive in Charleston, you can't miss the sight of the golden state Capitol dome on the far bank and the Kanawha River. It's every bit as majestic as the Capitol building in D.C., but it's even more spectacular when the sun is shining. Its rays shine on the golden dome and dance the river in the foreground, providing a glorious scene that's sure to widen the eyes of any first-time visitor.

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Huntington, West Virginia, focus of latest Century Cities book

Stephen H. Provost

Huntington is notable for many reasons. It was the site of the easternmost bank robbed by the James-Younger Gang, and it’s home to the state’s largest mall, the Huntington Mall. Marshall University, located near the center of town, has drawn headlines for winning national championships and for a tragic plane crash that took the lives of the football team and everyone else on board in 1970.

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Danville, Virginia, is a lot more than textiles and tobacco

Stephen H. Provost

In some quarters, it’s best known as the “last capital of the Confederacy,” after the fall of Richmond. The Confederate government met briefly in a mansion there that became a library... before the library eventually became a museum. But the events of the 20th century — the focus of my book — are just as fascinating, if not more so.

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How Marvel and DC are ruining fiction

Stephen H. Provost

Who cares if Khan Noonien Singh was supposed to be a genetic superman from northern India? We’ll turn him into a thin white dude instead. And we’ll have Spock hook up with Uhura, no pon farr required. Talk about a multiverse of madness. But casual fans won’t notice or won’t care, and there’s money to be made!

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San Luis Obispo, Cambria featured in two new books

Stephen H. Provost

Each of these new volumes includes more than 100 images, both historic from across the years and modern from my own camera lens. As with all my Century Cities books, the events are presented in chronological order so readers can see how the community grew and changed over the years. The timeline includes a mix of major happenings, quirky events, and slice-of-life vignettes.

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7 myths about authors

Stephen H. Provost

What it all boils down to is authors are people who do a job that they believe in. We want to be paid, and we want to be appreciated. That shouldn’t be too hard to understand. In that way, we are all the same — not just authors, but human beings: That’s all most of us really ever want.

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