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Novelist succeeds through Web
| Samantha Dunn's novel is available exclusively at http://www.tobypress.com. |
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An inspiration to tell it like it is led NMSU journalism grad Samantha Dunn, '88, to write the novel Failing Paris.
Dunn, who has written for publications ranging from In Style Magazine to the Los Angeles Times, began writing Failing Paris after taking a novel-writing workshop in L.A. several years ago.
"Everyone in our group was writing about their experiences in Paris," Dunn said. But the stories lacked the real sights, sounds, smells and people of Paris. So Dunn immediately went home, wrote the opening line "this is how it is" and 20 more pages.
Four years later, she had a completed novel. After a year of searching for a publisher, her book was picked up by Toby Press - a publishing house that sells books exclusively on the Internet.
Dunn describes Failing Paris as literary fiction, which is what Toby Press publisher Matthew Miller likes to publish.
"The books are usually critically regarded but have a small audience," Dunn said.
Failing Paris is not only a chronicle of life in that city, but also life in New Mexico. Dunn grew up in northern New Mexico. Her book mentions Mesilla and Las Cruces' The Whole Enchilada Fiesta.
Failing Paris is available on the Web at http://www.tobypress.com.
Joy Victory
| Mother, daughter turn new pages in careers |
Sollid: Like flying a jet
 Photo by Brandon McKinley Shije Sollid, '90, and her band performed to benefit a Las Vegas crisis shelter for women and children. Singer Shije Sollid, '90, recently released her first CD. A Los Alamos, N.M., native, Sollid now lives in Las Vegas, Nev., planning corporate events by day and giving live, acoustic performances by night. Sollid isn't the only artist in the family. Her mother, Lynnette Baughman, '66, has just published her first novel. "I've never been prouder of her," said Sollid. Sollid started young, recording choir albums as a child and in high school. She even had a band while at NMSU. She's always wanted to be a singer, she said. "It's incredible, beautiful, cathartic to sing. It's like flying a jet, especially having a magnificent band backing you." Sollid, her co-writer Brian Monroney and her 10-piece rock band named Shije (pronounced SHE-ah), are an independent group trying an innovative direct distribution approach to releasing their self-titled debut CD. It is available at Hastings stores, at Gordon's Records and Tapes in Los Alamos and at their Web site at http://shije.com. Call (310) 281-6750 for more information. The band is working on a second album, and Sollid is scheduled to sing the national anthem for the Sacramento Kings at a game to be shown on "The NBA on NBC" April 9. How did she land the gig? "I mailed a recording and asked them if I could do it," she said. Rachel Kendall |
Baughman: Making it
Photo by Meghann Dallin Baughman signs a copy of A Spy Within at the NMSU Bookstore. Lynnette Baughman, '66, is busy selling and promoting her first novel, A Spy Within. Since its publication last fall, the book has been described by critics as "sharp," "witty" and "a hot new page turner." Topping the writer's list of fans is her daughter Shije Sollid, '90, who recently released her first music CD. The mother and daughter have been on parallel career paths in the recent years. "I'm trying to make it, she's trying to make it, and both of us are doing it the hard way," said Baughman, "although I don't know that there is an easy way." A Spy Within is a murder mystery set in present-day Los Alamos, N.M. The fictional story is taken from factual events. It centers around a conspiracy dating back to World War II and a spy chain inside the Manhattan project. The book has repeatedly sold out in Los Alamos. U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman bought a copy for himself and took one to President Clinton. Baughman, a Las Cruces native, has lived in Los Alamos for 18 years. She worked as lifestyles editor for the Los Alamos Monitor and also wrote for a newspaper in Las Vegas, Nev. Since 1992 she has concentrated on her fiction and free-lance work. Her articles have appeared in ReaderŐs Digest, Runner's World and New Mexico Magazine. A Spy Within is sold at most New Mexico bookstores and on the Web at http://www.Amazon.com and http://www.BarnesandNoble.com. Maria C. Lucero |
Volunteer finds life's work as teacher
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As a volunteer, Krissy Sievers, '98, is gaining job experience
that she says wouldn't have been open to her if the jobs were fully paid.
Sievers teaches English and a citizenship class to immigrants in Boston. She receives a stipend of $300 every two weeks. She had no teaching experience a year ago when she first set foot in the classroom as a volunteer with Notre Dame AmeriCorps, a branch of the U.S. government's AmeriCorps service program. |  Krissy Sievers, front row, second from right, with her students |
"After graduation from NMSU, I wanted to figure out what to do with my life," Sievers said. "I had a degree in psychology, but I didn't know how to apply it."
Now she is applying to graduate schools and in the fall plans to pursue a master's degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.
Sievers has a great deal of respect for the people she instructs who come from Albania, China, Poland, Viet Nam, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala and other countries.
"They want a better life," Sievers said. "My jobs have made me think about the United States, how powerful and rich it is. We have so much here, and people from other countries are in such awe of the U.S."
| Panorama table of contents | ||||
| Cover | President's Column | Alumni/Friends | Campus/Sports | Center Spread |
| Foundation/Development | Profiles | Aggie Whirl | Back Page | Features |
| Back Issues | ||||