TRAVERSE CITY -- A series of panel discussions featuring writers and their books will be coming to Traverse City.
Local author Doug Stanton told a full house Thursday at the City Opera House, at an event that wrapped a month-long tour for his new book, "Horse Soldiers," that he is organizing a set of book talks beginning this summer.
The project is still a "work in progress," Stanton said Friday. But he confirmed author Elmore Leonard, most recently of "Road Dogs," and his son, writer Peter Leonard, would be the first speakers.
They will appear June 28 at the City Opera House. Ticket information is not yet available, but will be coordinated through the Opera House and Horizon Books in Traverse City, Stanton said.
The idea is to establish an ongoing series, with authors appearing at the City Opera House throughout the summer and fall.
"It's meant to celebrate writers and reading," he said. "It's the kind of thing I've always wanted and wished for. I think the time is right now."
In all, 685 tickets were sold for Stanton's Thursday event, said Jenny Kelp, box office manager at the Opera House.
The forum included Col. Mark Mitchell, of the U.S. Army Special Forces, who was featured in the book. "Horse Soldiers" describes a significant battle in the war in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
During the panel, Mitchell described his reaction to a bombing that injured a number of soldiers in his unit, and described Special Forces soldiers as "silent professionals" who rarely discuss their tasks with anyone, including family members.
Stanton's persistence in reporting helped convince the soldiers to share their stories, Mitchell said.
The discussion was filmed for C-SPAN's Book TV and will be shown at a future date.
It was the end of the first leg of Stanton's promotional tour for "Horse Soldiers," which took him across the country for book signings and interviews with national media, including the "Today" show in New York.
He will sign books at 2 p.m. June 6 at Borders in Traverse City, and will go to Chicago in July.
