Growing up in Barnwell, S.C., Ron Baxley Jr., found books as a way to escape the mundane. One of his favorite books was “The Wizard of Oz.”
“Dorothy was pulled away from the bleak area of Kansas into a fantasy world,” said Baxley, who has written several books including a few inspired by the Land of Oz. He’ll be at the Augusta Book Exchange March 6 to sign them. His illustrated book, “Goldey Goosey of Oz,” was recently revamped and re-released on Feb. 24.
“The Wizard of Oz” and the characters therein ignited his creativity. L. Frank Baum wrote a total of 14 books in the Oz series.
Baxley’s currently working on a series of books which he describes as young adult Southern literature meets fantasy.
The focal character in a trilogy he’s writing is O.Z. Diggs. The first book in the series is “O.Z. Diggs Himself Out,” and it’s set in the South.
A former educator, Baxley brought together 15 years in the classroom for his current title “O.Z. Doesn’t Diggs G.C.C. at Emerald City,” which is scheduled to be released in May. He’s writing a third book in the series.
Baxley spent most of 2020 writing, as the pandemic pulled him away from his regular circuit of Wizard of Oz festivals and other comic-con types of events. He’s a noted festival author and has been recognized for his contributions to Oz fiction, receiving a lifetime membership to the International L. Frank Baum and All Things Oz Foundation.
He’s also written other titles including a children’s book based on his corgi named Ziggy.
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Welsh legends have it that fairies and elves use “Pembroke Welsh Corgis to pull fairy coaches, work fairy cattle and serve as the steed for fairy warriors,” according to the American Kennel Club’s website. It goes on to say people can see “the marks of the fairy saddle over the shoulders” in the dog’s coat.
Baxley considers his dog Ziggy to be a hero, so he combined those two elements to create the “Ziggy Zig-Zag’s the Light and Dark Fantastic. Vol. 1” in 2019.
The book signing will be from noon to 6 p.m. Baxley’s birthday is March 5, so he’ll be celebrating it at the book signing with sealed cupcakes. Some of the proceeds from book sales will be donated to the Muscular Dystrophy Association in memory of Baxley’s friend Julie McMaster who had the disease and died in 2020.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
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