Media / Trade Inquiries
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FORMER PRO D.C. TOUR GUIDE AND AWARD-WINNING REPORTER RELEASES PATRIOTIC DEBUT NOVEL FOR YOUNG ADULTS, READERS OF ALL AGES
LEXINGTON, Va. – Imagine if a fiction author blended the patriotic thrill of National Treasure with the down-home enchantment of Charlotte’s Web, then tossed in a dash of Pushcart War-style grassroots rebelliousness to craft a funny yet powerful tale appealing to Americans of all ages.
Well, award-winning former local newspaper reporter, Beth Homicz, has done just that – and just in time for America’s 250th birthday. Homicz’s debut novel, Some Guy Wants to Buy the Fourth of July, offers a rollicking, lighthearted story of feisty independence for readers ages 8 to infinity.
It’s the story of ten-year-old Allison “Allie” Campion of Concordia, Virginia, who wins a slot as one of twenty finalists in the annual Friendly Family Freedom Franks Fourth of July essay contest for middle-grades students. She and her dad, Dan, overcome difficulties at home to embark on an all-expenses-paid whirlwind adventure in the nation’s capital.
During their week in Washington, Allie and her spirited fellow finalists discover a conspiracy of crony corruption in high places, and – inspired in part by a curmudgeonly American bald eagle – they gallantly set about revealing the truth and righting the wrongs. But can they prevail, all while navigating betrayal, defamation, and their own growing desire for independence?
Homicz, who worked for many years as a licensed professional Washington, D.C. tour guide specializing in student groups, knows from experience about that of which she writes. The story is enhanced by a friendly tour guide character, Lorna, who’s based on the author herself, Homicz explains.
“One of the most thrilling and enduring lessons I learned, in my days as a tour director leading more than 15,000 visitors on sightseeing tours in and around Washington, was how deeply Americans of all ages and backgrounds resonate with our revolutionary history and political traditions when we understand them well,” she says.
“There’s genuine patriotism – love of, and pride in, our country – in most of the people I’ve met over the years, though young Americans nowadays often haven’t been taught to cherish their heritage,” Homicz adds. “Being right on the spot, in places like the U.S. Capitol, or Mount Vernon, or Arlington National Cemetery, provided the perfect ambiance to inspire my guests with the meaning of that history, so that they might take it to heart, and then, into their own lives and futures.”
She infused her debut novel with the same spirit and intention, so that Americans of all ages can learn, marvel, and laugh out loud, all while enjoying a very entertaining tale. Its thirteen chapters take their titles from phrases in the Declaration of Independence. She even included the founding document’s full text as an appendix for readers to delve into, to further their appreciation of its power and meaning.
Homicz also worked for several years as a hometown newspaper reporter (The News-Gazette), earning one National Newspaper Association award and two Virginia Press Association honors for her work. For the Appalachian Mountain Club, she co-authored all three editions of a nonfiction guidebook, AMC’s Best Day Hikes near Washington, D.C. (AMC Books: 2023, 2017, and 2011).
However, for her first novel, she elected to tread the independent self-publishing trail. Now she’s working to build her own indie imprint, Windrise Books.
“It’s a personal mission,” Homicz says, “to create a platform for spotlighting and upholding these unique and incomparable American values – liberty, integrity, individual rights, free speech, and so forth – in today’s publishing environment, which largely has very different ideological priorities.”
She plans to release several future works of her own fiction under the Windrise imprint, including a sequel to Some Guy, and hopes to enlist other likeminded authors in the endeavor too.
Intelligently and charmingly written, Some Guy Wants to Buy the Fourth of July offers readers a timely yet timeless, wholesome, feel-good tale of the indefatigable American spirit. It’s now available from Amazon.com; signed copies and quantity discounts are on offer at BethHomicz.com.
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